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USC's Offense Faces Tough Test Against Resilient Notre Dame
18 Oct
Summary
- Notre Dame clings to playoff hopes, needs signature win
- USC's offense leads nation in efficiency and explosiveness
- Notre Dame's defense equipped to limit USC's rhythm
As of October 19th, 2025, Notre Dame enters this week at 4-2, still clinging to any faint hope of sneaking back into the playoff conversation. The Irish need a signature win to even stay in that discussion.
On the other side, Lincoln Riley has USC looking like USC again: fast, balanced and ruthless on offense. But now the Trojans step into a matchup that's built to test exactly what has made them dominant so far. USC's nation-leading offense faces its first true test against a Notre Dame defense that forces teams to grind through full drives, play patient and execute in the red zone.
The Trojans have been elite between the 20s, but their red zone touchdown rate in road games drops to about 55 percent, a problem that has carried over from last season. Notre Dame's defense has the tackling and structure to make USC earn every inch. If the Trojans can stay on track in early down plays and avoid third-and-longs, they can dictate the game. Otherwise, the very metrics that have defined their offensive dominance could be the ones that slow them down.
