Written by Connor D'Aquila ⏐ Writer ⏐ Twitter: @ConnorDaquilaIT Photo via Darron Cummings | AP A familiar face made his return to Notre Dame Stadium this weekend. For the second straight year, Phil Jurkovec was back in South Bend with a new team. Last year, the then Boston College quarterback was injured for the game, and this year, he didn't see any action. Following week five, Jurkovec was benched in favor of Christian Veilleux, and it was certainly deserved. Through five weeks, he had totaled just 818 yards on 50.9% completion for six touchdowns and three interceptions. Last week, it was reported that Phil had begun working out with tight ends, though he didn't see any playing time. The once highly touted prospect has had some choice words for Notre Dame below, so below, I will break down the journey from ND to Pitt. Notre Dame Jurkovec came to Notre Dame with a lot of excitement surrounding him. A four-star prospect ranked number 83 nationally and the fourth-ranked dual-threat quarterback, ND fans were understandably excited. He also threw for almost 4,000 yards in his senior year of high school and possesses impressive size at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. He was regarded as one of the best quarterback prospects to come out of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, he came in with two talented throwers in front of him in junior Ian Book and senior Brandon Wimbush. The path to playing time would prove difficult for the young gun, and by the end of his redshirt freshman year, he had thrown only 16 passes for 212 yards. Not getting the playing time he expected, Phil made the decision to transfer. Since leaving, Jurkovec has expressed his discontent with his time in South Bend, citing complaints particularly with Coach Kelly, but also attacking the University as a whole. Two comments made particular waves in the media. The first was his assertion that Kelly had lied to him and his parents. Speaking with Boston.com, he said he was not informed of key events affecting his position on the team, including Ian Book’s decision to stay with the program and offensive coordinator Chip Long’s status with the team. He also felt that coaches treated players badly and there was a general lack of experience on the staff. The second major incident came when he went on social media to criticize the morality of Notre Dame. His Instagram post prior to last November’s matchup included questions about the school’s adherence to its moral code and the fact that “I'm Shipping Up to Boston” is played before each game. He felt strongly that being founded by French immigrants, the school and its fans were engaging in cultural appropriation. No matter your thoughts on these statements, there is clearly some deep-seated bitterness. Time at Boston College Jurkovec’s three-year tenure at BC began very positively and immediately left some thinking the elite prospect would pan out. Completing 61% of passes for over 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns to only five interceptions, the talent was on full display. He did get to face ND at home, but was ultimately outdueled by Book and Co. Given the raw tools, however, he was quickly thrust into NFL Draft discussions. His second year would begin with a 325-yard and three-touchdown campaign, but was immediately derailed by a wrist injury. Despite continued anticipation from BC fans and the broader college football world, he never regained that first year magic. The following season would be derailed by disappointing play and a knee injury, and although Phil had nothing but positive things to say about the Eagles, he was ready for another change. Time at Pitt The decision for the hometown kid to transfer to Pitt made a lot of sense once Jurkovec was in the portal. Not only was his former offensive coordinator with the Panthers, but their quarterback had also just announced his intention to transfer. Fans of the team were understandably excited, but the sixth-year quarterback’s time has not gone according to plan. By the second week of the season, fans in Acrisure Stadium poured boos on the team as the offense and Jurkovec struggled against a weak Cincinnati team. Phil called those fans “pathetic” after the game, but his struggles would not end there. The very next week, they would score only six points in the backyard brawl against West Virginia, and Jurkovec would contribute only 81 passing yards paired with three interceptions. The team would struggle to a 1-4 record entering a matchup with Louisville, and Coach Pat Narduzzi made the decision to bench his starter. Since then, they beat number 18 Louisville and had a tough four-point loss to Wake Forest. Given his size and athleticism, we could very well see Jurkovec thrive at tight end and find his way back on the field. Just as likely, however, is the possibility that we never see him start a game again. His talent is undeniable, and his first season at BC was special, but since then we have not seen the potential pan out. The recent benching diminished the excitement of this “homecoming,” but nevertheless, it likely wouldn't have mattered as the Irish rolled the Panthers by 51 points.

By Liam Farrell｜Senior Staff Writer｜Twitter/X: @LiamFarrell_IT Via Notre Dame Football SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame absolutely handled Pitt today to improve their record to 7-2 on the season. The offense had no trouble moving the ball deep into Pitt territory, but a pair of Sam Hartman interceptions and a turnover on downs stalled the Irish scoring for much of the first half. The first score of the game came courtesy of Chris Tyree on an 82-yard punt return, the longest in Fighting Irish history since 2009. The defense remained to be a dominant force, as Xavier Watts became the NCAA Division 1 leader in interceptions after tallying two more in today's contest. Also, each backup cornerback, Jaden Mickey and Christian Gray, had an interception, as well. Let's take a closer look on the Irish performance in this one. Offense Via Notre Dame Football Sam Hartman . Hartman continued to see ghosts against this Pat Narduzzi defense. In the 2021 ACC Championship game, Hartman threw 4 interceptions in Wake Forest's 45-21 loss. In this one, Hartman tried to squeeze two balls in tight spots, and both of which resulted in Pitt interceptions. Besides these two bad decisions, Hartman was rather efficient on the day as a whole. He was 18/25 for 288 yards. In the end, Hartman did enough for the Irish to win in this one. O-Line Play . The Irish Offensive Line did the best they could against constant pressure from the Pitt defense. Everyone on the line did a good job controlling the heavy pressure formation, and won most battles in the run game. This line has experienced some turmoil up the middle, but after the bye week, the offensive line looked impressive in this one. Receiving Core. While the bye week gave time for banged up wide outs to heal, they were not a factor in this one. Chris Tyree had a great downfield catch, but besides this vertical shot, there wasn't a lot of moving the ball downfield from the wide receivers. It seems as though they just cannot create enough separation for Hartman to throw a 50/50 ball. Rico Flores had a big gain, but had no defender near him, but Tobias Merriweather did beat his defender on a one-on-one matchup. Audric Estime. Estime controlled the running game today for the Fighting Irish tallying 3 total touchdowns, and rushing for 114 yards. Estime can do it all in terms of pass protection, catching the ball out of the back field, and running between the tackles. He is the number 1 running back on Mel Kiper's draft board for a reason. Defense via The Irish Tribune Battling through Injuries . The Notre Dame defense somewhat started behind the 8-ball in this one. Star cornerback, Benjamin Morrison, was a game time scratch with a quad strain injury, and his fellow standout corner, Cam Hart, had a forearm injury that sidelined him for most of this game. The inexperienced prospects, Jaden Mickey and Christian Gray did a good job filling in their place, and wrapped up the Pitt aerial attack in this one. Xavier Watts . After the greatest defensive effort in a single game against USC, Xavier Watts almost out did himself in this one. Two first half interceptions had Watts slide into the Division 1 leader in interceptions (6). With so many injuries in the Irish secondary, Watts was the calming presence that stopped Pitt from throwing the ball downfield. Young Guns. Talk about making the most out of your opportunity. Jaden Mickey, who is extremely young for a sophomore, making his first interception be a memorable one with a 43-yard pick six. Then, on the next series, freshman Christian Gray said, "it's my turn" and had an acrobatic interception along the sideline. Mick Mickens has this Notre Dame secondary looking at an extremely bright future. Special Teams and Coaching Marty Biagi . Biagi had big shoes to fill after former Irish special team's coach, Brian Mason, got elevated to the Indianapolis Colts. Biagi threw a great curveball in the USC game with the three man deep kickoff return, and in this one, Chris Tyree made Biagi look like a mastermind with the 82-yard punt return. The Irish also capitalized on a muffed punt as they landed on the ball in the end zone. Time Management . Marcus Freeman is still learning as a head coach, but his clock management at the end of the 2nd half was a head scratcher. Letting the clock tick all the way down on third down before calling his last timeout left Notre Dame with no time to run another play after the defensive interception. While the drive still ended with points, the time management error could've made a difference in a closer game.

