Notre Dame Football

Urban Meyer is making it clear in no uncertain terms: He will not be heading to Notre Dame.

"I'm not a candidate," Meyer told reporters Tuesday.

Meyer's name was a natural possibility after Brian Kelly departed for LSU late Monday night. The Jacksonville Jaguars coach has repeatedly called Notre Dame his "dream job" in the past.

Meyer's first NFL season has been anything but a success, with the Jaguars entering Week 14 at 2-9. The Jaguars are one loss away from eclipsing Meyer's total from his seven-year run at Ohio State.

An offensive guru at the collegiate level, Meyer has failed time and again to get any consistency from the Jaguars. Jacksonville has scored 20 points in a game only three times all season, and the young roster has not shown any marked improvement as the season has progressed.

Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, billed as one of the great prospects of his generation, has been a considerable disappointment. He's thrown for 2,369 yards and nine touchdowns against 10 interceptions in his first 11 career starts. The Clemson product has not thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game since Week 1. 

Meyer also made headlines for his off-field exploits in September when he stayed in Ohio, where he was born, rather than traveling with the team after a Week 4 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was roundly criticized, including by owner Shad Khan, after video of him interacting with a young woman at a bar surfaced on social media. Meyer apologized profusely after the incident. 

While there was speculation Meyer would be fired or resign at the time, he's stayed on in Jacksonville without finding much success. Meyer was 187-32 in stops at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State as a college head coach. 

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Tuesday that Brian Kelly's decision to leave ND and become the new head football coach at LSU didn't catch him off guard.

According to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, Swarbrick said: "I was not surprised. There had been enough in weeks leading up, gave me the sense that there were other things attracting Brian. I was not surprised."

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, LSU confirmed Tuesday morning that it had agreed to a 10-year, $95 million contract with Kelly to make him its new head coach after he spent the previous 12 seasons with the Fighting Irish.

After his hiring at LSU became official, Kelly released the following statement regarding his move to the Tigers and the SEC:

"I could not be more excited to join a program with the commitment to excellence, rich traditions and unrivaled pride and passion of LSU Football. I am fully committed to recruiting, developing and graduating elite student-athletes, winning championships, and working together with our administration to make Louisiana proud. Our potential is unlimited, and I cannot wait to call Baton Rouge home."

Kelly is replacing national championship-winning head coach Ed Orgeron at LSU after Orgeron announced earlier in the season that he was parting ways with LSU at the conclusion of the campaign.

While Kelly never won a national title at Notre Dame, he helped the Irish achieve their greatest success since the late 1980s and early '90s under Lou Holtz.

Overall, Kelly went 113-40 at Notre Dame, making him the winningest head coach in school history ahead of Knute Rockne (105) and Holtz (100).

Notre Dame won double-digit games in each of the past five seasons, marking the first time in school history it accomplished that feat.

The Irish fell to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game in 2012 and reached the College Football Playoff in both 2018 and 2020, losing in the semifinals each time.

This season, Notre Dame is 11-1 with its only loss coming to undefeated Cincinnati, which is ranked fourth in the CFP rankings ahead of Tuesday's end-of-regular-season rankings release.

Notre Dame, which is ranked sixth, has a chance to move up to fifth since No. 2 Ohio State lost to No. 5 Michigan on Saturday.

It isn't outside the realm of possibility that Notre Dame could still make the College Football Playoff if one or more of Alabama, Michigan and Cincinnati lose their conference title games, and if that happens, it may be defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman leading the way as interim head coach, although Notre Dame has yet to make an announcement on that front.

LSU stunned the college football world when it announced the hiring of former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly to a 10-year, $95 million contract that will also include incentives.

Kelly is already setting his sights on a national championship, something he was unable to secure during his time at Notre Dame.

"The expectation for me was to be a legitimate contender for championships," he said during a video introducing him as the new LSU head coach, per Pete Sampson of The Athletic.

A little reading between the lines of that quote could suggest Kelly believes the ceiling is higher with the Tigers than the Fighting Irish.

