Defensive struggles put Trojans’ weaknesses on display

Shotgun snap. Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush hands the ball off to running back Josh Adams, who hesitates behind the line of scrimmage for half a second, accelerates between the tackles and takes the ball 84 yards for the score. With the touchdown, Notre Dame brought its lead back up to four touchdowns and hammered the final nail in the coffin late in the third quarter against an uninspired USC team trying to mount a late comeback in South Bend on Saturday.

While it was their longest play of the night, it was not a surprise for the Fighting Irish, who averaged a robust eight yards per carry against the Trojans.

“Credit Notre Dame,” head coach Clay Helton said after the defeat. “They won the battle in the trenches tonight.”

That comes across as a bit of an understatement, as Notre Dame rushed for more yards against USC than it had since 1950 and outgained the Trojans on the ground by over 300 yards. The Irish didn’t just win the battle in the trenches — they dominated it. This wasn’t a massive surprise given that Notre Dame has one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country, and USC was dealing with several key injuries, including the loss of starting defensive lineman Josh Fatu, whose presence was sorely missed. But redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold and the team refused to make excuses after the loss.

“They were better than us tonight,” junior linebacker Cam Smith said.

For a team that entered the season with playoff aspirations, this loss hurt.

“It was embarrassing,” senior team captain Chris Hawkins said after the game. “I’m embarrassed.”

This loss cannot be blamed entirely on the defense however, as USC faltered in all three phases of the game. USC rushed the ball 12 times in the opening half for a total of negative four yards. The Trojans didn’t score a point in the first half and entered the locker room trailing by 28. USC also fumbled a punt, missed a field goal and threw an interception in a sloppily played half of football.

“We helped them by mistakes,” Helton said after the game.

USC’s offense could not overcome the plethora of negative plays in the run game, and Darnold was running for his life for most of the game due to poor protection. USC looked overmatched and outclassed on the field Saturday, and the 35-point loss was indicative of that.

The fight in the trenches was not the only battle USC lost this weekend, as Notre Dame won the turnover battle as well. The Irish took the ball from USC three times without committing a turnover of their own. Carelessness with the ball and offensive miscues  plagued the Trojans all season, and they are now tied for the second most turnovers in the FBS, giving away possession 19 times in eight games.

However, USC’s season is not lost.

“There’s still a lot to play for in this season,” Helton said. “There’s not only the Pac-12 South Championship but a Pac-12 Championship.”

Fortunately for USC, this was not a conference game and thus will not affect the Trojans’ standing in the conference, where they still control their destiny. This is a luxury the team was not afforded last year after its 1-3 start, a point Helton wants to emphasize.

The team is focusing on its next test against Arizona State this Saturday.

“We’re going to bounce back,” said Darnold, who has been responsible for 15 turnovers this season after entering as the Heisman frontrunner.

It seems unlikely this late in the season that USC can recapture the magic that led the Trojans to win their final nine games last year and finish in the top three in the final AP poll. However, unlikely doesn’t mean much to Darnold, who is typically unflappable in pressure situations.

“Sam gives us the best opportunity to win a Pac-12 championship,” Helton said. “He’s hurting in there right now because his team didn’t win.”