Written By: Phil Kowalis｜Writer｜Twitter/X: @PhilKowalisIT Photo via Fox News Notre Dame returns to action after a much-needed bye week, as they return to Notre Dame Stadium to host the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers have struggled this season and enter the matchup with the Irish with a 2-5 record on the season and are coming off a 21-17 loss to Wake Forest, that saw the Demon Deacons score the winning points with just seven seconds left on the clock. Despite the loss to Wake Forest, the Panthers enter the contest with the Irish playing some of their best football this season, as two weeks ago the Panthers defeated then 14th ranked Louisville 38-21. Pittsburgh is led by longtime head coach Pat Narduzzi, who has been one of the most outspoken coaches in the ACC against Notre Dame's arrangement with the Atlantic Coastal Conference, that allows the Irish to maintain their football Independence while being a conference member in all other sports with the exception of hockey. Narduzzi will not be the only familiar face on the Panthers sideline, as Pittsburgh's roster includes former Irish players in running back C'Bo Flemister, linebacker Shayne Simon, and former quarterback turned tight end Phil Jurkovec. Let's take a look at some of the players to keep an eye on for the Panthers during Saturday's matchup. Photo By: Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press Offense: The Panthers offense will be led by quarterback Christian Veilleux. Veilleux will be making his third start of the season for Pittsburgh and has thrown for 647 yards and five touchdowns on the season completing 52 of his 98 pass attempts, and has been intercepted twice. Veilleux replaced former Panther starter Phil Jurkovec for the win over the Louisville Cardinals. Jurkovec has passed for 818 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions on the season in his five starts as the Panthers quarterback. Pittsburgh's rushing attack is led by C'Bo Flemister, who has rushed for 282 yards on 68 carries - good for a 4.1-yard average and has scored two touchdowns. Flemister is joined in the backfield by Rodney Hammond Jr., who has rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns on the season. As a team, the Panthers have rushed for 781 yards on 227 carries for an average of just 3.4 yards per attempt. Pittsburgh's top receiving threats are wide receivers Konata Mumpfield and Bub Means, and tight end Gavin Bartholomew. Mumpfield leads the Panthers with 30 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns, and Means has added 20 catches for 326 yards and three scores. The Panther's passing attack has accounted for 1,465 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. Photo By: Charles LeClaire / USA Today Defense: The Pittsburgh defense is led by linebackers Shayne Simon and Bangally Kamara. Simon has 27 tackles and three sacks on the season, and Kamara has added 24 tackles and one sack. David Green is someone to keep an eye on along Pittsburgh's defensive line, as Green has accounted for 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the season. Bam Brima and Samuel Okunlola lead the panthers in sacks with three apiece. Pittsburgh's defense has totaled 22 sacks on the season. The Panthers also boast a strong secondary with the likes of cornerbacks MJ Devonshire, Marquis Williams and AJ Woods. The Panther secondary has been credited with 20 pass breakups and has recorded five interceptions on the season. Summary: Notre Dame enters the game as 20-point favorites over the Panthers, but I would not be surprised if this turns out to be a much closer contest, as Pittsburgh has a history of giving the Irish all they can handle. Notre Dame will also have to work out the kinks in an offense that has struggled over the past four weeks. While the Irish offense has struggled Notre Dame's defense has consistently put out outstanding efforts and I expect the same from the Irish defense against the Panthers. This game may be close for a half, but Notre Dame is clearly the better team and should pull away for a comfortable victory.

