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The USC Trojans Suffer 'Excruciating Loss' To Notre Dame, Says Lincoln Riley

It's Senior Day at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the USC Trojans will host the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 95th meeting in one of college football's most storied rivalries. Can the Trojans pull off the upset?

Kendell Hollowell

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The USC Trojans fell to the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 49-35 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. 

“Just an excruciating loss,” said USC coach Lincoln Riley after the game.

The Trojans battled all afternoon, trading blows with the Irish for most of the game but were unable to have a lead at any point in the game. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava accounted for five touchdowns on the afternoon.

USC pulled within seven late in the fourth quarter and had an opportunity to tie the game, but a 99-yard pick-six by Penn State cornerback Christian Gray and then a 101-yard pick-six by safety Xavier Watts on the following drive sealed the Trojans fate. The Trojans fall to 6-6 on the season.

Jayden Maiava
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Live updates from USC vs. Notre Dame are posted below.

Fourth Quarter

0:00 - Notre Dame defeats USC 49-35

0:13 - Jayden Maiava connects with Ja'Kobi Lane for the 8-yard touchdown.

1:18 - Notre Dame INTERCEPTION. Jayden Maiava gets INTERCEPTED by Xavier Watts who returns it 101 yards for the TOUCHDOWN. Notre Dame leads 49-28.

2:00 - Two-minute timeout. USC will face a 1st and 10 on the Notre Dame 17-yard line.

3:29 - Jayden Maiava to Makai Lemon for 34 yards, moves USC into Notre Dame territory.

3:39 - Notre Dame INTERCEPTION. Jayden Maiava gets INTERCEPTED by Christian Gray who returns it 99 yards for the TOUCHDOWN. Notre Dame leads 42-28.

4:14 - Quinten Joyner runs for 24 yards and moves USC to the Notre Dame 21-yard line.

4:25 - Jayden Maiava connects with Duce Robinson for 22 yards on 3rd down and moves into Notre Dame territory.

5:47 - Notre Dame punt. USC will take over at their own 16-yard line.

7:22 - Jacobe Covington gets called for a pass interference and Notre Dame gets called for an unsportsmanlike penalty. Notre Dame gets a new set of downs.

8:43 - TOUCHDOWN USC. Jayden Maiava hits Ja'Kobi Lane for a 6-yard touchdown to cap off a 5-play, 45-yard drive. Notre Dame leads 35-28.

9:28 - TIMEOUT Notre Dame. Irish burn their first timeout of the half. USC will face a 2nd-and-goal at the 5.

11:03 - Jayden Maiava connects with Kyron Hudson for 19 yards. USC has a 1st-and-goal at the 2.

11:45 - Jayden Maiava connects with Makai Lemon for 24 yards.

12:30 - Notre Dame punt. After a Kameryn Fountain sack on 3rd down, Notre Dame was forced to punt. A short punt and USC will take over on the Irish 45-yard line.

14:06 - USC punt. After crossing midfield, the Trojans drive stalled. Notre Dame will take over at their own 10-yard line.

Third Quarter

0:00 - Jayden Maiava completes to Kyle Ford for 29 yards. Notre Dame leads 35-21.

1:11 - TOUCHDOWN Notre Dame. Riley Leonard connects with Mitchell Evans for a 23-yard touchdown. Notre Dame leads 35-21.

1:17 - Jadarian Prince runs for 35 yards. Moves into USC territory.

2:17 - USC Turnover on downs. Jayden Maiava's deep pass for Makai Lemon falls incomplete. Notre Dame will take over at their own 38-yard line.

3:08 - USC INTERCEPTION. A miscommunication leads to an interception by John Humphrey who returns it 15 yards. USC will start at the Notre-Dame 45-yard line.

3:59 - USC punt. After crossing midfield, the Trojans drive stalled. Notre Dame will take over at their own 20-yard line.

6:27 - TOUCHDOWN Notre Dame. Riley Leonard runs for a 2-yard touchdown to cap off a 6-play, 75-yard drive. Notre Dame leads 28-21.

7:29 - Riley Leonard runs for 24 yards. Notre Dame has a 1st-and-goal at the 4.

7:54 - Greedy Vance gets called for a facemask penalty. Notre Dame is in USC territory.

9:06 - TOUCHDOWN USC. Jayden Maiava on the sneak takes it in for a 1-yard touchdown to cap off an 8-play, 77-yard drive. Game tied 21-21

10:09 - Quinten Joyner runs for 14 yards. Sets up USC at the 5-yard line.

11:07 - Jayden Maiava's deep pass for Makai Lemon on 3rd down falls incomplete but Notre Dame gets called for a pass interference. USC gets a new set of downs.

12:23 - Jayden Maiava to Duce Robinson for 31 yards. USC is in Notre Dame territory.

12:38 - TOUCHDOWN Notre Dame. Jadarian Price goes untouched for a 36-yard touchdown to cap off a 6-play, 75-yard drive. Notre Dame leads 21-14.

13:40 - Riley Leonard to Kris Mitchell for 19 yards. Notre Dame is in USC territory.

Second Quarter

0:00 - Jeremiyah Love runs for eight yards. Game tied 14-14 at halftime.

0:24 - USC TOUCHDOWN. Jayden Maiava connects with Ja'Kobi Lane for a 12-yard drive to cap off a 5-play, 78-yard drive. Game tied 14-14.

0:27 - Jayden Maiava pass to Ja'Kobi Lane is incomplete but Notre Dame gets called for pass interference.

