Behind Enemy Lines: Notre Dame
USF hits the road for the first time this season, the first of three consecutive games away from Raymond James Stadium, to face No. 7 ranked Notre Dame.
"Hey, we don't have to play perfect to win this game Saturday, but we're gonna have to play very, very well," said USF's first-year head coach Jeff Scott on Thursday.
We caught up with BlueAndGold.com beat reporter Patrick Engel for our Behind Enemy Lines Segment.
BI: Notre Dame is coming off a 27-13 victory over Duke, but it took the Irish scoring ten unanswered points in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Do you think the team is being affected by off-field health concerns (or limited practice time) or was Duke just that good?
PE: Duke definitely did some things well, particularly on defense. It put some heat on Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book and didn’t give up anything over the top. Notre Dame’s wide receivers caught only seven passes against a skilled secondary.
But that limited receiver impact says just as much about Notre Dame as it does Duke. The receiver position was down two of its highest-upside players due to injury, juniors Kevin Austin and Braden Lenzy. The former is out for another few weeks. The latter should be back against USF. The rest of the group didn’t separate with much consistency, save for Joe Wilkins Jr., who entered as an injury replacement late in the first half and caught four passes.
If there’s one area of concern, it’s the receivers – a new-look group with a bunch of unproven guys who were bit players before or are newcomers. Book and the coaching staff will attribute it to missing all but one spring practice and having less time to click. I’m sure there’s some level of merit to that. Notre Dame has to hope that’s the sole cause.
BI: This is just the second meeting between these two teams and likely wouldn’t have been scheduled at all if not for pandemic related scheduling issues. That game was a minute shy of six hours due to two lengthy weather delays, with the Bulls upsetting the #16 Irish, 23-20. This time, the Irish are ranked 7th and they are 26 point favorites, which is just one point more than they scored against Duke. How do you think this plays out and do you think they can cover that spread?
PE: I’m on the record predicting a 42-10 Notre Dame win, so yes, I think it covers. I wouldn’t bet my 401K on it, though. USF has some athletes on defense. If there’s little to be had downfield or from the receivers again, I could see the Bulls holding Notre Dame in the low 30s or even to 28 points. Glenn Spencer defenses generally can bring some pressure. I don’t think Jeff Scott will look at the scoreboard after a quarter and see a three-touchdown deficit.
The thing is, it’s just hard for me to see USF’s in-progress offense cracking more than 10 points against what looks like another strong Notre Dame defense. So the Irish may not need to hit 40 points to cover.
BI: Considering that the only time these teams played, it was a top 20 upset and an embarrassing loss for Notre Dame, do you think the fans or the players find motivation in getting revenge for that loss or this just another game?
PE: Players, not more so than any other game. These guys were in grade school when that first one happened. For the fans, I’m not sure another USF visit is motivation as much as it is an unpleasant flashback to that all-time oddity of a game. Of course they’d like to win it. But I don’t think you’ll see many claims of revenge if Notre Dame does win. It’s hard to undo a loss like that.
I haven’t seen much oh-brother grumbling among the fans this week about how Notre Dame should be on upset watch. The program is in an entirely different spot than it was in 2011. It has won 24 straight games against unranked teams and last lost at home on Sept. 9, 2017. It feels almost upset-proof. I’m sure that unranked winning streak will end before too long, but it has taught the fan base to be less apprehensive with these games.
BI: Notre Dame has “joined” the ACC for this season, due to the pandemic. Being able to play for a conference championship will be new for the program. How does this affect the way the coaches and players approach the game, if at all?
I don’t think it’ll have any effect on this game. This isn’t one Notre Dame should drop if it aspires to make the College Football Playoff and win the national title, which it does. Their goals don’t stop at winning the ACC. The Duke game I’m sure was a wake-up call for anyone who listened too much to our chatter about the soft start to the schedule. I’m sure they’re all aware of what USF did last time it visited too.
BI: What player names should USF fans expect to hear a lot on both sides of the ball?
PE: Last week’s breakout star was running back Kyren Williams, who totaled 205 yards in his first career start. He ran for 112 and two touchdowns and had 93 receiving yards. If receiver Braden Lenzy is healthy, Notre Dame will try and involve him. Tight ends Tommy Tremble and Michael Mayer were Book’s favorite targets in the opener, combining for eight catches. The latter was a top-40 recruit in the 2020 class.
On defense, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is the name to know above all. He led the team in tackles for loss, sacks and tackles last year and continued that level of play against Duke, with 10 tackles and two sacks. Safety Kyle Hamilton is the other star, but he’s a long shot to play after hurting his ankle last week.
Elsewhere, defensive end Isaiah Foskey was really disruptive in 14 snaps against Duke. We’ll see if he gets more work. One player in front of him, starting defensive end Ade Ogundeji, was the popular breakout pick all offseason. He had a solid first game. Cornerbacks Nick McCloud and TaRiq Bracy combined for three pass breakups.