Marcus Freeman says Drew Pyne 'ready to go' against USC offense

No. 15 Notre Dame is set to take on No. 6 USC on Saturday in the regular-season finale, looking to play spoiler and ruin the Pac-12’s playoff chances. The Fighting Irish, and in particular quarterback Drew Pyne, are ready to go.

First-year coach Marcus Freeman addressed how Pyne is feeling ahead of a head-to-head duel with Heisman Trophy favorite Caleb Williams.

“He’s ready to go. He’s excited,” Freeman said. “He’s a competitor. He’s one of the most competitive kids we have, so he wants the ball in his hands and he wants a chance to execute.”

Pyne has helped turn Notre Dame’s season around following an 0-2 start and a regular-season ending injury to starting quarterback Tyler Buchner.

Since Buchner went down, Pyne has led Notre Dame to wins in eight of its last nine games, climbing up to No. 15 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. And while the disaster start knocked the Fighting Irish out of playoff contention, there’s still an outside shot Notre Dame could push for a New Year’s Six bowl slot.

Handing USC a second loss ahead of the Pac-12 title game could be a double-whammy of sorts aiding in that goal.

Pyne, who has thrown for 1,703 yards and 19 touchdowns, will lead the charge.

“Again, we all have to make decisions that help him execute, and he has to help himself execute, but I know he’s excited for this challenge,” Freeman said.

Drew Pyne ready to go, Notre Dame looking for statement

While Marcus Freeman was asked if Drew Pyne was ready to go in this matchup, USC coach Lincoln Riley seemed focused on another angle that might make a major difference in the game: Notre Dame’s defense.

If the Fighting Irish are going to secure a statement win, they’ll have to slow the Trojans down.

Few teams have managed that.

Riley tipped his cap to Notre Dame ahead of Saturday’s showdown. He’s expecting a very difficult task moving the football, perhaps the toughest yet this season.

“They’re good,” Riley said. “I mean, they haven’t given up 400 yards yet this year. That’s hard to do in college football. They’ve been good on third down. I think they’ve got good players at all levels.

“I don’t see just a ton of weaknesses with the group, and they’ve got guys that can rush the passer, they play well in the secondary, they’ve intercepted balls, they’ve been good on third down. I mean, they’re just a good defense. They’re a challenging defense. The margins are thin with a group like that. You’ve got to execute at a high level, and I’ve said that before when we’ve played good groups, but that’s what shows up.”

Notre Dame and USC will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday with a broadcast on ABC.