Written by Cade Harper｜Writer｜Twitter/X: @CadeHarperIT Photo by Notre Dame Athletics It is week 9 of the college football season, and the Fighting Irish come off a very well deserved bye week to host the Midwest rival Pittsburgh Panthers. Notre Dame is still rallying off, from two weeks ago, their most dominant win this season against USC. Al Golden seemed to prepare his guys perfectly, as they came out forcing 5 total turnovers vs the former Heisman winner, Caleb Williams. Now, Notre Dame welcomes in to their first 3:30 game in 6 weeks, former Irish backup Quarterback, Phil Jurkovec - who is now transitioned just recently to Tight End. Yes, you read that correctly. So what is Pitt coming into South Bend looking like, and can Notre Dame stay hot off an impressive win? The Pitt - Notre Dame rivalry goes all the way back to their first meeting in 1909. Since then, Notre Dame leads the series a fair margin between the two 49-21. The most recent meeting between the two teams was just in 2020, when the Irish went into Heinz Field, now known as Acrisure Stadium, and dominated in a 45-3 win. Notre Dame is listed currently as a 20.5 point favorite over Pitt as of Thursday. This coming Saturday, it's projected to be a high of 56 degrees with cloudy conditions, solid football weather if you ask me. With Notre Dame moving up in the rankings this past week just one spot to #14 without even playing, thanks to 2-5 Virginia knocking off formally undefeated #10 North Carolina, I'd say Notre Dame has their swagger back. So what is there exactly to expect from Pat Narduzzi's team? Photo by The Observer The Panthers are currently 2-5 with win's over Wofford & Louisville, as frustrating as that is. The Pitt offense has struggled much like Notre Dame's has this season, putting up just 24.6 points per game, compared to the Irish's 38.1 with help from the 48 point USC win. However, the defense is a little more impressive ranking at the 26th spot in total defense, and allowing 321.7 total yards per game. Where Notre Dame shines on the offensive side as far as running the ball, it seems like Pitt may have their hands full allowing 126.4 rushing yards per game which ranks them 45th amongst FBS teams. Notre Dame currently sits at the 50th in the same category, allowing 129.9 rushing yards per game. Thankfully, an impressive week vs USC bumped the pass defensive averages up quite a bit and the Irish now rank 3rd in passing yards allowed (153 yards per game), 4th in pass efficiency, and as far as total defense goes, the Irish sit at 12th. Now as impressive this pass defense is, Notre Dame matches up against the 90th best passing offense team in the country. Jurkovec, a Notre Dame transfer to Boston College who just transferred again to Pitt, hasn't had an impressive year at all by all means. This is likely the reason that Narduzzi benched him and then moved Phil to a TE position. Now that Jurkovec isn't the starting guy this weekend, Pitt has turned to sophomore Canadian, Christian Veilleux. Veilleux has thrown for 647 total yards, 5 TDs, and tossed a pair of INTs so far this season. Last week on the road in Wake Forest, Pitt lost a heartbreaker, but Veilleux threw 302 yards with 2 TDs completing 62% of his 45 total passes. It'll be interesting how Golden prepares the defense without having much info on Veilleux as far as tape goes, but there is truly no doubt in my mind that they should not have an issue on Saturday. Obviously the Irish prefer to have had Jurkovec in the backfield, but Narduzzi ruined the fun in that so I guess we'll take what we can get. I mean after all, for it to be a rivalry, this series is pretty lopsided, but it would make a win that much sweeter if it were Phil Jurkovec under center. Photo by NBC Sports After moving up in the rankings, the Irish sit at #14 becoming the 3rd ranked team the Panthers have played thus far on their schedule. Pitt's schedule, from who they have played, have a combined record of an even .500 25-25. One of their two wins comes against a team who has yet to win a single game this season, Wofford. Pitt is currently in a race with Syracuse & Wake Forest, who got their first conference win just last week off of Pitt, to see who can be the worst team in the ACC. I highly doubt this game becomes a challenge for Notre Dame, but we're going to take it one game at a time. I would expect a slow start and a fast strong finish to run away with it. See you Saturday, Go Irish!

Written By｜ Phil Kowalis｜Writer｜Twitter: @PhilKowalisIT Photo by IndyStar With two-thirds of the 2023 football season now behind us and Notre Dame having a 6-2 record heading into the final four games of the season, it is time to start looking at possible post season bowl opponents for the Irish. While Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes disappeared after a disappointing 33-20 loss to Louisville, the Irish still have a reasonable shot at reaching a NY6 bowl. The Irish have a very favorable schedule over the remainder of the season with the most challenging game being a road matchup with the Clemson Tigers. Should the Irish win out and finish the season with a 10-2 record, I feel a NY6 bowl game will be in Notre Dame's future. While I see a very strong possibility of Notre Dame winning out and landing a NY6 bowl birth, the national prognosticators due not share the same opinion of the Irish's post season fate, as neither ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura nor CBS's Jerry Palm have the Irish reaching a NY6 bowl. Let's take a look at who these experts have the Irish matching up with in the bowl season. Photo by CBS Sports Notre Dame vs. LSU Tigers: ReliaQuest Bowl ESPN's Schlabach has the Irish playing in what most Notre Dame fans would consider to be a dream bowl matchup, as most Irish fans want nothing more than to get revenge on former head coach Brian Kelly for jilting the Irish as he left to pursue greener pastures in the SEC. This would be a very compelling matchup pitting the Tiger's high octane offense against the strength of the Irish defense. The Tiger's offense is led by duel-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels has passed for 2,573 yards and has tossed 25 touchdowns while being intercepted just three times. Daniels is also the Tiger's second leading rusher, gaining 521 yards on 91 carries and scoring five rushing touchdowns. The Tiger's also boast a pair of top-notch receivers in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. Nabers has caught 56 passes good for 981 yards and nine touchdowns on the season, while Thomas Jr. has added 732 yards on 42 catches and scored 11 touchdowns. The matchup between Nabers and Thomas Jr., and Notre Dame cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Cam Hart would be must see television. The matchup with the Tigers would also reunite the Irish with former running back Logan Diggs, who leads LSU with 611 yards rushing on the season and has scored six rushing touchdowns. Notre Dame vs. Florida Gators: Gator Bowl While Schlabach has the Irish matching up against an opponent from the SEC West, Bonagura has Notre Dame facing an SEC East opponent in the Florida Gators. The Gators, 5-2 on the season, would provide Notre Dame with another high-profile SEC opponent for their post season matchup. The Florida offense is led by quarterback Graham Mertz who has passed for 1,897 yards and 12 touchdowns. Mertz's favorite target this season has been Ricky Pearsall who leads the Gators in receptions with 44 and in receiving yards with 619. Montrell Johnson Jr. is Florida's leading rusher with 438 yards on the season. Photo by Athlonsports Notre Dame vs. Kansas Jayhawks: Pop-Tarts Bowl CBS's Jerry Palm has given the Irish the least attractive bowl matchup of the three, as he has the Irish taking on the Kansas Jayhawks out of the Big 12. The Jayhawks started the season 4-0, but have dropped two of the past three games and have been without starting quarterback Jalon Daniels for the past three contests. Kansas has a very capable backup quarterback in Jason Bean, who has thrown for 913 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. Kansas features a run first offense lead by Devin Neal, who has rushed for 659 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Daniel Hishaw Jr. has added 437 rushing yards and is tied for the team lead with six rushing touchdowns. Summary: While these bowl projections are fun to look at and give Notre Dame fans something to talk about during a bye week, there is still plenty of football to be played in the 2023 season, and these early projections are sure to change week to week as the season progresses, but I would have to say that if Notre Dame does not advance to a NY6 bowl game, a matchup with Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers would give Irish fans a nice consolation prize.

