No. 6 USC exorcises rivalry demons with win over No. 15 Notre Dame
Running back Raleek Brown #14 of the USC Trojans celebrates with quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans after running for a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Raleek Brown #14 of the USC Trojans celebrates with teammates after running for a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Raleek Brown #14 of the USC Trojans runs for a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Raleek Brown #14 of the USC Trojans runs for a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Austin Jones #6 of the USC Trojans runs for a first down against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Austin Jones #6 of the USC Trojans runs for first down past safety Brandon Joseph #16 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
USC Trojans defense tackles running back Logan Diggs #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for loss of yards in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Wide receiver Tahj Washington #16 of the USC Trojans dives for the touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Austin Jones #6 of the USC Trojans runs for first down against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans hands off to running back Austin Jones #6 of the USC Trojans against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans passes against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans runs for touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans is sacked by defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans scrambles for a first down against defensive lineman Justin Ademilola #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
USC Trojans defense stops Notre Dame Fighting Irish on 4th and 1 in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Austin Jones #6 of the USC Trojans runs for first down past safety Brandon Joseph #16 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Wide receiver Jordan Addison #3 of the USC Trojans reaches for loose ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
defensive lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou #47 of the USC Trojans sacks quarterback Drew Pyne #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans scrambles against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Wide receiver Lorenzo Styles #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches pass for yardage against linebacker Eric Gentry #18 of the USC Trojans in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
USC Trojans fans in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans scrambles for a first down against defensive lineman Justin Ademilola #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Tight end Lake McRee #87 of the USC Trojans leaps for the first down against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
USC Trojans fan in the first half of a NCAA football game between the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Defensive lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou #47 of the USC Trojans tackles running back Logan Diggs #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for loss of yards in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Defensive lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou #47 of the USC Trojans tackles running back Logan Diggs #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for loss of yards in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates with teammates after running for touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 26, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
LOS ANGELES — In the grand scheme of this 96-year-old rivalry, six years is not a terribly long time. But for the players in the USC locker room, those six cycles around the sun might as well have been a lifetime. Entering Saturday’s regular-season finale, no Trojan had beaten Notre Dame, with four straight losses (and a DNP-COVID) haunting Los Angeles.
But that streak came to a cathartic end at the Coliseum Saturday, with No. 6 USC beating No. 15 Notre Dame 38-27.
If you couldn’t tell how much that meant to USC (11-1, 8-1 in Pac-12) based on its comments leading up to the game, the emotion was quickly evident. The Trojan defense strutted to the sidelines after linebacker Shane Lee stopped Notre Dame for a loss on third down on the Irish’s first drive.
The defense was throwing fists through the air when Ralen Goforth and Tyrone Taleni stuffed the Irish on a fourth-and-one run the next drive.
Four days after the College Football Playoff’s selection committee questioned the USC defense, the Trojans held Notre Dame to 90 yards rushing a week after the Irish put up 281 against Boston College.
“We knew what type of game it was going to be,” safety Calen Bullock said. “We knew they were going to come in and thought they were going to out-physical us. But we wasn’t going for that.”
And though it was his first game in the rivalry, head coach Lincoln Riley went deep into the playbook on USC’s opening touchdown drive. Tight end Lake McRee slipped through the line for a 31-yard reception on third down, which Riley followed with a reverse to Jordan Addison for another first down.
The drive ended with receiver Tahj Washington dancing through defenders to the end zone.
Returners like Washington who suffered through USC’s four-game losing streak to Notre Dame (8-4) got their pounds of flesh. The 5-foot-11 receiver went up and caught a terrific jump ball to set up a USC touchdown. That drive was set up by a fumble recovery from Goforth that ended a promising Notre Dame charge to open the second half, when the USC lead was just 10.
Tuli Tuipulotu had a monster sack to end the second quarter, and Bullock’s fourth-quarter interception cemented the win for USC.
But the new blood that has revitalized USC played a pivotal role, too. Running back Austin Jones continued to fill in admirably for the injured Travis Dye, rushing 25 times for a career-high 154 yards. Freshman Raleek Brown was able to strut untouched into the end zone to give USC a 17-point third-quarter lead.
And, of course, there was quarterback Caleb Williams. The quarterback cemented his Heisman frontrunner status with an 18-for-22 performance, throwing one touchdown and running in three more.
He was immaculate with his decisions in read options, pulling one away from Jones at the last moment to scramble into the end zone. Then when Notre Dame respected his keeper ability, Williams handed off to Brown for his easy score.
And when he skipped into the end zone with 2:35 to play, Williams locked up the game for USC and returned the Jeweled Shillelagh to Los Angeles, the 72,613 at the Coliseum rocking with every one of Williams’ steps.
“It was fun seeing the Coli like that,” Riley said. “These guys have brought it to life. I don’t know how long it’s been since it was like that but, man, it was electric in there. Kind of what I remember watching as a young kid.”
No. 15 Notre Dame football at No. 6 USC: Who has the edge?
The celebration after the game was much more subdued than when USC beat UCLA a week ago. There were smiles on their faces, but less prancing as the USC players headed back to the locker room with more business on the Trojans’ minds.
With No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 LSU suffering disheartening defeats, the Trojans will likely move into the coveted fourth spot in the College Football Playoff rankings. With a win over either Oregon or Utah Friday at the Pac-12 championship in Las Vegas, USC will make the playoff field for the first time ever.
“We got a quick week,” Riley said. “So we gotta enjoy it but put it to bed here quickly and get ready to go to Vegas.”
