Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Greedy Vance Jr. (21) celebrates after intercepting a pass against Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) for the game victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

USC Trojans' Greedy Vance Jr. On Notre Dame Rivalry: 'Prepare the Right Way'

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Gabriel Duarte | Last updated Nov 29, 2024 1:13 PM ET

USC Trojans cornerback Greedy Vance Jr., a Florida State transfer, spoke about the upcoming rivalry game against Notre Dame after the team's practice during the week.

"(I'm) not very familiar, kinda new to it. But this is a rivalry game, and I know how to prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually for rival games. So I'll take the same steps and do the same things routinely throughout the week until we're ready to play Saturday," Vance Jr. said.

Vance Jr. has been one of the brightest spots among the revamped Trojans defense. He has 24 tackles on the season, which is the second most in his career and tacked on an interception. In his first and only season at USC, Vance Jr. has proven to be a source of reliability for first year defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn.

However, despite Vance Jr. not being the most familiar with USC's famed rivalry game vs. the Fighting Irish, he did say how much he enjoyed the Trojans' Crosstown Rivalry showdown vs. UCLA.

"It was pretty cool. I've been apart of some good rivalries, that was almost close in intensity. The fan base, the atmosphere, the environment was pretty cool to play in," he said.

The graduate transfer corner said that the Trojans' defensive unit isn't feeding into any outside noise heading into the Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh, especially with the Fighting Irish still in contention for a College Football Playoff spot.

"We just want to play a good game, a good rivalry game, prepare the right way. You know, (we're) not looking to have the intentions of spoil (Notre Dame's) season and things like that. That would be the wrong approach," Vance Jr. said.

The Trojans head into the game vs. Notre Dame as a 7.5-point underdogs at home. Analytics also favors the Fighting Irish as ESPN's Football Power Index has Notre Dame with a 70.8 percent chance of winning the game and gives USC a 29.2 percent chance of coming out on top.

USC vs. Notre Dame will be broadcast on CBS from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the Trojans look to pull off the upset. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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