By Liam Farrell｜Senior Staff Writer｜Twitter/X: @LiamFarrell_IT Via Notre Dame Athletics The college football world is ever-changing. College football relies on recruiting and reloading, as much as anything else, and through this much turmoil, it is difficult to reach the top of the college football world. There seems to be evident tiers within the game we all love, and Notre Dame is one of those programs that sits on a bubble between two tiers. Through the Brian Kelly years, it was evident that Notre Dame could not hang with the biggest giants in the college football world. It has been discussed in the past that the Fighting Irish were a quarterback away from reaching the upper echelon of college football programs; and in his short tenure, Marcus Freeman has fulfilled this weakness through high school and transfer portal recruiting. Let's break down where the Fighting Irish sit within the college football hierarchy. Truly Dominant Via ESPN In today's college football world, there are only three truly dominant teams that have had sustained success over an extended period of time. The first team, who has ruled over college football for the past two years, is the Georgia Bulldogs. Kirby Smart had revolutionized the Georgia program and has given life back into a team that hadn't seen a national championship since 1980. Georgia has been dominant in all facets, having it's last regular season loss occur in 2020 against Florida. In nearly three calendar years, the Georgia Bulldogs haven't lost a regular season game. This is an unprecedented accomplishment that puts them at the top of any college football program in our current world today. The next program that lays at the top of the pyramid is the Alabama Crimson Tide. While Alabama has had some down years of late, it should be noted that a two loss season is considered the "end of the world" for Crimson Tide fans. Nick Saban has built the biggest dynasty in college football history, and Alabama is the top tier program for sending athletes to the NFL. The most impressive thing about Coach Saban's success is the coaching carousel that occurs within the Crimson Tide facility every single year. Despite having 9 offensive coordinators over his years at Alabama, Nick Saban has produced extreme success, in addition to having his assistant coaches using Bama as a stepping stone. Some assistant coaches to Saban at Alabama include current Georgia head coach, Kirby Smart, Ole Miss HC, Lane Kiffin, Texas HC, Steve Sarkisian, and New York Giants HC, Brian Daboll. This, in turn, cements Alabama's dominant status. The last program that has reached the truly dominant is the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ryan Day had arguably the easiest job in college football as Urban Meyer left him with an extremely polished college football program. Even with their past troubles with Michigan, which might be mitigated after the Michigan spying investigation, Ohio State is still as dominant of a program as it comes. Ohio State is the hub for the best wide receivers in all of college football, producing the talents of Marvin Harrison Jr, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Ohio State air raid attack is the best in college football, and on a yearly basis at the end of the season, the Buckeyes will be around, if not, in the Top 4. Elite Via NBC Yes, let me save you the scrolling and put Notre Dame on top of the elite level teams, where they belong. The Brian Kelly era at Notre Dame returned the Fighting Irish to national attention, displaying three undefeated regular seasons that placed the Irish in the BCS Championship and College Football Playoff. If you take away the 2016 and 2022 seasons for Notre Dame, their win percentage is Top 7 in all of college football during those times. The narrative that Notre Dame can't win the big game is also slowly but surely changing with coach Marcus Freeman, who is getting it done on the recruiting trail as well. The talent gap was always something noticeable when Notre Dame faced off against other elite or dominant level teams; however, this gap has shrunk exponentially during Freeman's two years being the Fighting Irish head coach. As Freeman gains more experienced being a head coach, I expect the Irish to continue to vault in the direction of the program as a whole. The next team that belongs in the elite level discussion is the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines are much like the Irish in the fact that they have proven to maintain regular season success, but struggle in the big game. Normally, the big game is against Ohio State, which has resulted in back-to-back Michigan victories, a truly unprecedented feat that hadn't been accomplished since 1999-2000. However, after beating their arch-nemesis, Michigan has struggled in the College Football playoff, first by getting absolutely boat raced by Georgia, and then losing to arguably one of the worst teams to ever make the CFP in TCU. Michigan's program has a good direction, and this year could potentially be the one that has Jim Harbaugh hoisting a national championship, but, Michigan is not close to being one of the dominant teams in college football. Nonetheless, the program is in a current investigation and their recent success may also be completely wiped from the history books, but that is yet to be seen. As much as the next one pains me to say, LSU definitely belongs in the elite level for college football teams. Even though the 2019 superteam may be in the distant past, LSU is still a nationally elite level program. With head coach Brian Kelly, the LSU Tigers are in a good direction, while still struggling to win big games, which all Notre Dame fans know is Brian Kelly's Achilles heel. However, the truth of the matter is that Brian Kelly wins the games he is supposed to win, and if he can produce double-digit win seasons in the SEC, along with beating Alabama in back-to-back years, there is a lot to be excited for if you are a Bayou Bengals fan. The last elite team may be in fact back, and yes, it is the Texas Longhorns. Texas has seen great recruiting results with new head coach Steve Sarkisian, and the Longhorns have built a great reputation within the transfer portal as well. It should be interesting to see in the coming years how the transition will be for Texas into the SEC, but the Longhorns are primed to compete on all levels. They displayed the past two seasons with their games against Alabama that they can hang with the best in college football, and with Sarkisian's generational mind, Texas has returned to elite status within college football. Really Good Via ESPN At the top of the really good list is a team that is trying to return to their elite status, and that is the Florida State Seminoles. After the Willie Taggert experiment didn't go Florida State's way, they have hit the jackpot with new coach Mike Norvell, who was extended through the 2029 season. Norvell, who is beloved in Tallahassee for his extreme attention to detail and offensive mind, has also been destroying other Florida schools in recruiting. Mario Cristobal was hired by Miami to continue his success on the recruiting trail in South Florida, and Norvell even recently flipped a 5 star defensive end originally committed to the U. With exceptional recruiting efforts and success on the field, Florida State is trying to put the past losing seasons behind them and return to national relevance. Returning to national relevance can also be said about the next team on my list: the USC Trojans. Lincoln Riley is a genius, and all Fighting Irish fans were crying for Clay Helton to be back after the Trojans beat the Irish at the end of the 2022 season. However, Riley just cannot produce in the big games for a multitude of reasons. Against Utah last year, Alex Grinch and the defense couldn't find any answers to Cam Rising who eliminated the Trojans from the CFP. This year, his probable last year with superstar Caleb Williams, Riley and the notorious Trojans' offense got outclassed by Al Golden and the Notre Dame defense. Even with all of the acquisitions in the transfer portal, USC is still a couple steps away from making it back into supreme success. It should be interesting to see how long Riley stays in Southern California, as well, and if he leaves, how will the program respond to such a loss. The last team I am putting in this ranking for consistent success over the last couple seasons is the Oregon Ducks. I love Dan Lanning and all he is doing in Eugene. He is similar to Marcus Freeman in finding his routine in being a head coach, but is an excellent recruiter and all of his players love him. Lanning has the Ducks a couple steps away from being a true college football playoff team, but he still has to learn how to coach. He took all blame for the Washington loss by electing to go for it on 4th down late in the game that gifted the explosive Washington offense great field position. If Lanning can continue to stay hot on the recruiting trail, then the Oregon Ducks can get back to being the elite program Chip Kelly had them in a decade ago. The Wrap-Up Via Sports Illustrated This is ultimately the end of my tier list for the powerhouses in college football. Nonetheless, I will note two teams that many people may think I forgot, and that is Penn State and Clemson. I believe Penn State is the ultimate, on the brink of being good, program in college football. Every year, Penn State will be hyped up to produce, but ultimately they never do. James Franklin is 1-9 all time against Ohio State, and I can't remember the last time Penn State won a big game. To me, Penn State is what everyone else sees Notre Dame as, a overrated team that can never get it done in the big moment. The Nittany Lions haven't had a team reach the College Football Playoff, and in my opinion, this puts them in the rest tier. For Clemson, this might be the end of the Dabo Sweeney era. The Tigers have lost the defensive backbone in Brett Venables, and in turn, the Tigers have truly suffered. Venables departure to Oklahoma also had the Sooners knocking on the door of returning to being a notable college football program. What schools do you think I missed? Where did I go wrong? Please let me know in the comments below.

