Notre Dame Fighting Irish VS USC Trojans: Analytics Preview

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports Notre Dame returns following the Bye Week to take on the reeling USC Trojans tomorrow night at Notre Dame Stadium. On paper it looks to be another straightforward matchup, but in a season that has been anything but there are a few angles to unpack before the game. Follow along as we give you all the advanced stats you need to know to get ready for Saturday.

USC enters this game with likely the worst pass defense Notre Dame will face all season. They give up an insane 0.41 EPA/Pass, which ranks 126th out of 130th. The results match up with the tape as well, with PFF ranking their coverage unit at 96th in the country. They are closer to average against the run,…