College football waits for no man, and after a week of as much tumult as any program could possibly go through, the USC Trojans (3-2, 1-2 in the PAC 12) still have a game to play. And it’s a doozy -- the annual rivalry game with the 14th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1).
How to watch USC vs. Notre Dame on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
Tumultuous Trojans head to South Bend for their rivalry game with the Fighting Irish.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
It was an ugly loss to Washington last Thursday, and then an even uglier weekend in Troy, as head coach Steve Sarkisian took a leave of absence to enter a treatment program for alcoholism, only to be fired by athletic director Pat Haden the following day. Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season. What happens after that is anybody’s guess, given the other openings across the country.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, followed up their heartbreaking loss to Clemson with a 41-24 win over Navy. C.J. Prosise ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns. The Irish took advantage of three Navy turnovers to pull away in the second half.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC. Dan Hicks and Doug Flutie on the call.
Radio: USC, Notre Dame
Online streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra
Spread: Notre Dame is favored by 3 points.
Make friends: Irish fans can talk it out over at One Foot Down, and Conquest Chronicles is the place to be for Trojans fans.
Three big things to know
1. Strength on strength
Notre Dame ranks 10th in the country in S&P+ pass defense, but Southern Cal has one hell of a passing attack. Cody Kessler is the country's fourth-highest rated quarterback, and he has one of the best receivers in JuJu Smith-Schuster. Cornerback Adoree' Jackson can provide a spark in specialty packages as well, ranking second on the team in receiving yardage.
2. Reverse course?
Over reliance on Kessler and the passing game has been a problem for the Trojans as well, and Notre Dame has more than 500 rushing yards in their last two games. This would be a good time for Helton to lean on running backs Tre Madden and Ronald Jones II to see if they can maybe keep the Notre Dame offense off the field.
3. C.J. Prosise
Run defense has been an issue in the Trojans’ last three games, two of which they’ve lost. They allowed 195 yards to Stanford (loss), 182 to Arizona State in a win and then another 135 to Washington. Prosise has 779 yards on the year, that’s nearly as much as USC has allowed all season.
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