Brandon Wimbush and Josh Adams led a relentless ground attack and the Notre Dame defense made life miserable for Sam Darnold and USC as the Irish walloped the Trojans by 49-14 on Saturday night. Wimbush threw for two scores and ran for two more, while Adams added three rushing touchdowns, including an 84-yard burst to ice the game late in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the defense and special teams forced three turnovers and recorded five sacks. The win raised Notre Dame to 6-1 on the season and should propel them into the top ten when the polls are released.
The Irish needed a strong start, and Darnold helped them by fumbling a poor snap on USC’s first play from scrimmage. Te’Von Coney wrestled the ball away near midfield, and Wimbush quickly went to work. It took only three plays for him to find Equanimeous St. Brown on a deep post for a 26-yard touchdown. After a Trojan punt, Wimbush teamed up with the resurgent Kevin Stepherson on a beautiful back shoulder toss for a 23-yard score and a 14-0 lead just eight minutes into the contest.
USC tried to strike back, but a promising drive stalled as the contest moved into the second period. Chase McGrath missed a short field goal and Notre Dame took over. Although the subsequent Irish march ran out of steam before moving into scoring territory, the Trojans muffed a punt at their own nine-yard line and the hosts quickly capitalized. Adams covered the final three yards for a 21-0 advantage.
Darnold continued the nightmare for USC one play later, when he threw into coverage and was picked off by Nick Watkins near midfield. A pass to tight end Durham Smythe and a long scramble by Wimbush moved the ball inside the USC ten, and Wimbush ran around left end for the final four yards after a great block by Adams. The Irish had built a 28-0 lead and carried it into the locker room as the half came to a close.
The Trojans regrouped and tried to make a game of it as the Irish went into a prevent defense in the third period. Darnold managed to lead two scoring drives, but each time Notre Dame answered with a relentless ground assault. Adams was untouched during his long burst that came on the very next play after USC had closed to within 35-14 and still harbored dreams of a comeback. This touchdown, with three minutes left in the third, essentially ended the night for most of the starters on both teams. A failed fourth down attempt by the Trojans set up a final TD run by Adams to complete the scoring with 13 minutes left.
The Irish outgained USC on the ground by 377-76, and did not commit a turnover. Wimbush hit nine of 19 passes, but he was effective in keeping USC’s defense honest. The passing threat also provided Wimbush room to take off for long gains when receivers were not open, and he racked up 106 yards on the ground. Adams led the way with 191 yards on 19 carries. Stepherson provided a spark with three receptions for 58 yards and two runs around end for 24. His return to the lineup adds a much-needed dimension of elite speed to the Irish offense and relieves the pressure on St. Brown and the rest of the receiving corps.
Let’s review the answers to the pregame questions:
Will the Irish be able to run downhill against the depleted USC front seven? Downhill, uphill, around and right through them.
Which special teams will make plays that alter field position? The muffed punt by USC was the main event, but Notre Dame had a couple of punt returns and a nice kick return by C.J. Sanders that helped the cause.
Can Notre Dame pressure Darnold into negative plays and turnovers? Yes. A fumble, an interception, numerous sacks and throwaways under a strong pass rush.
Which team will win the battle of third down conversions? USC came into the game with a 47% conversion rate, but managed only four of 13. The Irish converted seven of 13.
Can the Notre Dame receivers emerge from the doldrums to make significant contributions? Yes, St. Brown was energized and Stepherson was a difference maker.
Will the Irish secondary pass its first major test? The Trojan receivers won a few battles, but the Irish did not give up any long scores. More often than not, Darnold didn’t have time to challenge them.
Will there be an OJ sighting on the Trojan sideline? OJ was not on the sideline, but I thought I saw him knifing through the crowd to catch an early flight out of town.
Notre Dame will get quite a bit of attention for this victory, but it remains to be seen how they will handle success. NC State comes into town next week for what promises to be a physical battle, and the Irish must be focused and ready if they want to look back on tonight’s win as the impetus to a second half playoff run.