Winning plenty of games was never the problem for Kelly at Notre Dame. In fact, his teams won double-digit games in each of the past five years counting the current season and reached the College Football Playoff during the 2018 and 2020 campaigns.

The issue is what happened once the program reached the CFP with blowout losses to Clemson and Alabama that hinted at its ceiling when it came to competing against the top-notch programs in the country.

LSU has not been nearly as consistent from a record basis with just two seasons of double-digit wins in the past eight years, but the height of its ceiling was on full display during a 15-0 season in 2019 that saw the Tigers take home the national title with players such as Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire leading the way.

Those championship expectations also dial up the pressure for whoever is in charge with the Tigers, as Ed Orgeron is no longer the head coach just two years removed from that national title.

Kelly has consistently delivered during a coaching career that includes stops with Central Michigan and Cincinnati as well. His overall record is 166-62, and he went 113-40 during 12 seasons with the Fighting Irish.

He is not shying away from expectations as he enters an SEC that will include Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M, among others, in the near future.           

Brian Kelly isn't officially out the door, and the candidates are already emerging to succeed him at Notre Dame.

The Athletic's Pete Sampson reported Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman might have internal support to ascend to the top job. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell is expected to be in contention as well.

One thing is at least clear at this stage: Kelly is gone.

Just now Brian Kelly messaged Notre Dame’s roster in Team Works that “I will be leaving Notre Dame.”

The plan is for Kelly to meet with the team tomorrow at 7 a.m.

Here is the full message pic.twitter.com/sqAl2txZIy

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) November 30, 2021

Promoting Freeman presents Notre Dame with a straightforward solution.

The 35-year-old would preserve a level of continuity, which could be important toward holding on to committed recruits and current members of the roster. Just look at what's unfolding in Norman, Oklahoma, following Lincoln Riley's move to USC.

2023 commits that Oklahoma has lost today:

◻️ 5-star WR Brandon Inniss
◻️ 5-star QB Malachi Nelson
◻️ 4-star RB Treyaun Webb

Lincoln Riley has already called Nelson on behalf of USC, per @AriWasserman. pic.twitter.com/0xmiwAIwUv

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 29, 2021

pic.twitter.com/KGMIovUSis

— Spencer Rattler (@SpencerRattler) November 29, 2021

Oklahoma's exodus continues. WR Jadon Haselwood, the Sooners' second-leading receiver and former 5-star recruit, announced on IG he will enter the transfer portal.

— Max Olson (@max_olson) November 30, 2021

Whether it's in South Bend, Indiana, or another location, Freeman will likely be a head coach at some point. The fact that he's already a top assistant at Notre Dame speaks to how quickly his stock has risen on the sidelines, and he's building quite the recruiting profile.

When Charlie Weis was fired, Jack Swarbrick was adamant that he find someone with head coaching experience. Brian Kelly was an easy choice. On very solid footing now. Would be more likely to go with Marcus Freeman now. Great representative of program and recruiter.

— Tim Prister (@timprister) November 30, 2021

With Fickell, there's also the issue of potentially having to wait for Cincinnati to wrap up a run through the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats will probably qualify for the semifinals by beating Houston on Saturday, thus extending their season until at least Dec. 31. That's two weeks after the early signing period (Dec. 15-17).

Maybe Fickell would be willing to leave Cincinnati in mid-December—Brian Kelly bolted the Bearcats before the Sugar Bowl in 2009—but that seems unlikely if a national championship is in play.

Even if it means suffering on the recruiting trail for 2022, standing by for the right coach can certainly be the better long-term play.

Unlike Freeman, Fickell has shown an ability to run a program and build it up. The Bearcats enjoyed a lot of success with Kelly and Butch Jones, but the atmosphere turned toxic under Tommy Tuberville.

Within five years, Fickell has made them nationally relevant again. Generally speaking, the 48-year-old might be the closest to a sure thing this hiring cycle.

