Notre Dame was tasked with its toughest remaining bout against No. 20 USC at home in a rainstorm. Given the conditions and the team’s strengths, the Irish pounded the ball on the ground for a whopping 306 yards and three touchdowns en route to their third consecutive rivalry victory against the Trojans. Junior running back Jeremiyah Love posted a career-best 228 yards and etched his name into the Notre Dame history books, posting the fifth-most single-game rushing yards in school history. Let’s take a look at some key moments in each quarter of the game.
First quarter
USC began with the ball and started on a strong note, completing a third-and-9 play with a 15-yard completion after an Irish miscommunication in the secondary. Then, to cap off the 10-play 75-yard effort, tight end Lake McRee high-pointed a beautiful pass from quarterback Jayden Maiava to open the game ahead 7-0.
On the other side, the Irish responded quickly. Love broke free for 63 yards on second-and-10 to set up the Irish at the 12-yard line. It only took one more touch for Love to punch it in and even the score at 7-7 with 10:11 remaining in the first. He broke through the fray after waiting patiently behind blockers to score the 12-yard touchdown run and pick up all 75 yards and the opening touchdown for the Irish.
On the next possession for USC, Maiava evaded a sack from sophomore edge rusher Bryce Young on third down before throwing up a prayer off his back foot that was miraculously hauled in for the first down. The Irish defense began to stifle the USC drive progress as sophomore safety Adon Shuler broke up a pass in the hands of wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane that would’ve been complete for the first down. The Irish held the Trojans to three points and fell behind 10-7 with 8:04 in the first.
After Notre Dame’s failed drive, senior punter James Rendell pinned the Trojans at the 7-yard line with a 52-yard punt. Junior cornerback Christian Gray broke up a pass attempt from Maiava on third down to get the ball back for the Irish with 4:32 in the 1st.
After the two teams traded stops once again,the Irish initiated a lead-taking drive in the waning moments of the first 15with a 32-yard run by junior running back Jadarian Price into USC territory.Two plays later, Price cut back a run on the right side, escaping to the left pylon for a 16-yard touchdown run. This effort was part of 13 attempts for 87 yards and a touchdown that Price added to the dominant rushing effort. With 14:36 left in the second quarter, the Irish led 14-10.
Second quarter
The scoring did not quite keep pace with the fireworks from the first quarter, as the Irish defense started to find its footing in a way that would transfer throughout the rest of the contest. After surrendering three consecutive completions, the Irish defense got a critical stop on third-and-3. USC receiver Jaden Richardson lost his footing and freshman safety Tae Johnson brought him down at the sticks. USC went for it on fourth-and-3, but junior linebacker Drayk Bowen broke up the Maiava pass to the flat.
Back on offense, Love again burst through the line for 27 yards to push the ball over the 50-yard line. He surged around the left side of the offensive line for another 17 yards to set up first-and-goal. After getting stopped short on two straight runs, the Irish schemed up aplay-action look for freshman quarterbackCJ Carr. It was not executed in the intended manner. Carr ran around in the backfield for 15 seconds before throwing an interception. The Trojans defense bent but didn’t break in the red zone, giving its offense another chance to respond with 5:51 in the first half.
USC found itself back in Irish territory after consecutive pass interference calls. Again, the defense held the opposition out of the endzone with Shuler in coverage after consecutive negative plays and an incompletion. USC’s Ryon Sayeri sank a field goal from 24 yards and brought the score to 14-13 in favor of Notre Dame. Holding the Trojans to three instead of seven points helped the Irish maintain pressure on their rivals as the lead grew in the second half.
Third quarter
Beginning with the ball, Notre Dame had an opportunity to extend its one-point lead. Their drive began with a 12-yard reception from junior receiver Jordan Faison. Love continued to dominate on the ground and help this Irish team break through the USC front line. Facing a fourth-and-1 at USC’s 23-yard line, Carr handed it to Love up the gut of the defense, and he was unable to be stopped again. This balanced drive was punctuated by a 6-yard touchdown catch from senior receiver WillPauling with 8:04 in the third to take the lead up to 21-13.
With an 8-point lead and the pressure back on the defense, Chris Ash’s unit had an opportunity to make a play. They picked up consecutive pass interference calls, which helped the Trojans again move the ball past midfield. Penalties and careless mistakes in coverage extended Trojan drives all night. However, the Irish held USC to yet another field goal after freshman cornerback Dallas Golden broke up a critical third-and-3 shot downfield.
In the next offensive possession for USC, the Irish had a serious lapse in coverage. Ja’Kobi Lane, who torched the Irish for six receptions and 111 yards, took a 59-yard reception to the house to regain the lead, 24-21. Gray lost his man, allowing the dynamic speedster to get behindthe Irish secondary and punishthem with a score.
The strong Irish special teams group struck again, though, as Price took the following kickoff back for a 100-yard touchdown. The junior running back earned his second kickoff return for a touchdown on the season, helping his team regain the lead at 27-24. Senior kicker Noah Burnette missed an extra point as the rain began to fall in South Bend.
To close the third quarter, Gray got the sweet taste of revenge as he intercepted Maiava’s pass. While he had his struggles, Gray managed to make critical coverage stops throughout the night, none more important than taking the ball back away from the driving Trojans with 1:48 left in the third quarter. Despite taking over with outstanding field position, the Irish settled for a field goal that Burnette missed wide left from 31 yards.
Fourth quarter
USC attempted to emulate Irish success in the trick play department with a double pass try. The play found no success as the Irish swarmed the motioning receivers and double-covered the receivers downfield. Shuler knocked the ball out of Makai Lemon’s hands and sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa collected the loose fumble to start the Irish drive at their own 37-yard line. Love continued to bash the Trojans defense with consecutive 15 and 16-yard runs to set up first-and-goal. Carr punched his ticket on the second attempted quarterback keeper to give his team a 34-24 lead with 7:16 remaining.
The Notre Dame defense continued its valiant effort by forcing a turnover on downs with six minutes left. USC went play action on fourth and inches, as Maiava rolled out with both receivers blanketed and missed the throw with pressure bearing down. With one minute left, junior safety Luke Talich picked off Maiava on third-and-17 in a desperation heave toward the endzone. The Irish forced two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble. Maiava hadn’t experienced that amount of pressure all season. It was a collaborative effort for the Irish to win and improve to 5-2 overall and, most importantly, pick up their first ranked win of the season.