Notre Dame’s next opponent just took an impactful injury hit that only makes the Fighting Irish’s chances that much easier

Notre Dame is set to host the USC Trojans for a massive rivalry matchup on Saturday. USC will be without a very valuable offensive playmaker.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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After an unfortunate two-game stretch to start the 2025 college football season, head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football have been building a lot of momentum over the last four games. The objective is simple for this Fighting Irish team: win the rest of your regular season games, and you most likely have a chance at redemption. That is the only thing on the minds of folks around South Bend. 

The biggest remaining game on the schedule happens this weekend when the USC Trojans travel to Notre Dame Stadium for a primetime matchup. Both of these programs don’t like one another, which adds even more fuel to the fire. The Irish defense also has a chance to show that they have legitimately gained their footing under defensive coordinator Chris Ash. 

With the likes of quarterback Jayden Maiava, and wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, this is an offense that has a chance to give the Irish defense some fits. Luckily for Coach Ash’s squad, and not so lucky for their opponent, the USC running game won’t be quite as lethal, at least in theory. That unit has averaged to rush for over 226 yards per game on the season, but will be down their top two running backs on Saturday, including former New Mexico transfer Eli Sanders. 

Sanders, who has totaled 390 yards and three touchdowns this year, will be lost for the season with a knee injury. That comes after the news that starting running back Waymond Jordan is also going to be out for the year. Jordan had rushed for 576 yards and five touchdowns on the season, and was viewed as one of the breakout runners in all of college football. 

When healthy, Jordan and Sanders are a really talented running back duo. Their absence is a big loss for the Trojans. 

Who is King Miller? 

This Trojan offense is going to be depending a ton on redshirt freshman King Miller to soften the blow of the Jordan and Sanders losses moving forward. A walk-on from last season, the California native opted for the Trojans over offers from Nevada, San Jose State, and Sacramento State when he was coming out of high school. Not a ton was expected of Miller going into the year, but he has continued to prove doubters wrong. 

In six games, Miller has managed to run for 310 yards and three touchdowns while also averaging an absurd 10.7 yards per carry. If you want to gain an understanding for just how good of a runner Miller is, just pop on his performance against Michigan last week. The 6-0, 210-pound runner was a lot to handle getting downhill. 

Heading into this game, however, Miller isn’t going to take Notre Dame by surprise. With Jordan and Sanders both out, there isn’t any question who will be getting the football on Saturday. The Irish defense will have a plan in place for him, and the Trojans offense won’t have a ton of other options in the run game. Notre Dame needs to do their best to make this team as one dimensional as possible. 

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