No matter how this ends, it looks like Notre Dame won't beat around the bush to identify its replacement for Kelly.

Brian Kelly has been hired by LSU after a 12-year run at Notre Dame, the school announced.

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports first reported the hire on Monday.

The Athletic's Matt Fortuna and Brody Miller reported LSU offered Kelly a 10-year deal that will be worth more than $100 million with incentives. Per Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, Kelly's annual salary will be in the $15 million range.

Kelly informed Notre Dame players that he would be leaving the school in a message on Monday night, via Pete Sampson of The Athletic:

Just now Brian Kelly messaged Notre Dame’s roster in Team Works that “I will be leaving Notre Dame.”

The plan is for Kelly to meet with the team tomorrow at 7 a.m.

Here is the full message pic.twitter.com/sqAl2txZIy

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) November 30, 2021

Kelly has been viewed as one of the top coaches in college football for the better part of two decades. After gradually improving Central Michigan during his first three years as a head coach, he truly made a name for himself during his time at Cincinnati.

Kelly led the Bearcats to double-digit wins in each of his three full seasons as head coach, going 34-6 at the school. He led the school to a 12-0 regular season in 2009 prior to taking the Notre Dame job.

During his time in South Bend, Kelly helped the Fighting Irish return to prominence. If this is indeed the end of his tenure there, he leaves as the school's winningest coach ever, having piled up 113 victories during his 12 seasons.

Under Kelly, Notre Dame reached the BCS National Championship Game for the 2012 season and also reached the College Football Playoff (2018, 2020) twice.

The Fighting Irish (11-1) are currently sixth in the CFP rankings.

After five consecutive seasons with double-digit wins at Notre Dame, Kelly would be taking over an LSU program that needs rebuilding.

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward announced in October former head coach Ed Orgeron would not return after the 2021 season, his sixth year with the program. The Tigers finished the regular season with a 6-6 record.

The team also struggled to a 5-5 record during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.

While the past two years fell short of expectations, Orgeron did lead the Tigers to a 2019 national championship behind Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. The 15-0 squad had one of the top offenses in history, averaging an NCAA-best 48.4 points per game that season.

The title led to a six-year, $42 million extension for the coach, although it took just two years for him to be replaced.

It shows the enormous pressure on the next coach to deliver considering the success of his predecessors.

LSU has won national titles under each of the last three coaches with Orgeron (2019), Les Miles (2007) and Nick Saban (2003) all finding glory. It's clear anything less will be considered a disappointment for the new staff.

The Kelly hire could be enough to help the Tigers return to contention in the SEC West and nationally.

If the move becomes official, Kelly—who owns a 166-62 career record—would be just the latest big-name coach to take on a new job. On Sunday, Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to take over at USC.

In the same week that USC pried Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma, LSU is attempting to steal another high-profile coach away from his current program. 

According to The Athletic, the Tigers are making an "aggressive push" for Notre Dame's Brian Kelly to fill their head coaching vacancy.

Brody Miller of The Athletic reported that LSU "reached out to Kelly very early in the search but after some thinking Kelly told LSU no. Now, after the Riley situation, LSU's push continues."

As for why Kelly might ultimately consider LSU, The Athletic's Pete Sampson noted that Kelly reportedly "believes Notre Dame can do more in facilities and mental performance, which would include brick and mortar upgrades to the Guglielmino Center. It's not clear the Notre Dame administration would back such investment, at least immediately."

LSU could also potentially offer Kelly the dollars—and prestige of SEC football, which will only grow when Texas and Oklahoma join the conference in 2025—to entice him to switch allegiances. Without those two factors, it's fair to argue that going from Notre Dame to LSU would be a lateral move. 

Brian Kelly is sitting on his couch this weekend waiting for other teams to beat each other up so his team can potentially make the playoff for the third time in four years.

