It might feel a bit like deja vu for No.
It might feel a bit like deja vu for No. 20 USC.
In a closely contested match with No. 13 Notre Dame, the Trojans (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) were knocking on the doorstep while trailing the Fighting Irish (5-2), quarterback Jayden Maiava was dealing the ball skillfully while providing the Trojans a chance to upset a rival.
Then came the turnovers.
USC lost to the Fighting Irish, 34-24, as second half turnovers ruined their efforts at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday.
Maiava was productive as the Trojans and Notre Dame traded punches for much of three quarters. But late in the third period, as the Trojans trailed 27-24, the redshirt junior misfired short on an attempt to junior receiver Ja’Kobi Lane and into the hands of Notre Dame’s Christian Gray.
Even as USC’s special teams unit blocked an ensuing field goal attempt, junior receiver Makai Lemon coughed up the ball as the Fighting Irish sniffed out an end-around before marching down the field for a touchdown and ten-point lead.
The game was reminiscent of the team’s 2024 matchup, when Maiava kept USC alive as Notre Dame gashed through USC in an eventual 49-point performance. As the Trojans tried to mount a comeback then, the Palolo, Hawaii native threw two fourth-quarter interceptions as their attempt fell short in the 49-35 loss.
This year, it wasn’t just Maiava, but it was the late turnover bug that struck again.
It opened the door for more of the all-too-familiar sight of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price gashing through the Trojans' defense to put the finishing touches on the game. The duo combined for 315 rushing yards on 37 attempts and two touchdowns behind a 228-yard effort from Love.
In 2024, Love and Prince similarly totaled 210 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Still, with the future of the almost 100-year-old annual rivalry uncertain as no future matchups are scheduled yet, USC and Notre Dame put on a show worthy of the occasion.
Both coaches have expressed a desire to continue playing the match in some form, but changes and potential future shifts to the format of the College Football Playoff have shaken the contest’s stability.
Despite largely struggling to establish the ground game with a depleted running back room, Maiava, who entered as the nation’s leader in yards per attempt, fired for 328 yards and two touchdowns.
After electing to receive first, Maiava quickly showed off his intermediate passing proficiency to march into the Fighting Irish’s red zone. He connected twice with freshman reciever Tanook Hines and once with Lane for 10-plus yard gains before finishing the drive with a back corner of the endzone pass to redshirt senior tight end Lake McRee, who hauled in a toe-tapping grab to put the Trojans up 7-0.
But it didn’t take long for Love to burst for a 63-yard gain to set the Fighting Irish up in the red zone before punching in the touchdown on a tackle-breaking 12-yard carry for the equalizing score.
Maiava flashed magic on the Trojans’ second drive when he rolled to the right and dropped in a 25-yard pass to sophomore tight end Walker Lyons. Soon after, he spun to momentarily avoid traffic in the pocket before finding Hines on a 21-yard completion down the sideline on a drive that resulted in a 42-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.
But then Price burst for a 32-yard gain late in the first quarter before notching a 16-yard touchdown to pull ahead 14-10.
In the first half, the Fighting Irish averaged 12.1 yards per carry compared to the Trojans’ 3.3 yards per rush.
Fortunes turned around for USC’s defense later in the second quarter after once again allowing big gains — this time to Love on 27 and 17 yard runs — when quarterback CJ Carr scrambled backwards in a circle before throwing it straight to junior defensive end Braylan Shelby for the interception.
The passing game started to pick up for Notre Dame as they opened the second half with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that spanned nearly seven minutes. Carr finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Will Pauling to open the Fighting Irish’s then largest lead at 21-13 after the extra point.
USC responded with a 43-yard field goal to pull the score to 21-16. Then, late in the third quarter, Maiava connected with Lane for a 59-yard touchdown to put the Trojans ahead 24-21 after converting the 2-point conversion.
But only seconds later, Price took a kickoff 100 yards to the house for a touchdown to regain a lead for the Fighting Irish at 27-24 after a missed extra point.
Maiava put USC in a tricky position when his misfired attempt to Lane ended in the hands of Notre Dame’s Christian Gray. But the Trojans’ defense stopped the Fighting Irish short of the endzone and their special teams unit came through with a field goal block.
With the second chance drive, Maiava completed a critical 3rd-and-9 throw to Lemon for 42 yards. But, on the next play, Lemon fumbled as the Fighting Irish sniffed out an end-around.
Soon after, Love was once again picking out gaps in USC defense for two 15-yard runs and Carr finished off the drive with a 1-yard run to put Notre Dame up 34-24 and seal the game.
Maiava said before the game that he wanted to avenge the 2024 interceptions and loss, the L.A. Times wrote. He had that chance Saturday.
But it is still to be seen if the Trojans even get another redemption shot next year.
Category: General Sports