AlumniDawg97 says:
Well that’ll do. These boys are FOR REAL! What a great win!
Eddieo6 says:
This is a team of destiny, no let downs allowed. Defense is the most impressive since the days of the Browner’s. I truly love watching this defense alter the opponents game plans. OL and Josh Adams are incredible. Coach Elko was a great hire.
Sam Darnold’s Agent says:
No let downs? So, the loss to Georgia was, what exactly?
Slicer says:
I’d call it a week 2 loss by 1 point to one of the best teams in the country.
Kevin McNamara says:
Impressive work on D and they are opportunistic, but not quite lockdown you imply.
GOND88 says:
This win has left me speechless and I believed ND would win but didn’t see this coming. A very pleasant surprise and probably the first time in the Brian Kelly era that ND has, in the words of Keith Jackson, laid the wood on a highly ranked team. It was full spectrum dominance of the Trojans almost from the opening whistle.
It’s a great feeling to administer a beat down to USC much like they did to ND throughout the Pete Carroll era and a couple of times the last several years. With a 35 point margin of victory USC can’t claim they lost on a bad call or one play.
But ND will quickly have to put this win behind them for if they’re still celebrating when NC State comes to town they could get upset.
Austinirish says:
Uh-oh…I think I’m fallin’ in love.
Brian says:
Great game all around! I love this defense, they tackle well, they hit you and they play energized every down. Gotta keep that energy all season and right now this coaching staff looks to be a good fit. Get the DB’s in a little better position to cover their guys is the only weakness, but it is minimal as long as that front 7 gets pressure on the QB GO IRISH!
Ben Rice says:
Exactly, I’m so glad they stick the tackles. The VanGorder defense would hit you in the back field and then still gain a first down.
ndcanuck says:
The satisfaction is immeasurable . Across the country and up here in Canada we are all linked with our love of ND and hatred of SC. ( and Michigan getting pounded only makes it sweeter!) For at least a week all is good in the world.
But it does look like the real thing. The D is a thing of beauty. Tillery sprinting to run down a qb and a receiver! Coney and the Hayes boys looking like Luther Bradley and Willie Fry!
And Wimbush’s numbers are deceptive. Both Mack and EQ should have made one more catch each which would have made the passing numbers very solid.
Go Irish!
irishrifle says:
Good point re the passing stats. Actually, I recall three drops. I think the third was to one of the backs.
Avon Domer says:
A couple long passes by Wimbush were barely overthrown or ND would’ve dropped a 60-burger on the Trojans. Wimbush and his receivers are getting increasingly familiar with each other, and when this passing game starts clicking with the way they the ball, play defense and don’t turn the ball over, it’s going to take a heckuva good team to beat the Irish. Please guys, no letdowns against a good N.C. State team this weekend!
Marc says:
Finally, a “statement” win against a rival, beating them the way we wanted to beat them. It’s great to see.
BaldKnobber says:
This game will easily make every ND-SC highlight reel for the rest of time. Thanks boys for the most enjoyable game I’ve watched in a long time!
Johnny U says:
#7 never took his eyes off the QB while ‘feeling’ for the WR. Result: interception, adding to the rout like performance !!! See the ball, defend the ball….great play D-backs !!
Sam Darnold’s Agent says:
Last night, after returning home from a 3-week business trip (six cities, three continents, 4 time zones, 16 hour days, three languages, and more food groups than an Oprah Winfrey pre-party) around 3am, felI into REM for like 2 minutes, when it dawned on me that I’d missed the game right? But I knew I had taped it, and I suddenly woke up, dripped in sweat, trembling, … with chest pains, a racing heartbeat of around 175bpm, feeling like I was about to have a heart attack. My wife grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “Honey, honey, … are you okay??? Do you you want me to call 911??!!??”
After sitting up, and taking a few long breaths, and regaining my sedonic baseline, I told my wife: “No no no everything’s fine, I just realized I missed the big game and I gotta watch it, but I just had the weirdest dream,” to which she replied: “And?”