He gonna trade that to face Saban once a year? Nah, just give the man his raise. https://t.co/9H1VUbYzh8

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) November 29, 2021

Brian Kelly at LSU feels like a really weird fit to me. He's coached in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan his whole career and seems very comfortable at ND. Nothing would surprise me at all, but this would be a weird one.

— Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) November 29, 2021

If it did happen, it would be a major coup for the Tigers. The 60-year-old has gone 113-40 in his 12 years at Notre Dame, leading the school to two College Football Playoff Appearances and the BCS Championship Game in the 2012 season, where the Fighting Irish lost to Alabama. 

Under Ed Orgeron, the team won a national championship in the 2019 season, led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, now quarterbacking the Cincinnati Bengals. But LSU has gone just 11-11 since, a major fall from grace that resulted in Orgeron and LSU mutually agreeing in October to part ways after the 2021 season. 

"The last couple of years are not the standard of LSU," he told reporters in October. "But I have no regrets. I know I went to work as hard as I could every day, tried as hard as I could every day, and that's all you can ask."

Hiring Kelly would be a major statement from LSU about just how high its standards remain. 

The College Football Playoff rankings after Week 12 were unveiled on Tuesday night. With a little under two weeks before Selection Sunday, there are just a couple more chances left for teams to make an impression on the committee. Here's a look at the top of the rankings leading up to Rivalry Weekend:

1. Georgia (11-0)
2. Ohio State (10-1)
3. Alabama (10-1)
4. Cincinnati (11-0)
5. Michigan (10-1)
6. Notre Dame (10-1)
7. Oklahoma State (10-1) 
8. Baylor (9-2)

The most noteworthy change is Cincinnati finally making it into the Top Four after weeks of appearing to have doubtful CFP hopes. The Bearcats had an impressive 48-14 win over SMU last week, the Mustangs entering that game 8-2. If Cincy wins the AAC title game against a currently 10-1 Houston team on Dec. 4, it's likely that the Bearcats will get a spot. 

This would be historically significant, as it would be the first time in playoff history that a Group of Five team has made it in. 

Speaking of history, the Bearcats' No. 4 ranking is now the highest CFP ranking for a Group of Five team. How awesome is that? Keep in mind last season, Cincy hung tough with Georgia in the Peach Bowl, losing 24-21 on a field goal in the final seconds. If the playoff were to start tomorrow, we'd get a Bearcats-Bulldogs matchup in the first round. 

But there is plenty of room for chaos to happen over the next two weeks. For starters, let's look ahead at the SEC Championship Game between No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama. If Alabama defeats Georgia, both teams would likely make it into the final four. 

But before then, No. 2 Ohio State gets its biggest test, facing No. 5 Michigan on the road. If the Buckeyes win and follow it with a victory in the Big Ten title game, they are obviously in. Same goes for Michigan, if it defeats Ohio State. But what happens if, say, Michigan or Ohio State gets upset in the Big Ten Championship Game? 

That would open the door for a Big 12 champion to make it in. No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Oklahoma (10-1) play this weekend, and the conference's best chance of getting a playoff team is to have the winner of this game also win the Big 12 title game. If OU wins, there would be a rematch at AT&T Stadium. If Oklahoma State wins, the Sooners will need Texas Tech to defeat Baylor to earn a spot over the Bears, who defeated Oklahoma on Nov. 13.  

But now comes the big question: If Alabama beats Georgia, the Big Ten produces a one-loss champion and Oklahoma State wins out—representing the worst-case scenario for the Bearcats—would Cincinnati get jumped by the Pokes for the No. 4 spot in the final CFP rankings? If Cincy keeps winning big like it has the last couple of weeks, the Bearcats are probably safe inside the Top Four on the strength of their road win over Notre Dame. If Oklahoma State was ranked higher than No. 7 this week, that might be a different story. 

And then there's No. 6 Notre Dame, which has been moving up in the rankings week after week. There is also a scenario for the Fighting Irish to make it in if, say, Cincinnati was to be upset in the AAC Championship Game or at East Carolina this week. 