Written by Connor D'Aquila ⏐ Writer ⏐ Twitter: @ConnorDaquilaIT Photo via Tom Lemming With the recent commitment of star 2025 tight end James Flanigan, it has become clear that Notre Dame is bringing in a lot of legacy talent. His father, Jim, was a star at ND in the 90s, and the staff thinks James can be similarly successful. Family connections run deep through the Notre Dame community and that has been reflected in football recruiting in recent years. Whether it is Flanigan, Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Bryce Young, or Jerome Bettis Jr., Freeman and his staff have given alums plenty of reason to be back on campus. However, when these players commit to the program, their merit is often questioned, so below, I will break down them and their profiles as prospects. James Flanigan Flanigan committed this weekend, and at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds out of Notre Dame De La Baie Academy in Wisconsin, he appears to be the real deal. Ranked number 145 nationally and the third-best tight end by the 247Sports Composite, he immediately becomes one of the top players in Notre Dame’s 2025 class. Thus far, Flanigan has had solid production for a high school tight end with 17 receptions, 377 yards, and six touchdowns in his junior campaign. The talented athlete also plays linebacker on defense and has totaled 39 tackles, five TFLs, and four sacks. He has even proven to be a star in track and field, competing at an elite level in both discus and shotput throughout high school. When you watch his film, it becomes clear that James possesses elite athleticism. This may not come as a surprise considering his father’s NFL pedigree, but he is impressive to watch. With size that rivals any prospect and a frame that should only fill out further, the combination of speed and size should be deadly for opposing defenses. After losing star recruit Nate Roberts, it was unclear where Coach Parker would go at the position, but Flanigan is a great replacement who should carry on the TEU tradition at Notre Dame. This was certainly not a move made to satisfy an important alum, but one that would add an elite prospect to the class. Bryce Young When Bryce joined the 2024 class back in April, there were questions about his production. Then regarded as a three-star player, Young was coming off a junior campaign with only six TFLs and three sacks. At the same time, however, the frame and athleticism, as well as the history of his father, left hope for many ND fans. At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, the defensive end has come into his own in his senior campaign. He has been a difference-maker all over the field for Charlotte Christian and the nation has begun to take notice. Young recently secured an invite to the All-American Bowl and has been upgraded to a four-star, ranked number 163 nationally, and the 22nd defensive lineman according to the 247Sports Composite. The film from this year shows a much more polished player who still possesses elite athleticism. With a very wide frame, Bryce could end up on the inside like his father, but right now his speed flashes on the edge. He ran an 11.45-second 100-meter dash and 22.99-second 200-meter last spring, which are fairly strong given the size. No matter how he fills out, Notre Dame has a talented player arriving in the fall and any questions about his merit have certainly been answered. Players to Watch for Soon Jerome Bettis Jr. is a major target on the receiving board for the 2025 class. As far as anyone knows, he is a take for the staff should he choose the Irish. For a long time now, insiders have felt he is a strong Notre Dame lean, but he has yet to make a decision. His father is a man who needs no introduction to ND fans, and some of this recruitment is a bet on the family. So far, he has 20 receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. This is solid production for a junior in high school, but it is also not the elite level that we’ll see from select prospects. Watching his film from this year and from the summer shows a far more talented player than these numbers suggest, and at this point, we should trust the staff’s evaluations at the position. He has impressive size and demonstrates smoothness and athleticism that should translate well. Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng is the brother of a former player, but the trend continues here. He is a high-end five-star prospect who is possibly the best linebacker prospect in the country. Notre Dame has a shot with him, but it will be a long battle. Definitely keep an eye on these players as the 2025 class rounds out. These are the major names floating around right now, but it is unlikely that this trend will stop. Not only do family connections give something to leverage while recruiting, but it can also add confidence in a player’s background and development trajectory. Even for a player like Kennedy Urlacher, knowing his father’s background was likely helpful for the staff when envisioning his ultimate maturity as a football player. All of these prospects look to be elite and could be major difference-makers in the coming years.

Written by Cade Harper｜Writer｜Twitter/X: @CadeHarperIT Photo by College Football News Notre Dame vs USC. One of college football's most historic and hatred filled rivalries. Surely you would think it's an instant classic when these two programs full of hall of famers, draft picks, Heisman winners, and pure talent face off against each other. Not this time. The Irish routed USC 48-20 in dominant fashion. Performances to take note of were guys like Xavier Watts, Jaylen Sneed, team captain JD Bertrand, Audric Estime and Benjamin Morrison. Let's relive the experience from Notre Dame's 4th consecutive ranked primetime matchup through the numbers. All stats are provided from our Stats tab here on our website provided from our partners at Cover2 Data! You can find the link to our stats page below at the bottom of this article or at the top banner of our website. Photo by Matt Cashore Notre Dame closed out their tough ranked primetime stretch going and even 2-2. A lot of college football fans had predicted Notre Dame goes 10-2 to finish their season. However, maybe 0.01% predicted who the Irish would lose to. Even though the boys were favored going into this game, it still felt like the media was setting up the Irish for failure. Safe to say, these guys didn't think so and knew who they were coming into this game, playing probably the best football we have seen all season long with one of the greatest defensive performances ever held in Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish forced not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5 total turnovers. Three of those being from former Heisman winner and current #1 overall projected draft pick, Caleb Williams. The Irish shut down one of, if not, the best offense in the country in this game solidifying themselves in the conversation to be one of the nation's best defenses in college football. Photo by Yahoo Sports Let's dive into some numbers after this weekend's historic performance. For starters, Notre Dame held USC's offense, who was averaging 491.7 yards per game, to just 301. Sure it's still 300, but for ranked #10 USC that is an off day and Notre Dame will take that any day of the week. Caleb Williams came into this game averaging 332.9 passing yards per game, he finished with just 199 passing yards. For a former Heisman winner, that number should not be that low. Who do we credit for shutting down this electric offense? Literally everyone, Al Golden called a fantastic game in only his second showing against Williams and the Trojans, individual performances for the ages from LB Jaylen Sneed, LB JD Bertrand, and none other than the senior safety, Xavier Watts. Of course, we can't forget about Coach Freeman for preparing the guys for this big morale boosting game. In this game alone, Notre Dame had a total of 36 pressures on the QB with a total of 6 sacks, a season high for the Irish. People who didn't watch the game would've thought the offense just exploded and put up a crazy amount of points. Sam Hartman and company dialed up some electric plays throughout the game, such as a 46 yard dime for a touchdown to WR Chris Tyree. Estime pounded the ground 22 total times for 95 yards and 2 TDs, while nobody else on the team had more than 3 carries. I was very happy to see Estime get such a heavy workload with the circumstances of the weather allowing Parker to make the right play calls. If you read my last article for the sports betting picks, you'd know it was no secret the Irish were going to pound the ball down USC's throat all night. Not to mention Hartman played a clean, safe game compared to last week, being efficient with his passing completing 65% of his passes with a QBR of 80.7, which is definitely signs of improvement - although his numbers didn't necessarily jump off the page. The offense would've never been in some of those positions to score if it weren't for the defense. Even the 99 yard kick return from Jadarian Price - if USC wouldn't have scored, Price never would have made history! The 28 point win was largest