I said I dreamed I was at the Heisman Trophy ? Award ceremony, and that they had awarded it to Josh Adams. And from NYC, I flew to Green Bay, after receiving an invitation from Ted Thompson to watch the draft, and I heard Roger Goodell say: “With the first pick in the 2018 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select Brandon Wimbush.” Which I thought was weird because they already had the best QB ever. And when Brandon took the stage, he was mobbed by Josh, Q and Mac who had gone earlier in the first round. And I also dreamed that we had beaten the snot of SC, won the NC, and that Southern Cal had changed their motto from “Fight On,” to “Fight Off.” Don’t you think that’s weird?”
To which she replied, “Not except for the last part. Go back to bed.” I said “okay, thanks, but there was one last part to the dream. I said I saw a vision of Sam Darnold, and he was filming a Jenny Craig before commercial.” She replied: “You’re crazy, go back to bed.”
Go Irish!
Declan says:
What a great performance by ND. I was impressed that when USC scored their 2 touchdowns, ND responded immediately with a touchdown of their own. The first touchdown response by ND their offence was able to overcome 2 offensive penalties.
Kjnrun says:
Agree Declan. How the O responds after the other team scores, and how your D responds when you score, tells a lot about a team. Impressive second half scores by the Irish.
Aaron says:
Great win IRISH!☘️ But there is alot more work to do in the coming weeks!!!! NC State, Miami, Stanford and Navy with a trap game of Wake!!!! Must keep improving!!!
NDrich says:
Well that was totally Awesome!
But I think Yoon failed to hit the end zone on 2 of his 8 kick offs. Clearly Kelly has to be run out of town!
But seriously, this team is a pleasure to watch in every facet. My wife even stayed up for the whole game and wasn’t even playing Candy Crush.
GO IRISH!
JOSEPH LIBBY says:
The Irish have developed a skill of forcing early turnovers and converting them to points.
Drasail2 says:
…while not turning the ball over. Credit to smart play by Wimbush.
Terry McManus says:
This was fun to watch – from the beGINNING.
We’ve needed this for a long time, and, methinks Southern Cal has too.
PF STEVE says:
Matt Balis, David Ballou, and Jacob Flint (football conditioning coaches) deserve a game ball. Huge difference this year. Irish are actually wearing teams down as the game goes on. And injuries have been, knock on wood, way down.
Mike Kalasunas says:
Well written. I especially appreciate the metaphor of OJ “knifing through the crowd” to leave early.
Opie says:
THAT WAS GLORIOUS!!!
And what a great feeling to be playing mid-season games that matter. I can’t wait for next week to play another game that matters.
Jerrod says:
Brian Kelly is silencing the doubters, myself included. I Ranted about Kelly the entire offseason to anyone who would listen. Now I look like a fool and looking like a fool has never felt so good! Go Irish!!!!
John Vannie says:
No, you don’t look like a fool. Kelly had been foolish for several years by imposing a pass-happy system on personnel that were not suited for that style. He also let them become soft. Only now are we playing to our strengths and getting in shape to avoid injuries and dominate opponents.
Jerrod says:
Great point Vannie. This season in no way changes what the state of the program at that time. I should be more specific though; I gave Kelly no chance To right the ship. I thought coordinator changes would be all but meaningless as they were in the Weis era. Clearly that is not the case. This looks like NDs best team since the 1995 squad which stomped top ten USC (and Keyshawn) and top ten Texas.
Coach says:
Smashmouth Notre Dame football. Gotta love it. That’s all we were asking of Brian Kelly. Our defense is really good. Tough as nails. Relentless pursuit. Hard hitting. ND is back!
irishhawk50 says:
Not sure if ND is that good or USC is that bad. Maybe a combination of the two. Impressive win, but I still have several years of memories to wipe out. Really look forward to NC State next week. Go Irish!
