Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
USC by the Numbers
November 22, 2016
1,305
Notre Dame leads the all-time series against USC by 10 wins. Brian Kelly has been part of increasing that lead in the series with 4 in his 6 games against USC. It's going to be really difficult for Kelly to make it for 5 for 7 this Saturday.
In a year where Notre Dame has stumbled to a 4-7 record, USC has begun to look like USC again. For the first time since Pete Carroll, the Trojans are playing like an elite team.
They're on a 7 game win streak and as 17 point favorites, the 8th win seems very likely. There aren't many numbers that don't favor USC heading into this game and they have been trending up in every way.
11
The Trojans are ranked 11th in Football Outsiders' F+ rankings, which is amazing considering that they came out 1-3 to start the season. It's a cumulative ranking and not just recent, but just about every number you can find would have them as a playoff worthy team during the 7 game streak.
Clay Helton looked like he may get the axe after only one season after his first month on the job. Now it looks like he may have reignited the program to a level they were previously accustomed to.
24 and 8
It's not a coincidence that the resurgence of USC started to occur when Sam Darnold took over at quarterback. He has been phenomenal in his 8 starts and almost pulled off a win against a tough Utah team on the road in his first.
He's been at helm since then and has thrown 24 touchdowns to 8 interceptions, but that doesn't really do him justice. He is a big time player. The only ray of hope for Notre Dame fans is that he has thrown 4 of those interceptions in the last two games.
11
The USC offensive line has only given up 11 sacks this season. A big reason why is Darnold who can shake off defenders in the pocket and also escape the rush to make plays.
37.4
During the 7 game win streak, they have averaged 37.4 points per game. Remember that these are all conference games. There is no 60 point game against a Tennessee Tech mixed in. They have been putting it on teams within the Pac-12.
5.25
The running game has been re-emphasized by Helton like it was towards the end of last season when he was the interim coach. What made the Pete Carroll teams so successful was how balanced they were on offense. They had the athletes to chuck it all over the field, but they controlled the game by running the football. That's how this USC team is getting it done as well.
They are averaging 5.25 yards per carry with two great backs in Ronald Jones II and Justin Davis. They have been even better on 1st down by averaging 5.59. That makes things quite a bit easier for Darnold when he is always in a manageable situation on 2nd down.
530.75
That's how many yards per game they are averaging in the last eight game. Yup, the only word to describe it is "yikes". They have been almost unstoppable. 7.02 yards per play during that span also puts them at a top 10 level when it comes to offense.
47.68
They are one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to converting 3rd downs too. I'm sure you're getting ill reading this, but there aren't any true weaknesses when it comes to the offense. It's tough to keep them from scoring and it's even more difficult to simply get them off the field.
36:54
As good as they have been over the last seven or eight, they've taken it up a notch in November for the last three games. They are averaging almost 37 minutes of possession and if they have the ball for anywhere close to that long against Notre Dame, it's going to be an ugly outcome.
Notre Dame is going to need to flip that number in order to win this game. Good luck with that.
4.56
November is going to be a common theme with the defensive numbers because they have reached new heights this month on defense. It's not all Darnold that has them trending up.
They are only giving up 5.21 yards per play (32nd) and 354.5 (28th) yards per game on the season, but in November the numbers have gone down to 4.56 (15th) and 276.7 (12th). All of the youth on defense is coming together and the defensive line has been outstanding.
10
Football Outsiders has their defensive line ranked as a top 10 unit in the nation. This despite the fact the defense doesn't have a ton of sacks (19) or tackles for loss (59). They just have been darn good at shutting down the run against some good running teams.
85
Oregon might be struggling to win games this season, but a bad year for their offense isn't bad for everyone. They are 15th in the nation in total offense and are averaging over 230 yards per game running the ball. USC held them to only 85 yards on the ground.
This was by far their worst performance of the season and in case anyone thinks it was a fluke...
17
They gave up only 17 yards rushing the next week to Washington, another strong running team. The Huskies are 6th in the nation in yards per play at 7.31 yards per play this season. The Trojans held them to 4.31. They did this on the road in a hostile environment. That is ridiculously impressive.
USC is playing their best football of the season in November and this is a horrible time for Notre Dame to be traveling to Los Angeles to play them. All the numbers point to this game being a big win for the Trojans.
If it goes down that way, it's going to be interesting to see what the aftermath of that result is.