margin of victory for Notre dame vs a top 10 opponent since, guess who, USC in 1995 when they were ranked 5th in the country. Also, one more for the scoring record books, the Irish put up a whopping 48 points, making it the 4th most vs an AP top 10 opponent by the Irish, which dates back to 1936, impressive numbers there. Photo by Getty Images Now onto the notable individual stat lines from last weekend's game. Starting with one of the highest rated corners in all of college football, Benjamin Morrison. Morrison has had a very solid year. He hasn't had any 2 or 3 INT games like last years Clemson or Boston College game, but he has played his role very well and became one of college football's most prized players. Alongside Morrison, is captain Cam Hart. Hart has developed very well into the player he is now, and has progressively gotten better over the course of his tenure. This past Saturday, these two lined up against one of the nation's best WR cores. Brenden Rice, Taj Washington, Michael Jackson lll, Mario Williams, and the electric Zachariah Branch make up an elite crew for the Trojans, and Morrison and Hart kept them in check all night long. Morrison held his matchup, Brenden Rice, who is Jerry Rice's son, to just 2 catches, for 18 yards with one of those being a score. With those numbers, this now means Morrison has held Jordan Addison, Josh Downs, Zay Flowers, Puka Nacua, Brenden Rice, and Marvin Harrison Jr. twice, under 32.7 yards per game. All of those guys have incredible NFL talent, nice to see Ben proving himself to scouts and solidifying himself as a top 5 corner in the country. Jaylen Sneed had one of those games where he just made sure his presence was felt all night. You heard his name making plays, even defending some passes. His stat line doesn't show it, but he was making an impact just as much as team leading tackler JD Bertrand was that night. Sneed recorded his first collegiate sack on Williams before he was benched for the night. As said earlier, JD Bertrand led the team in total tackles with 11 to his name. Bertrand had a key play in the game causing a failed 4th down conversion in Irish territory as he stuffed Austin Jones in the backfield before he was even handed the ball. Bertrand also managed to share a sack in the game. The 11 tackles tallied to Bertrand made him retake the lead in the team's total tackle board, swapping spots with DL Howard Cross lll. Onto the man of the hour, senior safety, Xavier Watts. This dude had one of the best performances I have ever seen. Watts recorded 7 total tackles, second highest on the team in the game, making his total on the season 20. The senior from Omaha decided to start this turnover party with an interception on just the 4th play from scrimmage to set up an early Irish touchdown. His second interception came in the second quarter, again setting up an Irish touchdown. 28 of the 48 points were caused off turnovers from Saturday, all possessions starting in Trojan territory. Watts wasn't done just yet though. He had an impressive 3rd down stop, out-smarting Williams, a pass breakup, and of course a forced fumble on the last drive of the game, as if the fumble recovered for a touchdown on the drive right before wasn't the stab in the heart for Williams and USC. I don't think we have ever seen a performance like this from an individual in Notre Dame stadium, much less against the former Heisman winner. Safe to say, this one will go in the history books for the senior. Photo by Getty Images An impressive performance such as this going into the bye week after such a long, tough stretch, is exactly what this team needed. Now they can play with a confidence that hopefully will never run out as they enter in the last half of their season against Pitt in two weeks, then on the road in off brand Death Valley in Clemson. After Clemson, the Irish get another break before heading back home for Senior Day against Sam Hartman's former team, Wake Forest, and finally closing out the season on a revenge game, that should not be one, on the road to visit rival Stanford. After this performance, I have no doubt this team has potential to win out by double digits in every game and as fans we cannot wait to see it. As the Irish enjoy the week of rest, we'll look into the future after the ranked slate of game's happen this coming weekend. Again, thanks to our partners at Cover2 Data for providing the numbers and all the stats in this article and many more to come. You can view our stats tab by clicking this link below to see yourself inside the numbers. Stats by Cover2 Data Link: https://www.theirishtribune.com/statsbeta

By Liam Farrell｜Senior Staff Writer｜Twitter/X: @LiamFarrell_IT Via Notre Dame Football SOUTH BEND, Ind. - After the most disappointing loss that buried the team's shot at the College Football Playoff, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish put together their best performance of the year against their most hated rival. Following the Louisville loss, the morale of the fanbase was at an all-time low. The backbreaking loss against Ohio State, the heart attack victory against Duke, and the letdown in Louisville had fans exhausted, and unaware the next step this team could take. The Irish could've easily been exhausted after three straight primetime night games against undefeated teams, and went belly up against former a Heisman winner who embarrassed them last season. Instead, the Irish put together a gutsy performance to completely redirect the outlook and direction of the 2023 season. Let's take a deep dive about the importance of the win against the USC Trojans. One Year of Hartman Via Notre Dame Football Much of the buzz at the start of the season was surrounding the fact that Notre Dame actually had an elite level quarterback in Sam Hartman. Hartman was going to be the missing key that was finally going to elevate the Irish into a national championship status. After the Louisville loss, I personally thought that Notre Dame completely wasted this special season with Hartman. However, by demolishing USC, a New Year's Six Bowl is still an obtainable goal for this team to strive for. Hartman has been one of the most charismatic personas in recent Notre Dame history, and has completely changed the way the national media perceives the Fighting Irish. It's disappointing that Notre Dame only got one year of Hartman, which makes it a stressor to capitalize on any chance you get with the talented quarterback. Down the road, the Notre Dame schedule is rather light. The Irish get a much needed BYE week before getting Pittsburgh in South Bend. Following the Pitt game, the Irish travel to Clemson in a game that will still be difficult, but not as important as it was originally billed at the beginning of the season; then, to finish off the year Notre Dame faces Wake Forest at home and then travels out west to Palo Alto to finish the year against the Stanford Cardinal. Notre Dame will be presumably favored in all of these games, and if the Irish can take care of business and finish the season at 10-2; it will be a very nice consolation prize for not making the playoff. A Second Year Coaching Starting to Figure it Out Via 247Sports If, and only if the Irish take care of the last four games of the season, Marcus Freeman would show great improvement from year 1 to year 2. Fans must remember that this is only his second year of head coaching, ever. The man is a great recruiter and has given Notre Dame a new connotation. This is no longer the Brian Kelly era at Notre Dame where things would be done on a certain schedule, and be all business. Freeman knows how to revolutionize the ways things are brought about to tailor them to the likes of his new players. As Freeman is learning things along the way as it pertains to in-game coaching, he is doing so at an extremely fast pace. He does a great job getting the most out of his players for big games, something that surely didn't happen with the last head coach, and he knows how to get big name talents to South Bend, which was another weak spot during the last coach's tenure. I'm not a Philadelphia sports fan, but the Irish have to "Trust the Process" through some of the natural growing pains of a young, inexperienced head coach. The times ahead are incredibly bright, and it will take a little more time, but Notre Dame is slowly returning to its glory days. Closing the Talent Gap The question now flips to whether or not this can be considered a successful season. While many people's mindset is playoff or bust, I cannot help but think this year has been an overall win. The close game versus Ohio State and the blowout victory against the Trojans display that the talent gap is getting smaller and smaller between Notre Dame and the top dogs of college football. As this gap begins to get smaller and smaller, the Fighting Irish have the opportunity to finally crack the upper echelon of the sport, a feat no real Notre Dame team has done since Lou Holtz was the head coach. With increased recruiting efforts and elevated on-field performance, the 2023 Notre Dame football team could be the stepping stone, bringing the Irish one step closer to being a national championship-caliber team.

