Kirk Herbstreit: Can Notre Dame offense keep pace with USC, Caleb Williams?

One month ago, Notre Dame and USC seemed like an offensive showcase waiting to happen. Now, the Irish have dropped two of their last three while the Trojans have been rolling.

Ahead of Saturday’s ranked matchup, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit revealed the keys to success for Notre Dame against the nation’s highest-scoring offense.

“You talk about a gauntlet. Ohio State, Duke, last week against Louisville and now they return home. They’re going to put everything they have into this game,” Herbstreit said on SportsCenter ahead of College GameDay. “Caleb Williams is going to make a ton of plays. Notre Dame’s [defensive] front is going to be the difference. They have to put some pressure on him with the blitz.

“But at the end of the day, I want to see if Notre Dame has enough offense to stay in this game. They will have to run the football, possess the ball and try to keep Caleb Williams on the sideline as often as they can.”

The only issue with that “gauntlet,” is the fact that the Irish are nearly on the other side of it — and they could be 1-3 in those games if USC defeats them on Saturday. After a 4-0 start to the season, the Irish could find themselves unranked by the start of next week if they can’t defend their home turf against the nation’s best quarterback.

Still, Notre Dame has been outscored by its opposition 64-55 over the past three games — mostly due to the 33-20 loss against the Cardinals. The Trojans enter Saturday’s matchup leading the country in total offense, totaling 311 points this season for 51.8 points per game on average. They also have eight more touchdowns (43) than any other team in the country.

Given the fact that the Irish have averaged 18.3 points per game since the Ohio State loss, it’s hard to imagine seeing them keep up with Williams. Before the last three games — Notre Dame was right up there with USC as one of the most potent offenses in the country. During the first four weeks of the season, Notre Dame scored at least 41 points in every game and winning each matchup by at least three scores.

The difference, of course, has been the bump in opponent quality as the season rolled along. Their most impressive win before beating Duke was a 45-24 win over an NC State team — who nearly lost to both Virginia and Marshall — on the road during Week 2.

Kickoff between the Irish and Trojans is set for 7:30 p.m. ET live on NBC. Notre Dame is a three-point betting favorite over USC at home.