USC coach Lincoln Riley evaluates Notre Dame’s defense ahead of rivalry matchup

USC head coach Lincoln Riley praised Notre Dame’s defense ahead of this weekend’s important Week 13 matchup.

The defense will be an important part of Notre Dame’s effort to upset USC on the road. Notre Dame’s defense shutout Boston College in a 44-0 win in Week 12.

On Tuesday, Riley spoke to the media about what he h

as seen from Notre Dame on defense.

“They’re good. They still haven’t given up 400 yards yet this year which is hard to do in college football,” Riley said.” They’ve been good on third down. They have good players at all levels. You can tell they’ve recruited there for many years. They’ve built a talent base. That shows up. There are a lot of talented guys on that field. When their backups come in, there are still a lot of talented guys on that field.

Riley continued to talk about Notre Dame’s complete defense. He referenced the team’s ability to rush the passer and clog up throwing lanes in the secondary.

“They’ve done a nice job. They’ve h

ad a really good defensive year. I don’t see just a ton of weaknesses with the group,” Riley added. “They’ve got guys who can rush the passer. They can play well in the secondary. They’ve intercepted balls. They’ve been good on third down. 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.”

Notre Dame held Boston College quarterback Emmett Morehead to 117 passing yards and forced 3 interceptions in Week 13. USC will try to test Notre Dame’s defense with the passing attack from quarterback Caleb Williams.

Notre Dame will be on the road against USC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.