0:32 - Jayden Maiava completes to Makai Lemon for 35 yards

0:59 - TOUCHDOWN Notre Dame. Riley Leonard connects with Eli Raridon for a 12-yard touchdown to cap off a 7-play, 65-yard drive. Notre Dame leads 14-7.

1:03 - Notre Dame timeout. Irish burn 1st timeout. Riley Leonard completes to Jeremiyah Love who hurdles Akili Arnold and picks up 20 yards. Moves Notre Dame down to the 12-yard line.

1:11 - Braylan Shelby gets called for tripping, a 15-yard penalty.

1:55 - REVIEW. After review, Riley Leonard's 1-yard to pick up the first down stands. 1st down Notre Dame.

2:00 - 2-minute timeout. Jeremiyah Love runs for 2 yards. The Irish will face a 4th-and-1 on their own 44-yard line.

3:26 - USC punt. After a sack on 1st down put the Trojans behind the chains, Notre Dame forced a three-and-out. The Irish will take over at their own 35-yard line.

5:13 - Notre Dame field goal. Mitch Jeter's 26-yard field goal is NO GOOD, WIDE RIGHT. USC will take over on their own 20-yard line.

7:50 - Riley Leonard connects with Jordan Faison for a 6-yard completion on 4th down to move the chains.

10:31 - Notre Dame fourth down conversion. The Irish dial up a fake punt and complete an 18-yard pass to pick up the 1st down

12:07 - TOUCHDOWN USC. Jayden Maiava on the quarterback sneak takes it in for a 1-yard touchdown to cap off a 5-play 37-yard drive. Game tied 7-7.

12:39 - Injury timeout. Notre Dame's Jordan Clark was injured after being on the receiving end of a tough run by Quinten Joyner.

13:36 - Quinten Joyner makes a one-handed catch and picks up 13 yards. Trojans have a 1st-and-goal at the 7-yard line.

14:54 - Riley Leonard completes to Jayden Thomas and Jacobe Covington forces a fumble. Ball recovered by Easton Mascarenas-Arnold. USC takes over on the Notre Dame 37-yard line.

First Quarter

0:00 - USC honors 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at the end of the first quarter.

0:00 - Riley Leonard completes to Jayden Thomas for 8 yards. Notre Dame leads 7-0.

0:19 - USC punt. After picking up two 1st downs, the Trojans drive stalled. Notre Dame with takeover on their own 15-yard line.

2:11 - Woody Marks was injured on the previous play.

2:28 - TOUCHDOWN Notre Dame. Jeremiyah Love runs for 1-yard touchdown to cap off a 13-play 72-yard drive. Notre Dame leads 7-0.

3:30 - Riley Leonard runs for 5 yards and picks up the 1st down. Notre Dame moves inside the USC 5-yard line.

7:47 - Riley Leonard completes to Kris Mitchell for 6 yards and the 1st down. Notre Dame is in USC territory.

9:43 - USC Turnover on downs. Jayden Maiava completes to Zacharian Branch for a 1-yard and stopped short of the line to gain. Notre Dame will take over on their own 28-yard line.

11:50 - Jayden Maiava completes to Zachariah Branch for 26 yards to move into Notre Dame territory.

15:00 - USC will receive the opening kickoff.

Pregame

It's Senior Day at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the USC Trojans host the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 95th meeting between the two storied programs to close out the regular season. In a series that dates back to 1929, the Trojans and Irish have played every year since, except for the hiatus during World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“It’s always an important game, it’s a rivalry game there’s a lot of history behind it,” said USC coach Lincoln Riley. “It’s two great programs, it’s obviously another one played in two iconic places, and I think when you come here, the history behind this game is so epic. Number one, I think it would be disrespectful to not be as ready as you possibly can be, coaches, players, everybody. The fact for us it’s our last game at the Coliseum, we got a lot of great Trojans on this team that’ll be their last game. 

“We got a chance to really close great with this three-game stretch here at the end of the season and obviously a phenomenal opportunity to finish this thing the way we intend on finishing it. I love it, I love rivalry games, can’t wait for it to get here,” Riley said.

USC announced its team captains as cornerback Jaylin Smith, running back Woody Marks, center Jonah Monheim, punter Eddie Czaplicki and safety Bryson Shaw.

The Trojans have won consecutive games for the first time since week 1 and week 2 with redshirt sophomore quarter Jayden Maiava as the signal-caller. USC faces arguable their toughest challenge of the season with Notre Dame making the trip out west.

The Irish have reeled off nine straight wins since their loss to Northern Illinois on Sep. 7. Coach Marcus Freeman has his squad one win away from hosting a game in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

USC will honor 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams during today's contest against Notre Dame. The last time the Trojans and Irish squared off the Irish at the Coliseum, the Chicago Bears quarterback put on a spectacular performance, accounting for four touchdowns to put the finishing touches on his Heisman campaign in a 38-27 win. However, Notre Dame has won five of the last six matchups.

Kickoff for Saturday's contest is slated for 12:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS.

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Kendell Hollowell
KENDELL HOLLOWELL

Kendell Hollowell, a Southern California native has been been covering collegiate athletics since 2020 via radio and digital journalism. His experience includes covering programs such as the USC Trojans, Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide. Kendell He also works in TV production for the NFL Network. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kendell was a collegiate athlete on the University of Wyoming and Adams State football team. He is committed to bringing in-depth insight and analysis for USC athletics.

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