Joel Klatt: USC saw offensive failure during loss to Notre Dame

One may have expected that USC’s defense could give up 48 to an opponent like Notre Dame. However, it was the outing from the Trojan offense that stunned many, including FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt.

Klatt shared his shock regarding how USC’s loss in South Bend went during his show on Monday. He said that it was the last thing that he thought he’d see as it was USC’s offensive performance that cost them against the Fighting Irish – not the defense’s.

“That is not what anybody expected,” said Klatt. “I thought Notre Dame was going to win but the way that it looked, the way that it played out was wild. Wild!”

“All the talk and all the narrative was about the defense and how the defense wasn’t very good. Well, the defense wasn’t bad on Saturday? I might need to repeat that. The defense wasn’t bad on Saturday. In fact, this game was about offensive ineptitude – truly speaking,” Klatt said. “Lack of execution on the offense, offensive failures at the line of scrimmage. Poor decision-making at times under duress from Caleb Williams, turnovers. That’s why they lost.”

It’s hard not to see that as the case. It started with Williams, the reigning Heisman, with one of his worst performances as he posted less than 200 passing yards and three interceptions compared to just one touchdown. Mix in an inability to run the ball with two more turnovers from lost fumbles and one of the nation’s top offenses looked like anything but against Notre Dame.

That wasn’t the only issue that USC’s offense caused, though. As Klatt pointed out, the turnovers from the offense certainly made life much harder on a defense that already struggles on its own.

“This was not a defensive issue. All of us expected that if USC were to lose, if they were to struggle? It would be a defensive issue. Far from the case, far from the case,” said Klatt. “Notre Dame scores 48 points in this game. USC gave up 28 points off of turnovers. By the way, in every one of those 28 points? The turnovers set up Notre Dame with a scoop and score or the ball on the plus side of the 50, at or on the plus side of the 50 – a totally short field.”

“If USC’s defense was in a traditional drive? Notre Dame didn’t do much,” Klatt said. “They scored 28 off turnovers and seven on a kick return.”

Again, this was not what anybody expected from USC’s performance against the Irish. That’s why, in the days after the loss, Klatt is still surprised at how it all transpired for USC on Saturday night.

“This was an offensive failure for USC and I don’t think any of us were ready for that,” said Klatt. “We weren’t ready for Caleb Williams to look like he did, we weren’t ready for a Lincoln Riley offense to look this stagnant.”