After three seasons as a backup quarterback, fifth-year senior Mitch Mustain should finally get his start against Notre Dame.
USC vs. Notre Dame is one of college football’s greatest rivalries. From legends like Knute Rockne and Howard Jones to…first year head coaches Lane Kiffin and Brian Kelly, well, the matchup isn’t quite what it used to be.
When the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish meet in the Los Angeles Coliseum this weekend, it will be a rare year when neither of the traditional powers is ranked for the big game, just the ninth time since in-season polls began in 1936.
The series dates back to 1926 and in the early years, the game often decided the national champion. Both teams have their share of titles – USC claims 11, Notre Dame 13 – but this season, neither is in the national championship conversation. This game is all for pride.
USC (7-4) is riding an eight-game winning streak over the Irish, but for the first time in more than eight years, they have a new coach, a shaky defense, and a backup quarterback on the hot seat.
Trojans’ starter Matt Barkley, who led the team to a 34-27 victory in South Bend last season, is out after sustaining a high ankle sprain last Saturday against Oregon State. Senior Mitch Mustain, a three-year backup, will get his first start since 2006, when he started eight games as a true freshman at Arkansas.
The Irish will also have a relative newcomer under center. After quarterback Dayne Crist suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this year, freshman Tommy Rees took over the offense for the Irish.
The 19-year-old enrolled at Notre Dame early and took over the starting job three weeks ago. Replacing Crist in the game against Tulsa, Rees became the first Irish freshman to record four touchdowns, but a late-game interception ended a potential Notre Dame comeback.
Rees managed the last two games well, leading the Irish to wins over then-ranked Utah at home and Army at Yankee Stadium, but the trip to the Coliseum will be his first true road test.
He’ll have help from a defense that has grown stronger in the past few weeks. Currently ranked 55th nationally in total defense, the Irish are eighth in limiting passing touchdowns, allowing only nine. In the last two games, the defense allowed just three points each, and they’ve held opponents without a touchdown for the last eleven quarters.
It’s the kind of record you’d find from one of the stalwart USC defenses of the mid-2000s, when the Trojans dominated the matchup – and every other matchup on their schedule. That’s not the case in 2010.
USC has been dismal on defense, ranked at the very bottom in passing defense (114th out of 120 teams) and just 92nd in total defense. With cornerbacks T.J. Bryant and Torin Harris out, the secondary is even thinner. USC’s weaknesses, especially against the pass, will help Rees, who was 13 of 20 against Utah and Army. The return of Irish receivers Theo Riddick and T.J. Jones, in addition to standout Michael Floyd, will give Rees even more options this week.
Neither of USC’s quarterbacks was able to get anything started last Saturday against Oregon State, but Mustain will get a second chance against Notre Dame. He’ll have help from receivers Ronald Johnson and Robert Woods, as well as running back Marc Tyler, who is expected to return after injuring his ankle against both ASU and OSU. Freshman Dillon Baxter, who sat out last week after being declared ineligible for accepting a golf cart ride from a fellow student who is a registered agent, should see the field again this week and could make up for his past mistakes with a few big plays against the Irish.
The Trojans’ special teams unit has been responsible for some big plays of its own this season, and their play could be critical against the Irish. Notre Dame kicker, David Ruffer, is rock solid with a streak of 20 straight completions, but USC has several blocked field goals and extra points in just the last month. Woods and Johnson also have game-changing potential – each has a kickoff returned for a touchdown this season.
The spotlight, though, will be on Mustain and Rees, who can’t let the magnitude of the game and the rivalry affect their play, and on their offensive lines, which will need to offer spectacular protection for their quarterbacks if they want to come away with the win and the Jeweled Shillelagh.