There's still a lot that can happen this weekend and next in the conference championship games. Chaos hasn't happened much in playoff history. But given that we've already seen a number of upsets this year, this might be the season that chaos reigns.

Notre Dame and Navy will take their college football rivalry overseas in 2023.

The Fighting Irish announced on Thursday that their game against the Midshipmen two years from now will be played in Dublin, Ireland. The teams have faced each other in Dublin twice before, in 1996 at Croke Park and in 2012 at Aviva Stadium.

Dublin, here we come! ☘️#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/dRASY4qRnU

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 4, 2021

Notre Dame and Navy are set to meet this Saturday for the first time since 2019. Their 2020 matchup was originally scheduled to be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin but the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to be moved to Annapolis before being canceled altogether.

It would have been Navy's first time hosting the game in the history of the rivalry. The Midshipmen usually hold their "home" games against the Fighting Irish at larger facilities due to the small size of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Notre Dame has played host more often in South Bend.

The rivalry between Notre Dame and Navy has been largely one-sided. The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 77-13-1 and are on a three-game winning streak. The Midshipmen last won in 2016, a one-point victory.

Notre Dame is 7-1 and ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Irish are on a three-game winning streak following last month's loss to then-No. 7 Cincinnati. The team also made a splash in recruiting this week, landing a commitment from 2023 5-star linebacker Drayk Bowen.

Navy is 2-6 this season with two three-game losing streaks. The Midshipmen ended their second skid last week with a 20-17 win over Tulsa and will look to keep the momentum going on Saturday against the Irish.

The Notre Dame football team has reason to celebrate, as it landed one of the best recruits in the 2023 class.

Five-star linebacker Drayk Bowen, the No. 2 linebacker in the class according to 247Sports, announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish on Wednesday.

#BREAKING: 5⭐️ linebacker Drayk Bowen has committed to Brian Kelly and @NDFootball ☘️@DraykBowen makes it official! @TomLoy247 pic.twitter.com/x4iTzRbJ23

— 247Sports (@247Sports) November 4, 2021

Bowen, a junior at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana, chose Notre Dame over Auburn and Clemson. He mentioned that staying close to home was an important factor in his decision.

"Being gone during summer for so long, I got closer with my brother and sister, and I wanted to stay close to home and see them grow up," Bowen said.

At 6'2" and 215 pounds, Bowen is a versatile player able to play multiple positions on defense.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu's scouting report described Bowen as "Physically strong player who is a weight room warrior. ... Pursues and closes to the football with effort and has explosiveness off the ball and as he closes to his target.

"Can play a couple of different roles as he has been used as a stand-up edge rusher or he can shift further outside and play out in space over a slot. Might not be as long as schools want in an edge-rusher so he projects more as a traditional outside backer who can blitz off the edge when needed."

The addition of Bowen likely makes Notre Dame's 2023 group a top-five recruiting class. The six-man class also features five-star defensive lineman Brenan Vernon.

No. 13 Notre Dame topped rival USC 31-16 at home Saturday. Running back Kyren Williams led the Fighting Irish with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

Notre Dame led for the entire game as it improved to 6-1. USC fell to 3-4 on the season.

It was Notre Dame's first matchup against the Trojans since 2019 after the Pac-12 canceled all nonconference games in the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With Saturday's win, the Irish have now defeated the Trojans four straight times and extend their all-time series record to 48-36-5.

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Notable Performers

Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams: 25 CAR, 138 YD, 2 TD

Notre Dame QB Jack Coan: 20-of-28, 198 YD, TD, INT

USC RB Keaontay Ingram: 24 CAR, 138 YD, TD

USC WR Drake London: 15 REC, 171 YD

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Notre Dame's Tempo Throws USC Off Balance

Notre Dame opened the game with an uptempo offense, and it seemed to work wonders for starting quarterback Jack Coan. He was able to make quick reads, work through his progressions and make easy throws.

Despite splitting time with quarterback Tyler Buchner, Coan got in a rhythm early and kept that momentum going throughout the game. He found Avery Davis in the end zone to open the scoring in the first quarter.