Kevin Welsh says:
After 7 games it might be worth asking the question of which of the 5 remaining opponents are capable of keeping the game close as opposed to actually defeating this Irish team. I just watched the game again. Both lines are completely dominating the line of scrimmage. That’s not likely to abate. NC State, Wake, Miami and Navy lines don’t match up; not enough personnel. Stanford may hang around. I realize it only takes a brief letdown and the CFP dream dies, but despite this USC team being overrated, they do have more talent than anybody else left on the schedule. The last 30 years have instilled in me an appropriate level of humility, but I’m having a hard time seeing a loss the next 34 days.
Jerrod says:
Well said Kevin. I’ve been skeptical for quite a while but am finding it hard to see a loss prior to Stanford. If a different team had NDs 2017 resume, I’d probably argue they are the top team in the country.
Terrence says:
How many really good teams are left in CFB? I think it was way more competitive a decade ago or in the 80s/90s: you had the top 2-3 teams then another 5-10 so that could beat them on the right Saturday. Now you have one good team and maybe 2-3 that can beat it. We saw what happened to ND in January ’13!
Allen Sell, '62 says:
Have to vent because I’m sure many of you feel the same. After tuning on the Pre-Game show & then the
Game , I wasn’t sure whether I was watching Notre Dame Football or the “Sam Darnold Show”. Isn’t it about
time we get some real Notre Dame announcers??? A BC grad, a Syracuse grad, and then Chris Sims comments
about his days at Texas made my blood boil. Anyway, great game & GO IRISH-BEAT EVERYBODY
Kevin McNamara says:
Kelly almost ruined team last year (4-8 with a pro-caliber QB) with his penchant to treat a team with pro caliber
O-line like U of Cincinnati, taking down Golson and Kizer in the process. He finally let go of play calling, got a D coordinator,
and got team in shape: the difference this year. Go Irish!
Ellen Bush says:
I agree 100% with Allen Sell. Listening to these announcers is pathetic. Get rid of Flutie. Get a real Domer to talk about our talented team. Go Irish. Please NO letdown next week like the team did when BC beat them after we beat Florida State. Go Irish!!
Tom D. says:
Very satisfying to have a physical team that runs the ball and plays with enthusiasm. The key moving forward is not being satisfied and working to improve. Let’s give Kelly credit for addressing issues which is hard for all of us. Go Irish!
goirish1988 says:
Always good to beat USC, and great to beat them by 35. With two weeks to prepare, the team came out very determined and played well. I hope this was more ND being good than it was simply the worst performance by USC that I can remember, and I hope that our poor kickoff coverage and kickoff returns don’t end up being the field position difference in a game we we would otherwise win.
Fitz says:
I thought the days of Notre Dame being among the top rushing teams in the country was over. Glad to be wrong! Putting up Navy type numbers on the ground. I really like Wimbush. His passing is a work in progress, albeit improving (the 2 touch down passes were beautiful). But man he is a great running QB! Definitely better than Kizer, and more like Zaire except that he has a better, more compact frame for it and runs like a RB. I just hope he stays healthy all year and in games in which we gain sufficient control I would definitely keep his runs down.
When is Josh Adams gonna get a few Heisman mentions already? C’mon! I think the only reason he hasn’t is a good team reason for Notre Dame. 3 other Running backs have been capable of sharing the touchdowns. And props to all those back up RB’s whom all seem to be of starter quality.
Most impressively of all has been the defense. I mean night and day! Crazy what conditioning and the proper fundamentals can achieve! That is one Tough defense and reminds me of 2012 with T’eo.
Another good test next week, lest we grow too cocky too quickly!
Dan says:
I’m extremely pleased with how we did last night. I agree on two points mentioned in separate replies above – props to the strength and conditioning staff and BW sure is channeling Tony Rice. And how about Elko – wow, what a great hire! His experience at WF will certainly help with this next stretch of games, which basically features the top half of the ACC. Stay healthy and I see this team going the distance.
Doc Savage says:
Not so fast Irish fans! I too am a big Irish fan and have been for several decades. I watched NC State and along with Chubbs, those boys look darn good and fast too. They have beaten a few good teams but ND does have home field advantage. What do any of you fans think about the upcoming game this Saturday?
