Here's what Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said about USC

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly held his weekly news conference with local media on Monday to preview the No. 9/10 Fighting Irish's game with USC this week.

The Trojans (3-2) come off a bye week to travel to South Bend, Ind., and take on a Notre Dame (4-1) team that took its only loss to No. 3 Georgia earlier this season and rolled over Bowling Green 52-0 last week.

Here's what Kelly had to say about the Trojans, the matchup and the rivalry ...

On USC's wide receivers ...

"I think you start there offensively with the best wide receiving core that we'll see all year without question. You know, the trio of Pittman, Vaughns, and St. Brown, just very, very talented group, and they complement each other extremely well. Pittman is explosive. Gets down the field, big-play receiver, catches everything that's thrown his way. Vaughns obviously has got great length. It's a matchup issue. And then St. Brown in the slot is physical, competitive, does all the tough jobs as well. So just a very, very talented group of wide receivers. Again, the best group that we will see and many of us see."

On USC QB Kedon Slovis ...

"We expect Slovis to start obviously. As a true freshman, he's been really, really good. Shows savvy and poise. Very good arm talent. He can throw the ball all over the field, and he's extremely accurate, throwing it over 70-percent completion. So we'll certainly be prepared for both, but expecting Slovis to start."

On USC's defense ...

"I really like where they have come defensively. Much more physical presence on the defensive line, I think, across the board. It's just a unit now that can hold up. They're in four-down instead of three-down, you've got Rector who is a three-year starter. They're getting great play out of the freshman Jackson, and inside the two tackles are as good as we're going to see. They're very difficult to move inside. Linebacker core, you know, ... it seems like every year we turn on the film Houston is there. He's a three-year starter. .... Looks like they're getting some guys back in the backfield, but Hufanga is the guy that makes that a very, very good unit back there. He is very good against the run. He can cover. Very physical, instinctive and outstanding football player back there. Again, some very good athletes in the back end as you would expect from USC, and they are in good position to make plays. It's a really good football team that we'll have to be our best."

On Notre Dame's defense giving up only six points in the third quarter so far this season ...

"You know, we were looking at the numbers last week and they obviously told a similar story. Look, it's a team that has played a system now for a second season. There is a lot more continuity as a group, and clearly Clark [Lea] is in his second year of calling defenses, so there is a lot of the pieces in play. Some of it is just good fortune. I don't know that we can sit here and count every point, but it's the second year in a system of defense with some I would say more continuity in terms of what we're doing defensively."

On the USC-Notre Dame rivalry ...

"The tradition. Going way back, obviously this game being played for so many years as an intersectional rivalry, they're not up the street. They're across the country. Great players have played in it. Great coaches that have coached in it. Nationally televised. So I just think the history, the tradition of it being played every year, it's one of those rivalries that hasn't gone away. It's part of college football."

On Graham Harrell's offense and how it comparse to the plan USC used against Notre Dame last year ...

"Yeah, there are a couple layers there. So it really wasn't necessarily the same system, but they did play like that against us, where the ball came out quick, free access throws. We kind of morphed into trying to keep the ball in front of us. This is a bit of a different offensive system where large splits, they are keeping pressure on you; it's a very fast tempo. They're keeping pressure on you in that they're looking to push the ball vertically down the field much more than perimeter quick outs and run-after-catch. This is a big-play offense. If you are short in the box, tackle to tackle, they'll run the football. They had over 200 ... against Washington. Now, it didn't materialize in terms of the scores they wanted, but that's where you have to decide how to play them, vertically and then how are you going to play them. Are you going to play them equal numbers in the running game? If you are, you've got to be able to hold up in terms of getting them off the field.

On USC's offensive performance vs. Utah as a model for what the Trojans want to do ...

"Absolutely. That's 100 percent what they would love, is low safeties, one-on-one matchups. If they can get that, that's option No. 1 for them."

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