Notre Dame Falls To USC Behind Balanced Offensive Attack

USC beat Notre Dame 38-27 behind Caleb Williams and a balanced offensive attack

Notre Dame's season didn't end the way it wanted as the Irish fell to No. 6 USC by a 38-27 score. USC controlled action from start to finish as the Irish fell to 8-4 to end the regular season.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams was the star of the show, passing for 232 yards on a very efficient 18-22 performance. Williams threw for a score and ran three more scores in on the ground.

USC started with the ball and went right down the field for a score. Williams hit tight end Lake McRee for 31 yards to convert a 3rd-and-2, the first of several mistakes by the Irish defense that Williams took advantage of. He capped the drive off with an 11-yard strike to Tajh Washington on the run.

USC stopped Notre Dame on his first two drives, shutting down a 3rd-and-2 outside run and a 4th-and-1 on a tight end sneak on drive two. Quarterback Drew Pyne got them on the board after the defense forced their only stop when the game was in line. 

Pyne found sophomore wideout Deion Colzie for 30 yards to convert a third down and finished the drive off by finding star tight end Michael Mayer outside for a 22-yard touchdown pass.

USC answered with a long drive that ran the clock down before Williams raced in for six yards to make it 17-7 at the half.

Pyne and the offense came out of the half well, hitting Mayer on back-to-back throws for gains of 15 and 20 yards. Notre Dame quickly got into USC territory before Pyne fumbled while trying to pull the ball to get outside.

USC took advantage by going right down the field with ease, as the Irish defense was on its heels. Gains of 14 and 24 yards got the Trojans rolling, and Williams handed off to freshman Raleek Brown, who got to the end uncontested.

Notre Dame responded by going tempo and getting a quick score. A 24-yard run by Audric Estime was following by a quick 16-yard gain to Lorenzo Styles. Two plays later, Pyne found Colzie in the corner for a score to make it 24-14.

The Irish defense simply could not make stops in the second half, and USC answered that score with one of their own, as Williams scored his second rushing touchdown of the game. Notre Dame put a quick scoring drive together, going 75 yards on seven plays, taking just 3:24 off the clock, with Logan Diggs running in from five yards out.

There was 11:24 on the clock when that drive finished. Notre Dame's defense finally made a second half stop, but Pyne made his second big mistake of the game. He had Colzie open up the left side line for a potentially big play, but Pyne was unwilling to pull the trigger. He took off to the right and tried throwing across his body to Braden Lenzy but the ball was intercepted. Williams scored from 16 yards out on a 4th-and-2 just four plays later to ice the game.

Pyne played valiantly, throwing for a career-high 318 yards on 23-26 passing, but the two turnovers proved costly. Mayer hauled in eight passes for 98 yards and a pair of scores to finish the season with 67 catches for 809 yards and two touchdowns.

Colzie also finished with a career high of 75 receiving yards.

Notre Dame's vaunted ground attack was held in check by a USC defense that was completely committed to shutting down the run. The Irish finished with just 90 rushing yards on 26 carries.

USC out-gained Notre Dame 436-408, but the difference was the Irish turned it over twice and the Trojans had no turnovers.

Notre Dame finished the season 8-4.

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