Notre Dame Week

The good news and the bad news. It's Notre Dame week and a great road experience for those able to make the trip. Weather will be mild and in the 40's by kick off so be forewarned and dress for the elements. No real precipitation is in the current forecast but it's always a flip of the coin with mother nature. I'm sure the grass will be cut just right to slow down any advantage for our WR's and RB's so keep an eye on that little element as well.

There is always the potential for an upset regardless of how these two teams are fairing in any given season. Like last nights Dodger comeback win there were many fleeing the stadium early who probably wish they had stayed but digress. Great win for the Dodgers! Notre Dame week is special its never about the records of the teams it's always the game itself. The players will remember their game in South Bend for the rest of their lives and as fans we tell stories of what we saw for seasons to come. It's a great recruiting trip to get a look at the midwestern talent for the Trojans and show off the road experience as well.

I looked at the spreads for this game and it's a puzzle for me. I saw Notre Dame as a double digit favorite but the odds last I peaked were 6.5 in favor of ND. Seems to me that something is leaning USC's way but what we have seen this year is that we play well on the road and perhaps thats what is keeping the genius point spread setters at bay for now. I will never bet against my team but this one is very enticing.

For the Trojans it's the unknown of the quarterback position. Kedon Slovis is not having a great year as we had hoped he would break out but he isn't having a bad year statistically either. He outranks ND's QB, Tyler Buchner, who is still trying to establish himself as QB-1. Then the dark horse element of Jaxson Dart. God help us all if he plays in this game. It's too soon. We all know this lad wants to play as he is a fighter and gamer. But he is all about next year. I would love to see him suited up without his shoulder pads just for the look. Let Kedon be the old Kedon if he can get out of the pocket and buy time plus see the field and the patterns developing. For some reason he has chosen to stay put in the pocket and is still holding the ball too long and not trusting his routes or check downs. He can fix Kedon if he lets it fly!

The USC running game actually looks improved. But it's not up to USC RB U standards of old. May never get there as long as Graham Harrell is calling the plays but this is an area that would actually help Kedon and the passing game. Ingram is showing that when he runs just outside the tackles with a little daylight he can get to space quickly. He suffers laterally as our O Line struggles to hold the edge long enough. But maybe just maybe this Saturday will see a deeper exploration into the running game?

Fight On!