SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It was an ominous bit of imagery at what could be the bitter end of a century-long series. Dark clouds descending over Touchdown Jesus, and a heavy downpour soaking every soul in Notre Dame Stadium, as if Mother Nature herself was lashing out at the prospect of one of college football’s defining rivalries dying in vain.
Both USC and Notre Dame have suggested they want the rivalry to continue if they can come to an agreement in the coming months. But if this was indeed the end, 99 years since USC and Notre Dame first met on a football field, it would be a particularly crushing finale for the Trojans, who fell 34-24 and now find their hopes of a College Football Playoff bid hanging by a thread.
Saturday seemed well on its way to a different sort of conclusion, when the Irish shanked a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava found wideout Makai Lemon downfield for a 42-yard gain.
All the game’s momentum was suddenly in the hands of USC coach Lincoln Riley and his offense. That’s when Riley dialed up a harebrained trick play that he’d surely regret later.
Notre Dame’s Jalen Sneed attempts to sack USC quarterback Jayden Maiava during the first quarter Saturday in South Bend, Ind.
(Paul Beaty / Associated Press)
Sprinting right on an end-around, Lemon took the handoff from Maiava and immediately found himself trapped by the Notre Dame defense. Lemon cocked the ball as if he were going to throw, only to have the ball stripped away.
It was a rare misstep from the Trojans’ star, but an especially costly one. It took seven plays for Notre Dame to find the end zone after that, as quarterback C.J. Carr punched it in from one yard out to put the game away.
But there were other mistakes made and opportunities squandered long before the Irish would deal that finishing blow. On the drive before Lemon’s fumble, Maiava threw an interception, his first of two in the final 20 minutes of the game. On the next possession, USC failed to convert on fourth and one at midfield.
Of course, the loss couldn’t be distilled down to just a few spare plays. USC was steamrolled by Notre Dame’s rushing attack, which piled up 306 yards and three touchdowns. Jeremiyah Love alone tallied 228 yards and a touchdown.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against USC Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
(Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
The Trojans, meanwhile, faced Notre Dame without their top two running backs and couldn’t get anything going on the ground. King Miller led USC with 70 yards in 18 carries.
The USC offense seemed to be running in place for the better part of the second and third quarters before Maiava spotted wideout Ja’Kobi Lane charging past the Notre Dame secondary. He threw up a prayer into driving rain and it found Lane in perfect stride as he sprinted into the end zone for a 59-yard score.
But the Irish needed all of 15 seconds to speed past USC once again. On the ensuing kickoff, Jadarian Price weaved past one Trojan, then another before the field opened up in front of him. He didn’t stop until he reached the end zone, 100 yards later, with the Irish reclaiming the lead.
They wouldn’t relinquish it after that, scratching and clawing their way to victory in the 96th — and potentially final — meeting between the rivals.
A heavy downpour soaked the stadium for hours before kickoff, bringing with it lightning that left the start of the game in doubt. But the rain cleared with just enough time for both teams to warm up and the game started on time.
With thunderstorms expected to hit after halftime, neither team wasted any time pushing the pedal to the floor in the first quarter.
USC flew down the field on its opening drive, as Maiava completed four of five passes, the last of which found tight end Lake McRee in the corner of the end zone. The touchdown gave USC its first lead in South Bend since 2019. But Notre Dame provided an immediate answer, as Love broke his first carry for a 63-yard sprint, then punched in a 12-yard touchdown on his second.
Both teams were on the board within five minutes of the opening kickoff. Then suddenly, their offenses grinded to a halt.
Price finally broke through early in the second quarter. The Irish running back busted loose for a 32-yard rush, then sprinted for the edge on a 16-yard touchdown three plays later.
Notre Dame ran the ball at will during the first two quarters. Love crossed the century mark on the ground with nine minutes remaining in the half, while the Irish finished the first half averaging 12 yards per carry.
But just as Notre Dame was on the doorstep of the end zone again, preparing to go up by two scores, Carr threw an interception straight to USC defensive end Braylan Shelby.
USC couldn’t take full advantage of it. Twice in the second quarter, the Trojans managed to drive into the red zone, but they only came away with three total points.
Those missed opportunities haunted USC the rest of the game — and with no game scheduled between them from here, the Trojans will have an eternity now to ruminate on how it all went wrong.
