Notre Dame Offense Needs To Get Right Against USC

Notre Dame is a struggling offense right now, and if the 2023 season is going to get back on track, and if the Irish are going to upset undefeated and 10th-ranked USC this weekend that unit will need to be at its best.

Over the last three games the Notre Dame offense has averaged just 18.3 points per game, and the unit has scored just 17 points in the first half combined during the current stretch. Although the defense faltered late against Louisville, that side of the ball has largely played well enough for Notre Dame to be undefeated, but the offense has not held up its end.

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker and the Irish offensive staff need to find answers to get this group turned around, and if they do the players need to step up and make more plays.

Notre Dame is not, however, the only offense in college football to ever go through a rough stretch. Oklahoma's offense scored just 28 points in a win over SMU (who gave up 34 points to TCU) and just 20 points in a win over Cincinnati (who gave up 31 points to Miami, Ohio and 35 points to BYU).

Georgia had some rough offensive moments in 2022, like scoring just 26 points in a come from behind win over Missouri, and scoring 16 points in a road win over Kentucky.

I could provide a much longer list, but this feels different for Notre Dame. It doesn't just feel like a slump, there seem to be some foundational issues that have caused this offense to hit rock bottom after starting the season on such a strong note.

If Notre Dame doesn't get these problems fix - immediately - this season could take a very dark turn. Looking at USC specifically, it is highly, highly unlikely that Notre Dame can win this game scoring between 14-21 points against a Trojan team that is currently averaging over 51 points per game.

There are two bits of good news for Notre Dame. One is that this team still has plenty of talent, and they seem to be getting healthier on the perimeter. Two is that Notre Dame is going against a very, very subpar USC defense.

USC is 6-0, but it has played a schedule whose opponents have combined for just a 10-24 record so far this season. Their defensive numbers are bad without any context, with the defense ranking 79th nationally in scoring defense (27.0 PPG), 91st in rushing yards allowed (157.0 YPG), 112th in total yards per game (421.3 YPG) and 115 in passing yards per game (264.3 YPG). It also ranks 78th in third down defense, 123rd in red zone defense and 86th in yards allowed per play.

With context it's even worse for the USC defense. The Trojans have faced a schedule whose opponents ranked 41st, 67th, 75th, 119th, 124th and 131st in scoring offense. It's a schedule whose opponents rank 32nd, 50th, 84th, 102nd, 105th and 129th in total defense.

Just look at the numbers below:

The three categories are PPG (which is points per game these teams have scored against its non-USC opponents), RANK (where the offense ranks nationally in that category, YPG (total yards per game against non-USC opponents), RUSH (rushing yards per game against non-USC opponents), PASS (passing yards per game against non-USC opponents).

USC's opponents have averaged just 23.9 points per game this season against its other opponents, but have scored 27 points per game against USC. All six of its opponents have racked up yards against USC that are better than their season average. All but one opponent went beyond its season rush numbers, and all but two opponents went beyond their season average in passing yards.

USC's last three games have all been four quarter contests, so you can't use the "these games were blowouts" excuse to justify these really poor numbers.

So what does that mean for Notre Dame?

Well, nothing. What USC has done against past opponents doesn't mean Notre Dame automatically comes out and moves the ball and scores a lot of points.

Notre Dame's coaches will need to instill confidence in their unit, they'll need to put together a game plan designed to attack USC's weaknesses while building up their strengths, and to put the players in position to be successful.

Notre Dame's players will need to come out with fire, execute at a high level, play with fire and make some plays.

This unit is capable of bouncing back and putting together a strong performance against USC, there is no doubt about that. Parker has plenty of tools to work with on offense, and he needs to push the right buttons this week. That includes finding ways to turn Sam Hartman loose and get him back on track. He'll need to get his wideouts to play with greater urgency and confidence, and get players like Tobias Merriweather, Chris Tyree, Jayden Thomas and Jaden Greathouse on track in this game.

USC is the perfect opponent for a struggling offense, but only if that offense answers the bell. It will be a very telling game for the offensive staff. If they do all that was discussed above they'll play well and the Irish will go into the bye week with a lot more confidence and momentum on offense, and possibly a huge ewin.

If they don't play well, however, it will be quite an ominous sign, and the Irish will likely lose a second straight contest in 2023, and a second straight loss to its biggest rival. The offense once again struggling will demand that Marcus Freeman do some serious soul searching about the offense.

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2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
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