The USC Trojans travel to South Bend, Ind. Saturday night to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Trojans will be led by interim head coach Clay Helton, who will be looking to turn USC's season around after losing to Washington last Thursday. The Irish are looking to pick up their sixth win on the season and are hoping to keep themselves in the College Football Playoff conversation.
There will be a reported 15 NFL teams sending scouts to watch this game, as their looks to be a ton of talent on the field. Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Deshone Kizer has stepped up since the Irish lost Malik Zaire for the season due to a broken ankle. Kizer has thrown for 1,143 yards this season with eight touchdowns but will have to be intelligent with the ball, as he has thrown four interceptions this season. Kizer can also take off on his feet and has rushed for 128 yards with three touchdowns this season.
NFL scouts will be keeping a close eye on linebacker Jaylon Smith, as he is one of the best at his positions in all of college football. The junior linebacker has 42 combined tackles this season with a sack and is easy to follow because he seems to always be making plays. Smith and the Irish defense will have a tough task holding the Trojans offense in check Saturday night.
USC senior quarterback Cody Kessler is one of the top quarterbacks in college football and will look to prove himself against a strong Irish defense. Kessler has thrown for 1,453 yards this season and has 15 touchdown passes. Kessler will be looking to rebound, after throwing two interceptions in a loss to Washington.
Kessler will look to top target JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is having a huge season. Smith-Schuster has 33 receptions for 619 yards and has scored six touchdowns. The sophomore receiver was held without a touchdown for the first time this season against the Huskies and will look to add to his numbers Saturday night.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly undoubtedly knows the significance of this game, as the 14th ranked Irish are trying to keep their postseason hopes alive. For the Trojans, it's about turning their season around, and the biggest statement they could make is getting a win at Notre Dame Stadium. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. For the Irish's radio broadcast, click here, and for the Trojans' radio broadcast, go here.