Dick says:
Fantastic victory!!! Over 20 recruits were on campus to witness a spectacular win in our new stadium. They had to be impressed. The screen energized all that were there and highlighted so many ND magical moments. I was there to witness this pivotal contest. I see nothing but a strong program going forward. Give credit to coach Kelly. He revamped the staff with competent assistants and realized his own shortfalls. He operates the program as a CEO would operate a company, and it is working as it did in all of his coaching jobs before ND. NDRich, you are wrong in saying he should be run out of town. Be satisfied with this winning coach and look back on the many bad hires we have had before him.
Go Irish!
Sungho Oak says:
This win might remain as the signature win of the Kelly era, much better than the one at Norman.
I wish this would not be THE one.
I wish his would be the ONE, the sweet revenge vs the CrimsonTide at the semi-final and the ONE, after in 2017 season.
I thought Kelly should go last year(especially because of the the way he dealt with the losses with the press) but he changed everything from the bottom which is a hardly thing for a man who had all the reason to stick to his own success formula.
I changed my mind and determined to trust in him one more time.(which my wife doesn’t agree…..I am in trouble with her….)
I BELIVE that Nd would take care of both obstacles of NCST and Miami.
What I am worried about is the last game at Palo Alto.
The Cardinals would bring out everything to redeem the season especially Nd is coming to the town 10-1.
I still remember what kind of spirit they brought up in 2005.
I am coming to SB next week without having the ticket.
I with it would not be that expensive for the guy like me.
GO IRISH>>>>> I love you guys.
ElkOH-ElkOH says:
Incredible performance by our boys! From a national perspective, we finally played a big game and dominated from start to finish. I have been optimistic about this team and hoped they could run, possess the ball and cover for the Defensive shortcomings. I’m starting to think the defense is a little better, the coaching is incredibly better and the D-Line is underrated. The last 5 games are tricky and other then the trip to Stanford this will probably be the toughest remaining game. NC ST has speed, can stop the run, and enough play makers to be dangerous. The toughest part though might be the obvious emotional letdown after thumping the Trojans. This will need to be Kelly’s best week of preparation and creating just the right amount of urgency coupled with humility and reminding them they were 4-8 and a joke last year. Let’s go Irish!
Dave W says:
Before the season started, I felt like Kelly made the right changes. I felt like there wasn’t any
better coaches available and BK could turn it around. I even put $10 on the Irish to win the title at 50-1.
This win proves the Kelly haters wrong! Go Irish!! Keep up the great smashmouth football!!
AlumniDawg97 says:
I have enjoyed your comments. 2 things:
1-Ya know what I loved the most? To my uneducated eye, there were no gimmicks or fanciness or trickery. ND did not invent the forward pass or shift or wishbone in that game. They LINED UP and BEAT UP the guys across the line. Simple and elegant. Everyone in the stadium and watching from home knew what the game plan was, and the trojans could do nothing to stop it.
2-As marvelous as that win was, the lads have a long road ahead. NC St may be the stiffest challenge. They are solid and they are rested. Let’s hope that they are looking forward to Clemson more than we are looking back on the festering carcass of USC. PAYBACK TIME, BITCHES! GO IRISH BEAT WOLFPACK!!!
Farsdahl says:
I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and a long, hard look at who we beat this weekend: a very talented but flawed and short-handed team who spotted us 14 points off dumb mistakes. We beat USC, I loved every minute of it, and I acknowledge we still would have won even without the first 2 turnovers (probably). However, I also think USC will be lucky if they’re ranked at all by the end of the season.
Now, if we beat the Wolfpack, that’s a different story. That team has no flaws. If we are 7-1 this time next week, I promise I’ll swear off being a skeptic and take a long drink of the playoff Kool-aid.
JACK LADYGA says:
BEST COMBINATION OF OFFENSE AND DEFENSE SINCE THE ERA OF ARA.