The Rivalry: USC vs. Notre Dame
JIDE ABASIRI CELEBRATES AFTER A QB SACK VS MICHIGAN (MEMORABLE IMAGES/PHOTO)
South Bay Black Journal — by Jason Burrell,
It’s not just tradition, it’s a collision of belief systems. Hollywood vs. the Holy Cross. Sunshine swagger vs. Midwestern steel. Gold helmets on both sides, but two very different kinds of gold, one forged in faith, the other in fame.
Every fall, USC and Notre Dame step onto the same field to measure legacy, not just rankings. It’s pride wrapped in pageantry. The glitz of Los Angeles meets the grit of South Bend. One program built on movie stars and modern flash; the other rooted in discipline, history, and sacred ritual.
But underneath all that, there’s a shared truth: both schools believe they represent the best version of college football.
This rivalry has produced Heisman moments, heartbreaks, and miracles from the Bush Push to Joe Montana’s comeback in the cold. It’s a matchup that turns generations of players into storytellers and fans into witnesses.
Built for this: USC’s new edge meets Notre Dame’s old standard
Down three starting offensive linemen, they churned past 200 rushing yards and didn’t surrender a sack. Walk-on revelation King Miller, an LA kid running on a childhood dream, authored the night’s heartbeat with a third-and-32, 49-yard jailbreak that said as much about belief as it did about burst. “It was a dream come true,” Miller told me. “I just follow my rules, see green grass and go.” The Trojans controlled the night despite their own injuries, two O-linemen, multiple backs and linebackers, and the head coach (Lincoln Riley) said it plain and simple: “We’re a tough-ass, physical program… we won the line of scrimmage tonight.” That’s the identity they’re packing for South Bend.
The week of work: two faiths in the gospel of preparation
Lincoln Riley framed Michigan as the culmination and starting line. The middle-eight swung USC’s way, the scout teams gave quality looks, and the depth finally felt like a rotation, not a wish. Across the line, Marcus Freeman preached the same liturgy in a different chapel: “The answers lie in the work… the game plan, the teaching, the practice, the studying and preparation.” He called Notre Dame’s defensive performance at NC State its best of the year and put a stamp on this week’s tone: “This game’s going to be about velocity… often you say we’ve got to get bloody.”
Freeman’s also managing an injury at center. With Ashton Craig out for the season (right knee), Joe Audig steps in, a next-man-up story that echoes USC’s Miller. The Irish emphasized Tackling Tuesday to fix what wasn’t good enough; it showed up in the second half last week via takeaways, a safety, and pursuit that erased cutbacks. That isn’t a scheme; that’s accountability with pads on!
The matchup on a chalkboard
Quarterbacking the moment. USC’s Jaden Maiava is living in the sweet spot: decisive, low-mistake, unbothered by noise. Riley’s sequencing has been ruthless. TE seams as pressure valves, screens with on-time landmarks, RPOs that punish wrong fits and the line keeps his jersey clean. For Notre Dame, freshman CJ Carr throws like a coach’s grandson: composed, rhythm-driven, happy to take what leverage gives. Freeman calls it a “burning desire to win” and you see it in his pre-snap economy.
Skill leverage. Notre Dame knows it can’t let Mai Lemon decide the game from the slot. “Zone and he finds grass; on-body and he can run by you,” Freeman admitted. Expect disguise: late-spin to muddle reads, press-bail to muddy timing, and a nickel rotation that might put Leonard Moore inside if needed. USC counters with TE multiplicity — Lake McRee and Walker Lyons leaning into leverage — and the same screen game that made Michigan’s pursuit wrong at the snap.
Run game truths. USC is thin but feisty at RB. Miller’s earned feature touches; Brian Jackson is the downhill counterpunch if the turf toe agrees. Don’t be surprised by creative personnel H-back inserts, WR jets, even a big-body fullback look to protect 2nd-and-medium. Notre Dame’s duo (Jeremiah Love, Jadarian Price) is as clean as any: downhill, decisive, and built to turn 2nd-and-6 into their play-action menu. USC’s front has to win first down again or Carr will live in comfort.
Where the game tilts
- First-down defense (USC vs. ND run): Hold ND under 3.5 per first-down rush, and Carr becomes a long-yardage QB. That unlocks Bishop Fitzgerald’s eyes and the Trojan pressures Riley wants to send.
- Disguise vs. slot gravity: Notre Dame can’t erase Lemon without giving up seams and boundary comebacks. USC doesn’t need 150 from No. 8; it needs his attention tax to fund explosives elsewhere.
- Red zone choices: Riley leaned away from hero ball vs. Michigan. If USC stays surgical TE bodies, motion for leverage, QB keeper as the honest man 7s replace 3s. For ND, the new center’s cadence plus Freeman’s “get bloody” mantra must translate inside the five.
- The hidden game: Special teams are a vibe and a weapon here. USC’s confidence in long range is real; ND’s coverage and return game can flip scripts. One momentum kick will matter.
The human element (the part stats keep missing)
This week rides on mental training more than hype. Freeman talked about staying in the moment, catching the drift, and dragging your mind back to this rep. Riley said the Coliseum’s edge comes from all of us doing our part.
Prediction without a score:
The parable, not the pick. If USC’s Michigan tape was a revelation, South Bend is a repentance or renewal. Beat Michigan with your hands; beat Notre Dame with your habits! For the Irish, the sermon’s just as clear: if “answers lie in the work,” then the first drive must look like Tuesday, not just like talk.
Two types of gold. One truth: Saturday decides whose shine is Real, and whose is painted!