Jack Coan finds Avery Davis for the Notre Dame TD. The Irish open the scoring in South Bend.

USC 0
NOTRE DAME 7

pic.twitter.com/puUsA0QT14

— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) October 24, 2021

Coan orchestrated two long drives of 75 and 80 yards that culminated in touchdowns by Williams. Buchner found his way into the end zone to extend the lead after the Trojans made it an eight-point game.

WE'VE GOT A TOUCHDOWN.

Notre Dame extends their lead over USC.#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/ygBc3zqrcx

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 24, 2021

So nice, he did it twice ✌️@Kyrenwilliams23 scores his second touchdown of the night!#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/qwldjTHDEr

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 24, 2021

Touchdown, Tyler Buchner.

That should just about do it. Notre Dame has been the more physical team, USC the more undisciplined. Both programs know who they are. And playing like it.

Notre Dame 31
USC 16

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 24, 2021

USC's defense looked out of sync as it tried to keep up, sometimes having the wrong personnel on the field or failing to get set before the snap. The Trojans also committed some untimely penalties that kept some of the Irish's drives alive.

First a PI, now an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Xavion Alford to move Notre Dame up to the USC 15. Just needless mistakes by the USC defense after it had just given the Trojans life one drive earlier.

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 24, 2021

Notre Dame seems to have found a formula that works with Coan under center. The tempo allowed him to make quick decisions and avoid the mistakes he had been prone to earlier this season. He also wasn't under a lot of pressure thanks to the quick throws.

The Irish should continue to employ the uptempo offense if they hope to make a late-season run to earn consideration for the College Football Playoff.

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USC Fails to Capitalize on Early Opportunities

USC moved the ball well against Notre Dame's defense, but it couldn't take advantage of its early opportunities. The Irish lost All-American safety Kyle Hamilton to an apparent knee injury in the first quarter. The Trojans had three first-half drives in the red zone, but only three points to show for it.

Kedon Slovis had USC in position to tie the game early in the second quarter, but his pass was tipped and intercepted by Bo Bauer. Credit Slovis for not giving up on the play and tackling Bauer at the 4-yard line, as the Trojans defense held the Irish to a field goal.

TURNOVER ALERT 🚨

WHAT A PLAY BY @____bb52!#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/QN8dLLlO0A

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 24, 2021

The Trojans also mismanaged the clock to end the first half. USC lined up for a fourth-down play but then burned its last timeout as the play clock was winding down.

After converting the fourth down, Slovis failed to find Drake London open in the end zone and chose to run the ball himself to get another first down. The offense couldn't get lined up quickly enough to clock the ball and set up a field-goal attempt as time expired.

Drake London was open on that snap. Kedon Slovis didn’t see him. And USC lets the half run out. Woof.

Halftime:
Notre Dame 17
USC 3

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 24, 2021

So. Did Graham Harrell call a run on first down with 30 seconds left, or did Kedon Slovis check into it? And how did Slovis not know to throw it away on second down instead of keeping the clock running?

And why did USC have to use its final timeout on fourth down to begin with?

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 24, 2021

I honestly still have no idea how you make all the mistakes that USC just did in a 30-second span. https://t.co/m3JQHNTuaP

— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) October 24, 2021

The Trojans opened the third quarter with another drive that stalled in the red zone. Parker Lewis then missed a 42-yard field goal.

USC finally broke through at the start of the fourth quarter with a touchdown run by Keaontay Ingram. Darwin Barlow also punched in a touchdown to make it an eight-point game, but the Irish answered with a touchdown on the next possession.

USC is still working through some uncertainty under interim coach Donte Williams. The Trojans will have to eliminate early mistakes so they can avoid constantly playing from behind as they move forward into the Pac-12 schedule.

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What's Next?

Notre Dame will remain at home for next week's game against North Carolina. USC will host Pac-12 foe Arizona on Saturday.