Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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128 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL Expectations are sky high for USC en- tering the 2017 season. After a 1-3 start in 2016, the Trojans ripped off nine straight wins by an average of 17.9 points per game to finish 10-3. That streak and the emergence of quar- terback Sam Darnold have many believing USC is a national title contender. Lindy's (No. 2), Street & Smith's (No. 4), Phil Steele's (No. 4) and Athlon (No. 5) all have the Trojans in the College Football Playoff or just on the cusp of it. Head coach Clay Helton has accumulated a 12-3 record in Pac-12 play, but it is the presence of the redshirt sophomore Darnold that has raised the bar in Los Angeles. "With potential issues along the offen- sive and defensive lines, I think most of the roster looks like recent USC teams that have struggled," TrojanSports.com publisher Chris Swanson said. "But Sam Darnold is so good I understand why everyone has them ranked so high. He makes up for poor offensive line play and makes defense less important." USC must replace three starters from its offensive line and its top two receivers, in- cluding second-round draft pick JuJu Smith- Schuster. The line remains a question mark, but the Trojans have plenty of talented, young pass catchers that could emerge in 2017. "USC's young wide receivers showed flashes of brilliance during the spring, but not one of them was consistently dominant," Swanson said. "The Trojans always seem to have talent at that position, and I don't think wide receiver play will be an issue this year." With an offense that many expect to be one of the nation's best, led by Darnold and 1,000-yard rusher Ronald Jones, the USC defense could be the difference between a run to the College Football Playoff or a meaningless bowl game. "The biggest concern is the defensive line by far," Swanson said. "It was a perceived issue before last season and was saved by Steve Tuikolovatu, a 25-year-old grad trans- fer. It's an issue again. Cornerback play could also be a problem because Adoree' Jackson has moved onto the NFL. "But the defense is expected by most to be just fine. That's because of [defensive coordinator] Clancy Pendergast, who has a history of producing quality defenses, even with little personnel. I expect USC to have a very good secondary overall, even with questions at one of the corner spots." ✦ 2017 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2016 Result Sept. 2 Western Michigan — Sept. 9 Stanford L, 27-10 Sept. 16 Texas — Sept. 23 at California W, 45-24 Sept. 29 at Washington State — Oct. 7 Oregon State — Oct. 14 Utah L, 31-27 Oct. 21 at Notre Dame W, 45-27 Oct. 28 at Arizona State W, 41-20 Nov. 4 Arizona W, 48-14 Nov. 11 at Colorado W, 21-17 Nov. 18 UCLA W, 36-14 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 46-37-5 Last Meeting: USC 45, Notre Dame 27 (Nov. 26, 2015; Los Angeles) Head Coach: Clay Helton 16-7 (3rd year) 2016 Results: 10-3 overall, 7-2 Pac-12 South (2nd); defeated Penn State 52-49 in the Rose Bowl Returning Starters: 10 (4 offense, 6 defense) 2017 Preseason Rankings: No. 2 by Lindy's, No. 4 by Phil Steele's and Street & Smith's, No. 5 by Athlon and No. 12 by ESPN Football Power Index Did You Know?: Brian Kelly is 4-3 against USC … Notre Dame's three previous head coaches were a combined 3-10 against the Trojans … Kelly is 2-1 at home against USC, including a 41-31 victory in 2015 … Southern Cal ended the 2016 season with nine straight wins in which it averaged 39.9 points and 529.7 yards per game … Linebacker Cameron Smith was chosen as a preseason second-team All-Amer- ican by Phil Steele's and Athlon. Prediction: USC 31, Notre Dame 27 STRENGTH: Backfield USC's backfield, which Lindy's ranks No. 2 in the nation, is loaded. It all starts with redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold. Lindy's and Phil Steele's named him their preseason first-team All-American quarter- back, and he also is considered one of the country's top contenders for the Heisman Trophy. Darnold took over in USC's fourth game of the 2016 season, and the Trojans went 9-1 with him in charge. He passed for 3,086 yards and 31 touch- downs while completing 67.2 percent of his passes. The Trojans also boast the nation's No. 7 collec- tion of running backs according to Phil Steele's. Junior Ronald Jones is poised to become one of the top rushers in the land. Despite splitting carries the last two seasons, he has already tallied 2,069 yards and 20 touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per attempt. This year, he figures to become the focal point of USC's rushing attack. Junior Aca'Cedric Ware rushed for 233 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry in wins over Arizona and California last year. He will compete with tal- ented redshirt freshman Vavae Malepeai for the No. 2 role. CONCERN: Offensive Line Last season, USC's offensive line paved the way for 200.7 rushing yards per game and held oppo- nents to just 12 sacks. However, a trio of blockers that combined for 112 career starts have moved on. If healthy, the Trojans should be good inside thanks to the return of redshirt junior Toa Loben- dahn at left guard, senior Viane Talamaivao at right guard and fifth-year senior Nico Falah at cen- ter, though all three come with injury concerns. Lobendahn missed the final seven games of the 2015 season after injuring his left knee and then all but one contest last fall after suffering another knee injury in the opener. Talamaivao missed a chunk of spring practice after elbow surgery, and according to reports in The Orange County Regis- ter, Falah considered moving out from the center spot in order alleviate pressure on the back injury that cost him most of the spring. Junior Chuma Edoga is expected to be a capable replacement at left tackle, but redshirt junior Chris Brown has big shoes to fill at right tackle. Zach Banner manned that position the last three years and was a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TROJANS OCT. 21 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND X-FACTOR: Junior outside linebacker Porter Gustin compiled 5.5 sacks a year ago and will be relied on to put more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks this fall. PHOTO COURTESY USC ATHLETICS RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Ronald Jones (1,082 yards, 12 TD) Passing: QB Sam Darnold (3,086 yards, 31 TD) Receiving: WR Deontay Burnett (622 yards, 7 TD) Tackles: LB Cameron Smith (83) Sacks: DT Rasheem Green (6) Interceptions: CB Iman Marshall (3)