When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the mass cancellation of sports in the spring and then the domino effect of fall football rescheduling, there was much cause for concern in Bulls’ country regarding filling out their schedule. All of the chaos put them in the otherwise unlikely position for a three game series with Notre Dame beginning on Saturday.
Saturday’s game marks the second all-time meeting between the programs, the first back in 2011. The Bulls upset the Irish that day, 23-20. The game is a memorable one, not just because of the upset, which was a landmark win for the young USF program, but because of the game’s duration. The total time played was a minute shy of six hours, due to two weather delays that forced the evacuation of the stadium. The apparent danger that caused the evacuation, which apparently has never happened at Notre Dame before or since, was localized lightning, a common issue in the Bulls’ hometown of Tampa.
The last game featured the homecoming of Skip Holtz, a Notre Dame alumnus and former athlete, as well as the son of a favored Irish coach, Lou Holtz. This game features a similar homecoming. USF offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr. is the son of former Notre Dame head coach, Charlie Weis Sr. The junior Weis spent his formative teenage years on the sidelines with father during Irish games.
USF is 4-12 all-time against ranked road opponents. The last time they won a road game against a ranked opponent was the win over Notre Dame in 2011.
USF Offense
It is unclear through one game what the USF offense is going to look like. Jordan McCloud and Noah Johnson lead the depth chart and split reps in the opener against The Citadel. Cade Fortin was listed as unavailable for that game, but is a possible option for the Notre Dame game. McCloud, Johnson, and Katravis Marsh accounted for just 102 passing yards against the Bulldogs. The trio rushed for just 45 yards.
The running backs made the most of their opportunities, though. Kelley Joiner and Johnny Ford led the unit with 87 and 71 yards, respectively. The team rushed for 302 yards, which was ¾ of the total offense (404 yards).
Quarterbacks only passed the ball 25 times, but 18 of those passes were caught. Bryce Miller was top receiver, with three catches for 36 yards. Sincere Brown and DeVontres Dukes round out the top three, with 19 and 17 yards, respectively. One of Dukes’ catches was a ten yard touchdown. Also catching a pass against The Citadel was tight end, Mitchell Brinkman. Brinkman is expected to play a big role in the offense this season. Although only amassing seven yards against the Bulldogs, Randall St. Felix has big play ability that the Bulls will be looking for against the Irish.
Notre Dame Defense
The Irish held Duke to just 13 points in the season opener. This early on, it is hard to evaluate if that’s Duke’s offensive ineffectiveness or Notre Dame’s good defense. Last season, Duke finished 114th in total offense. The Irish defense finished last season ranked 18th in total defense. Through one game this season, they are again ranked 18.
The defense is led in tackles by senior linebacker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who has 9 tackles through one game. He was also tied for season lead in tackles last season, with 80. Against Duke, Owusu-Koramoah logged a sack and a forced fumble. He has been named to the ACC Preaseason All-ACC Team, Pro Football Focus Preseason All-ACC First Team, and Phil Steele Preseason All-Independent Second Team. He’s on the watch list for the Nagursky, Butkus, Bednarik, and Lott trophy watch lists.
The number two tackler for the Irish this season is sophomore defensive back, Kyle Hamilton, with seven. Hamilton had five picks in 2019 and could be a factor in this game.
Another name to look for will be senior linebacker, Drew White. White tied with Owusu-Koramaoh in total tackles, last season (80). He joins his fellow linebacker on the Nagursky Watch List and Phil Steele Preseason All-Independent First Team. In 2019, he led the team in tackles for loss (13.5) and tied for the lead in sacks (5.5) with then senior, Khalid Kareem. He had two tackles for loss, one being a sack, against Duke.
Safety, Kyle Hamilton, also had a good game against Duke, with seven tackles. He suffered an ankle injury and his status for the USF game is unknown.
The Irish tied for the 10th best scoring defense in the country, last year, allowing just 13 points per game.
Notre Dame Offense
The offense is led by senior quarterback, Ian Book, who finished last season with over 3,000 yards passing, 34 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Book passed for 263 yards against Duke, with one touchdown and one pass picked off. Last season, he accumulated significant yards as a runner, running for 546 yards, the second best total on the team. Against Duke, he ran for just 12 yards on nine attempts.
The breakout star in the Duke game for Notre Dame was sophomore running back, Kyren Williams. Williams rushed for 112 yards on 19 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 93 yards, making him the first Irish player to have at least 90 yards rushing and receiving in the same game in the past forty years. The Duke game was Williams’ first career start.
Part of the credit for that running performance should go to what is probably one of the best offensive lines in the country. In all, five starter returned on offensive line. Senior linemen, Aaron Banks and Liam Eichenberg, are both Outland Trophy Watch List, Pro Football Focus Preseason All-ACC First Team, and Phil Steele Preaseason All-Independent First Team. Junior center, Jarrett Patterson, joins those two on the Outland Trophy Watch List and Pro Football Focus Preseason All-ACC First Team. They finished 2019 allowing just 16 sacks all season. Against Duke, however, they did allow three sacks in the game.
Junior receiver, Joe Wilkins Jr., was the lead receiver behind Williams, with four catches for 44 yards. Tight ends, Tommy Tremble and Michael Mayer tied for third with 38 yards receiving against Duke. Braden Lenzy is the top returning receiver from last season, when he had the fifth best receiving total with 254 yards and two touchdowns.
USF Defense
The Bulls look much improved on defense early on in this season. They finished 71st in total defense and 75th in scoring defense in 2019. While they haven’t fully been tested, there are things that pass the eye test that give rise to the idea that something real has changed. Cleaner tackles, better coverage, less blown assignments and others are some of the things that jump out while watching their game against The Citadel. Their task this week is of a much greater variety, so it will be a real test to any improvements.
Junior linebacker, Antonio Grier, leads the team with ten tackles. Last season, he had a team-high 4 sacks. Fellow linebacker, Dwayne Boyles, finished 2019 as the leader in tackles with 75. He only had four tackles against The Citadel, but expect him to be a difference maker in the Notre Dame game.
Defensive backs, Bentlee Sanders, Vincent Davis, and Nick Roberts, all had seven tackles a piece against the Bulldogs. K.J. Sails and Mike Hampton are two other guys from the secondary that will make their presence known. Sails and Roberts led the team in picks in 2019, with 3 and 2, respectively.
Expectations
The Bulls will likely go to what they see as their strengths, which is running the ball. That probably won’t be very effective against the sturdy Notre Dame defense, forcing the Bulls to become more creative in the passing game. In fact, you might even see some option offense to shake things up, something the coaching staff thought they did well in practice preparation for The Citadel. The Irish will try to run and pass, keeping both options open. The USF defense is turnover hungry, so expect any mistakes by Book to cost his team. Expect both teams to have a few big plays that account for most of their offense and setting up scoring opportunities. Also, expect the superior recruiting and depth of Notre Dame outlast the Bulls heart and effort, which should keep the game competitive most of the way.
Summary
Kickoff is set for 2:30 PM EDT, with broadcast available on USA Network. The Irish are 23 point favorites and ESPN’s Football Power Index computers predict a 94% chance of a Notre Dame win.