In a year where Notre Dame has stumbled to a 4-7 record, USC has begun to look like USC again. For the first time since Pete Carroll, the Trojans are playing like an elite team.
They're on a 7 game win streak and as 17 point favorites, the 8th win seems very likely. There aren't many numbers that don't favor USC heading into this game and they have been trending up in every way.
11
The Trojans are ranked 11th in Football Outsiders' F+ rankings, which is amazing considering that they came out 1-3 to start the season. It's a cumulative ranking and not just recent, but just about every number you can find would have them as a playoff worthy team during the 7 game streak.
Clay Helton looked like he may get the axe after only one season after his first month on the job. Now it looks like he may have reignited the program to a level they were previously accustomed to.
24 and 8
It's not a coincidence that the resurgence of USC started to occur when Sam Darnold took over at quarterback. He has been phenomenal in his 8 starts and almost pulled off a win against a tough Utah team on the road in his first.
He's been at helm since then and has thrown 24 touchdowns to 8 interceptions, but that doesn't really do him justice. He is a big time player. The only ray of hope for Notre Dame fans is that he has thrown 4 of those interceptions in the last two games.
As good as they have been over the last seven or eight, they've taken it up a notch in November for the last three games. They are averaging almost 37 minutes of possession and if they have the ball for anywhere close to that long against Notre Dame, it's going to be an ugly outcome.
Notre Dame is going to need to flip that number in order to win this game. Good luck with that.
11
The USC offensive line has only given up 11 sacks this season. A big reason why is Darnold who can shake off defenders in the pocket and also escape the rush to make plays.
37.4
During the 7 game win streak, they have averaged 37.4 points per game. Remember that these are all conference games. There is no 60 point game against a Tennessee Tech mixed in. They have been putting it on teams within the Pac-12.
5.25
The running game has been re-emphasized by Helton like it was towards the end of last season when he was the interim coach. What made the Pete Carroll teams so successful was how balanced they were on offense. They had the athletes to chuck it all over the field, but they controlled the game by running the football. That's how this USC team is getting it done as well.
They are averaging 5.25 yards per carry with two great backs in Ronald Jones II and Justin Davis. They have been even better on 1st down by averaging 5.59. That makes things quite a bit easier for Darnold when he is always in a manageable situation on 2nd down.
530.75
That's how many yards per game they are averaging in the last eight game. Yup, the only word to describe it is "yikes". They have been almost unstoppable. 7.02 yards per play during that span also puts them at a top 10 level when it comes to offense.
47.68
They are one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to converting 3rd downs too. I'm sure you're getting ill reading this, but there aren't any true weaknesses when it comes to the offense. It's tough to keep them from scoring and it's even more difficult to simply get them off the field.
36:54
As good as they have been over the last seven or eight, they've taken it up a notch in November for the last three games. They are averaging almost 37 minutes of possession and if they have the ball for anywhere close to that long against Notre Dame, it's going to be an ugly outcome.
Notre Dame is going to need to flip that number in order to win this game. Good luck with that.
4.56
November is going to be a common theme with the defensive numbers because they have reached new heights this month on defense. It's not all Darnold that has them trending up.
They are only giving up 5.21 yards per play (32nd) and 354.5 (28th) yards per game on the season, but in November the numbers have gone down to 4.56 (15th) and 276.7 (12th). All of the youth on defense is coming together and the defensive line has been outstanding.
10
Football Outsiders has their defensive line ranked as a top 10 unit in the nation. This despite the fact the defense doesn't have a ton of sacks (19) or tackles for loss (59). They just have been darn good at shutting down the run against some good running teams.
85
Oregon might be struggling to win games this season, but a bad year for their offense isn't bad for everyone. They are 15th in the nation in total offense and are averaging over 230 yards per game running the ball. USC held them to only 85 yards on the ground.
This was by far their worst performance of the season and in case anyone thinks it was a fluke...
17
They gave up only 17 yards rushing the next week to Washington, another strong running team. The Huskies are 6th in the nation in yards per play at 7.31 yards per play this season. The Trojans held them to 4.31. They did this on the road in a hostile environment. That is ridiculously impressive.
USC is playing their best football of the season in November and this is a horrible time for Notre Dame to be traveling to Los Angeles to play them. All the numbers point to this game being a big win for the Trojans.
If it goes down that way, it's going to be interesting to see what the aftermath of that result is.
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