Notre Dame Keys To Victory Revisited

Notre Dame earned a much-needed victory over USC, and it did so in impressive fashion. The Irish blasted the Trojans by a score of 48-20, and the game was never really competitive, as Notre Dame led for over 55 minutes in the game.

The Fighting Irish offense didn't put up gaudy yardage numbers but it did what was needed in the win. Before the game we broke down four keys to victory for both sides of the ball, beginning with the offense. After the game we broke down how Notre Dame performed in those areas.

Here are those four keys:

1. Start Fast - The defense gave the Irish a short field to start the game, and it was imperative that the offense convert it into a touchdown, and they did just that. That Its second full possession ended with a field goal, but overall the start wasn't incredibly fast, as Notre Dame punted on two of its first three full field drives. Despite that slow start, the offense turned another short field into a touchdown and then went 50 yards to turn the third forced turnover of the half into a touchdown.

Notre Dame got just four drive opportunities that could go more than 20 yards, and they got 10 points on those drives, which contributed to the Irish taking a 24-6 lead into halftime.

2. Punish the Pressure - USC didn't do as much pressuring and loading the box the way they did a season ago. The short fields and Notre Dame's issues on third-down (see below) kept the offense from really taking advantage of USC's struggling defense. Notre Dame was also largely unwilling to attack down the field for much of the game, likely due in part to not only the short fields, but also grabbing an early lead and not wanting to do something to result in a mistake that could give the USC offense a short field.

When Notre Dame needed a big play, however, it was willing to attack. We saw that with the deep ball from Sam Hartman to Rico Flores Jr. when the Irish took over at midfield late in the second quarter. We also saw it when Hartman went deep to Chris Tyree for a 46-yard touchdown that all but put the game away.

3. Third-Down Success Is A Must - Notre Dame's first third-down opportunity beat the USC blitz and got Gi'Bran Payne into the end zone to give the Irish a 7-0 lead. The offense converted just one of its next six third-down opportunities, which prevented Notre Dame from dominating USC to an even greater degree.

Notre Dame continues to struggle on third-down over the last month, and it didn't get much better against the Trojans.

4. Step Up - Notre Dame needed players on both sides of the ball to step up and make plays in big moments if it was going to win this game. There were plenty of those on defense, and the offense had its fair share of step up players as well. Although they didn't dominate in the run game, the Irish offensive line did a great job giving the quarterback time to throw the football, which was a key factor in Hartman making a couple of huge throws that helped put the game away. They certainly stepped up, considering USC came into the game ranked second in college football in sacks per game. They were shut out in this department against the Irish.

Tyree stepped up and made two huge plays, converting a third-down to set up a field goal, and putting the game away with a 46-yard touchdown score where he outran a USC defensive back. Hartman went just 13-20 for 126 yards, but he made three huge touchdown throws that played a big role in the game's outcome.

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