The USC Trojans defense was solid against the Notre Dame rush, which finished with just 41 yards on the night
The USC Trojans came to South Bend as 8.5 point underdogs, but they left with a big 31-17 win over the Fighting Irish.
USC put together one of its most solid, balanced performances this season, outgaining Notre Dame 443 yards to 267, winning the turnover battle, and dominating time of possession (39:41 to 20:19 for the Irish) to avenge last year’s tough loss and reclaim the rivalry’s Jeweled Shillelagh.
The much-maligned Trojans’ defense forced the Irish to go three and out on their first two possessions, and USC quarterback Matt Barkley began the game 8 for 8 with 2 touchdowns, to set the tone for the the game.
After stopping Notre Dame’s first drive, USC eschewed its typical pass-first offense, instead using a powerful running game to move downfield and eat up clock. The Trojans’ first touchdown drive went 13 plays for 66 yards – 60 yards on the ground. Senior tailback Marc Tyler got the start despite suffering a dislocated shoulder in last week’s game at Cal; he rotated with Curtis McNeal, who was the game’s leading rusher with 118 yards on 24 carries. The pair combined for 185 of USC’s 219 rushing yards on the night, despite each sustaining minor injuries in the first half.
Barkley also threw for 224 yards, giving USC an almost perfectly balanced offense for the first time all season. He was 24 of 35 with 3 touchdowns, two to primary target Robert Woods, who had 12 catches for 119 yards.
The defense stood up against a Notre Dame offense that was on a roll, averaging 467.5 yards and 32.3 points per game.
The Trojans were surprisingly effective against both the run and the pass, holding the Irish to 267 total yards of offense and 17 points. Notre Dame came into the game averaging 194 rushing yards per game. USC held them to just 41 total yards on the ground.
The Trojans allowed some short yardage passes to tight end Tyler Elfert and wide receiver Theo Riddick, but they completely dominated Notre Dame’s star receiver Michael Floyd. USC’s sophomore corner, Nickell Robey, gave up a significant height advantage to Floyd (Robey’s 5’8″, Floyd’s 6’3″) but he played much bigger, holding Floyd to just 28 yards on 4 catches and stealing the game-sealing interception right out of his hands.
Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees finished 23 of 37 for 190 yards and the interception. He suffered a hyperextended knee in the second half and was briefly replaced by former starter Dayne Crist, who led the Irish downfield and then promptly fumbled in the red zone. It was one of the biggest plays of the game, as USC safety Jawanza Starling snagged it on a bounce and ran it back 80 yards to increase the Trojans’ lead to 24-10.
The biggest play for the Irish came in the first half, when George Atkinson III put Notre Dame on the board with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. USC’s normally clutch special teams didn’t bring their best game to South Bend. Placekicker Andre Heidari, kicking with a sore and swollen ankle after being stepped on during the game, missed a 32-yard field goal in the third that would’ve put them back up by two scores. With only a walk-on for back-up, USC bandaged him up and sent him back out to attempt the kick, which sailed very wide to the left. As the game wound down, he removed the tape and successfully made his final extra point try.
It was a signature win for Lane Kiffin, and for the entire program, which was still smarting from last year’s loss. USC has now won nine of the last 10 games in the rivalry, including the last five at Notre Dame Stadium. The Trojans face Stanford at home next weekend in a primetime game.