Written By: Phil Kowalis｜Writer｜Twitter: @PhilKowalisIT Photo By: Matt Cashore / USA Today Notre Dame's defense likely ended USC's college football playoff hopes and crushed Trojan quarterback Caleb Williams dreams of being the first repeat Heisman trophy winner since Ohio State's Archie Griffin with a dominating performance, leading the Irish to a 48-20 victory. The Irish defense forced five turnovers, intercepting Williams three times, and recorded six sacks as they turned in their most impressive effort of the season. The Notre Dame offense continues to struggle, as the Irish were held to only 251 yards of total offense by a USC defense that is among the worst in college football. The Irish offense was able to do just enough to take advantage of being set up with a short field to score three first half touchdowns with the longest drive of the half being 50 yards. Notre Dame also had a contribution from the kick return team, as Jadarian Price retuned a fourth quarter kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown to give the Irish a 38-20 lead. Let's take a look at the grades the Irish received in their win over the Trojans. Photo By: Matt Cashore / USA Today Offense: Offensive Line/Tight Ends: Grade C The offensive line was not great, but just good enough to get the win against USC. The offensive line was markedly better than the horrendous effort they turned in last week against Louisville, as they did not allow a sack and opened just enough holes to allow the running game to produce a 125-yard effort on 29 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per rush attempt. The Notre Dame tight ends contributed four catches for 23 yards, as the Irish passing attack struggled once again. Quarterback/Running backs: Grade B Sam Hartman struggled with accuracy once again, missing a couple of open receivers and being slightly off target with a few other passes as the Notre Dame passing game continues to struggle to get on track. Hartman did connect with Chris Tyree on a beautifully thrown deep ball for a 46-yard touchdown and also had a four-yard scoring toss to Gi'Bran Payne. Hartman finished the game going 13-for-20 for only 126 yards and the two touchdowns. Audric Estime was the workhorse in the backfield for the Irish, as Estime toted the ball 22 times for 95 yards and scored two touchdowns. Wide Receivers: Grade D The Notre Dame wide receiver corps continue to struggle as Irish wideouts only contributed five catches for 94 yards in the contest. Chris Tyree had two catches for 64 yards and Rico Flores Jr. had a 24-yard catch for the Irish. Jordan Faison had two catches for eight yards and added 16 yards rushing. Notre Dame must figure out a way to get more production from this unit for the offense to get back on track. Photo By: Matt Cashore / USA Today Defense: Defensive Line: Grade A The Notre Dame defensive line continued their strong play this season turning in a dominate performance against the Trojans. The Irish defensive front limited the USC rushing attack to 103 yards on 37 carries, allowing only an average of 2.8 yards per carry, and pressured Trojan quarterback Caleb Williams all night long recording 3.5 of the six Irish sacks in the game. Nana Osafo-Mensah recorded four tackles and a sack of Williams and Rylie Mills and Howard Cross each had three tackles and a half sack on the evening. Freshman Boubacar Traore made the most of his snaps, recording a strip sack of Williams in the latter stages of the game as well. This is the type of production that will be needed from this group to perform at the highest level possible. Linebackers: Grade A JD Bertrand continues to be a tackling machine, once again leading the Notre Dame defense in tackles with 11, six being solo tackles Bertrand also was credited with 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack in the game. Jack Kiser added five tackles all solo and Marist Liufau added four tackles and a sack as the Irish linebacking corps had one of their strongest games of the season. Jaylen Sneed also made an impression despite a costly penalty on special teams earlier in the game, breaking up a crucial short pass over the middle in the second half. Secondary: Grade A+ Xavier Watts turned in a monster performance against the Trojans. The Irish safety finished the game with seven tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Watts joined Notre Dame as a three-star wide receiver recruit, and has soundly transitioned into one of the more reliable options in the secondary. Benjamin Morrison added four tackles and also had an interception of a Williams pass, and DJ Brown contributed four tackles on the evening. The only blemish on this group would be the multiple penalties incurred by Morrison which did not allow the defense to get off the field at times. The Irish secondary held Caleb Williams to 199 passing yards and allowed only one passing touchdown in what will go down as the worst statistical games of Williams career to date. Special Teams: Grade B+ Spencer Shrader made both of his field goal attempts and was a perfect 6-for-6 on PAT's and the Notre Dame kick return unit had its best game of the season as Jadarian Price had a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown and Devyn Ford returned three kicks for 69 yards averaging 23 yards per return. Bryce McFerson continued his solid punting averaging 45.8 yards on his five punts. The aforementioned penalty on Sneed erased an opportunity for Notre Dame to widen it's lead, but overall, it was one of - if not the strongest performance from the group this season. Overall After turning in their worst effort of the season the Irish got the bounce back win, they desperately needed in recording the 28-point victory over the tenth ranked Trojans to improve to 6-2 on the season. Notre Dame will enjoy a much-needed bye week this week and will return to action in two weeks with a home game against the University of Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 2-4 on the season and are coming off a 38-21 win over 14th ranked Louisville. Pittsburgh will face Wake Forest on the road this week before coming in to face the Irish.

