No. 21 Notre Dame played with purpose in its storied rivalry against No. 10 USC on Saturday night. It showed. Following a week of soul-searching, and an aggressive and relentless defense—led by one-man highlight reel Xavier Watts—the Fighting Irish dominated USC in a 48-20 victory in a memorable game at Notre Dame Stadium. The win was the most lopsided Irish victory over a Top 10 team since a 38-10 victory over USC in 1995.
After losing two of their last three games to essentially be eliminated from the College Football Playoff race, Notre Dame responded to the adversity from the previous week’s loss to Louisville with its best all-around effort of the season. The result: the Irish knocked the Trojans out of the ranks of the unbeaten. It was the worst loss suffered by the Trojans since a 29-point loss to Utah in 2021.
“Adversity is part of life,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said at his post-game press conference. “I told our guys I want to be an anti-fragile program. I told them this on Monday. What does that mean? We just didn’t get through it, through adversity. We are better because of the adversity we faced. That’s easy to say. The challenge is to do the things that it takes to make sure we’re better, and that’s what these coaches and players did.”
Irish Defense Too Physical for the Trojans
The Irish defense shut down what was the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense entering the game (51.8 points per game), keeping reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams on his heels all night. The Irish defense shined from start to finish, overwhelming USC’s offensive front. Notre Dame held a 5-0 edge in turnovers and is now the first team in the past 20 seasons to record five takeaways and a special teams touchdown against an Associated Press Top 10 opponent. The Irish recorded six sacks and 11 tackles for loss. They forced three quarterback hurries and became the first team to intercept Williams three times.
Williams played arguably the worst game of his collegiate career, going 23 of 37 for 199 yards. He threw three interceptions to just a single touchdown. It was the second-lowest scoring performance of the Lincoln Riley era at USC, following a 17-point game at Oregon State a year ago.
“Been in college for three years now, I don’t think I’ve ever had a season or a game or anything like that,” Williams said in the Los Angeles Times. “In careers when you play for a while and want to play for a while, plays happen like that. Like coach said, you gotta get through, you gotta keep fighting, you gotta be a leader. It starts with the head of the snake, and I’ll be better.”
X-Factor
Xavier Watts had a career night against USC. The senior safety was everywhere on the field. For the night, Watts finished with seven tackles (six solo), two interceptions, a scoop and score, and a forced fumble. The 14-yard scoop and score late in the game swelled Notre Dame’s advantage to a commanding 48-20.
“Just thank you to all my teammates,” Watts said of his headline-making plays immediately after the game. “None of that would have happened without them. All the pressure they brought, the good coverage down the field. Everybody doing their jobs is what helped me make plays.”
Jadarian Price Flashes on Special Teams
Just when Williams breathed some life into USC with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Brenden Rice with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter, Jadarian Price shifted the momentum right back to the Irish, extinguishing the Trojans’ threat. Price took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, sending the Irish faithful in attendance into a frenzy. The return touchdown was the first kick return touchdown for Notre Dame football since Chris Tyree’s 96-yard score against Wisconsin in 2021.
Team Victory
The Notre Dame offense was in neutral for much of the first half. But the unit capitalized on defensive turnovers and put points on the board when it mattered most. The offensive line did a solid job of protecting quarterback Sam Hartman, preventing USC from getting a sack or any serious pressure on the veteran signal caller. The protection allowed Hartman time in the pocket, and he utilized eight different receivers in the game, including Chris Tyree, who had a game-high 62 receiving yards and a spectacular 46-yard touchdown. Hartman finished with 13 completions on the night from 20 attempts for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Audric Estime paced the ground attack. On 22 carries, he rumbled for 95 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The Takeaways
Notre Dame ended USC’s undefeated season behind an epic performance from the Irish defense. The Fighting Irish showed they possess resilience and the ability to recover from disappointment. The statement win over longtime rival USC should give Notre Dame momentum going forward. The Irish now enter their bye week for a much-needed week off. The Irish will close out their season facing Pittsburgh, Clemson, Wake Forest, and Stanford in pursuit of enhancing their bowl game prospects.