By Liam Farrell｜Senior Staff Writer｜Twitter/X: @LiamFarrell_IT Via Notre Dame Football Notre Dame played their most complete game of the season in their 48-20 thrashing of arch-rival USC. With the Irish coming off their second loss of the season in a brutal fashion to Louisville, the Notre Dame defense was met with the task of corralling the reigning Heisman trophy winner; and man, did they step up. By collecting three interceptions, which all resulted in touchdowns, the Notre Dame defense deserves to take a bow. Al Golden deserves all the credit in the world for formulating such a brilliant gameplan. Caleb Williams looked like he was seeing ghosts all game, and could never get comfortable in the pocket. The Irish pass rush continued to get pressure on him and force him to make plenty of bad decisions. On the opposite end of the ball, Audric Estime and the Notre Dame offensive line took control in the second half and established their dominance in the trenches. Jadarian Price also completely shifted the tide with a 99-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter. It was quite the night for Notre Dame fans, and something they deserved after a brutal three week stretch. Let's take a look at this one. Offense Via Notre Dame Football Converting on Turnovers. Caleb Williams is one heck of a quarterback. He is brilliant and without a doubt should be the number one overall pick; however, he struggled mightily with protecting the ball in tonight's game. With that being said, the Notre Dame offense did a great job turning those turnovers into 7 points a pop. Physicality . Notre Dame wanted to go into this game and establish their dominance. The best way to do so is handing the ball off to the nation's premier big back, Audric Estime. Two early touchdowns by Estime had the offense being efficient with the great field position they were being granted in this one. Hartman Still Performs on an Off Night. Sam Hartman looked out of sink in this one. On the drives that the Irish weren't blessed with great field position, the Notre Dame offense struggled. Hartman had a couple questionable decisions trying to move the ball downfield, instead of taking what was in front of him. He also had a couple throws to tight ends off the mark which stalled drives and ended in quite a few punts. However, in the third quarter facing back-to-back three and outs, Hartman orchestrated a big touchdown drive that ended with a 46-yard bomb to Chris Tyree. Defense Via Notre Dame Football Xavier Watts. With a safety room that received some questions at the beginning of the season, Xavier Watts made the progression every Notre Dame fan wanted him to make. Some injuries and position turmoil halted his development; however, the kid is currently playing like a man possessed. He has a great knack for finding the ball and putting himself in a great position to make the play: tonight, he displayed that he is a big time performer. Two interceptions, a scoop and score, and a forced fumble, might have people label this the "The Xavier Watts game." Al Golden . A lot of people hate on Al Golden and I don't understand it. Besides the Louisville game, Golden has done a great job through and through. Tonight, Golden had a great gameplan going into this one. He pressured Williams at every turn, and trusted in his secondary to make the needed plays. Defensive Line . The D-Line played a good game from all standpoints. They limited the big run play from the tandem backs Jones and Lloyd, along with getting consistent pressure on Williams. On the second Watts interception, Howard Cross got a hand on the ball and deflected the ball, as well. Also, Javontae Jean-Baptiste did a great job containing Williams for a majority of the night. Secondary as a Whole . The secondary had the tallest task in front of them tonight. Golden bought into sending pressure and not having much help on the backend. The Secondary responded in an extremely positive way, and did a great job in their downfield coverage, especially when Williams was running around in the backfield extending plays. Benjamin Morrison had a great interception, while also doing a great job making open field tackles. Special Teams Just Punt it Out of Bounds. Zach Branch is an elite talent. That was displayed in all facets of his game, especially on special teams. Notre Dame should've just treated him like he's Adoree Jackson, and just kick the ball away from him and mitigate any possible big returns. JD Price . I really loved Marty Biagi's three back on the kickoff formation and it was something USC wasn't prepared for. When Notre Dame needed a big upcoming drive from their offense, Jadarian Price said, "I got you". The 99-yard touchdown return killed all of USC's momentum after their big touchdown.

Written by Cade Harper｜Contributor｜Twitter/X: @CadeHarperIT Photo by Notre Dame Athletics Last week's picks for the Louisville game were almost 100% correct! Let's do it again this week as we take a look at the best plays, some bold predictions, and my picks to avoid using different variety of sports books so you get the best value! Photo by Sports Illustrated Starting out with my favorite lines, the spread. Notre Dame is actually favored by -2.5 with an over/under set at 60 for -110 per DraftKings/FanDuel. A couple of things to note of before you start thinking about putting a moneyline in here. USC has not won a single game on the road in South Bend in over 10 years. The last time was almost 12 years ago exactly, on October 22, 2011. Make of it what you will, but just know, we never bet against the Irish here no matter what that line looks like. Irish are also coming off a tough loss on the road, now back home, under the lights, former alumni in attendance, the atmosphere will be electric all day on campus I can imagine. Photo by Sports Illustrated Now onto my favorite plays for this weekends primetime ranked matchup. One thing you should know, if you don't know by now, this weekend's weather is going to be peak football weather. We are looking at a high of just 53 degrees with some decently heavy winds. Now all of the rain is supposed to be gone before kickoff so we will see, but as you can see, the University of Southern California is not used to that. Hopefully the Irish can take advantage of this amazing football weather and come out on top, covering that 2.5 spread. With that being said, due to the conditions, I'm going to take the under 60 here. Now for player props, for my bold picks of the week - I'm taking Estime at an anytime touchdown scorer again. Now he didn't last week, but given the conditions, I think Parker hears the fans and Notre Dame pounds the ball this weekend. If you're feeling frisky, go ahead and put Estime down for 2+ touchdowns this weekend, I'd love to see him have a phenomenal game this weekend after struggling. For the second bold pick, given the conditions I want to say Heisman winner Caleb Williams will not play as well as he normally does. Notre Dame's defense has started to lack a little here and there, and now they play the toughest offense they have yet. Williams' line is set at 290.5 pass yards, and 2.5 Touchdowns. I'm going to avoid the 290 yards here, as I feel a little sketchy about that line as a whole. However, I also do not think Caleb passes for at least 3 touchdowns, so I will take Williams under 2.5 passing touchdowns. Another pick I want to avoid is Estime's yards, which is set at 96 rushing yards. I will take the under here, one, because of Parker's playcalling, two, Estime has not hit this line since Notre Dame played Central Michigan. Nothing crazy this week but it's time to make some predictions. I would love to see the defense just shut down the former Heisman winner and take this one, it will not be easy by any means, but I do think they do. I'm taking the Irish here in a medium-low scoring classic 24-20. It's one of the best and most anticipated weeks of the season, let's have one! Go Irish! Beat Southern Cal!