A funny thing happened to USC on their way to tie the score with under four minutes remaining. With Notre Dame leading by 35-28 and the Trojans driving, cornerback Christian Gray made the play of the season. Gray had struggled most of the afternoon until he picked off a pass, kept his footing, and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Jayden Maiava led USC back on the ensuing series, but safety Xavier Watts did Gray one better. He intercepted another errant pass in the end zone and ran it 100+ yards for a 49-28 lead. The Trojans added a concession score with 13 seconds left for the final 49-35 margin. It was the highest scoring affair in this historic series.

Until these late heroics, defense had taken the day off in this classic shootout. The teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards and romped up and down the field all afternoon. Notre Dame opened the scoring after stuffing the Trojans on a fourth down pass. Jeremiyah Love rumbled through the USC defense until he punched it into the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead.

After the Irish held again, USC forced the game’s first turnover when Easton Mascarenas-Arnold punched the ball out of the hands of Jayden Thomas at the Notre Dame 37. Maiava guided the Trojans to paydirt to tie it at seven. The Irish tried to answer but the ensuing drive quickly stalled. Coach Marcus Freeman ordered a fake punt and ex-quarterback Tyler Buchner hit Mitchell Evans for a first down. This gamble led to a short field goal attempt by Mitch Jeter. He promptly clanked a 27-yarder off the right upright.

Notre Dame got the ball back once again midway through the second period. Riley Leonard hit Love in the flat, and the Irish tailback hurdled a Trojan defender for a 20-yard gain. Leonard found tight end Eli Raridon on the next play for a 12-yard touchdown.

Less than a minute remained in the half but Maiava went to work. Gray was victimized as Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane caught passes as USC tied the game at 14 before time expired. USC left the field in a jubilant mood while the Irish appeared to be stunned.

The Irish displayed their physicality in the third quarter as they took the opening kickoff and ran over the Trojan defense. Jadarian Price covered the final 36 yards with a powerful burst to retake the lead. Maiava answered just moments later. He threw a 30-yard strike to Duce Robinson before a pass interference penalty on Gray set up the tying touchdown.

Leonard responded to the pressure. His 24-yard run set up a two-yard score that put Notre Dame back in front by 28-21. USC could not answer but got the ball back when Leonard inexplicably threw a wounded duck toward Kris Mitchell. John Humphrey intercepted for the Trojans and Maiava was back in business at the Irish 45.

This time, the Irish defense stiffened. USC could not convert a fourth down pass and the ball went back to the visitors. Price ran to the Trojan 23 before Leonard found Evans in the corner of the end zone for a 35-21 advantage.

As the game moved into the fourth quarter, Leonard and the Irish could not put the game away. Maiava led another drive that culminated in the second scoring reception by Lane. It was now 35-28 in favor of Notre Dame with 8:43 remaining. Once again, the Irish offense went into a shell and could not muster a first down.

USC began a march and it almost seemed inevitable that they would tie the score at 35. A 22-yard pass from Maiava to Robinson preceded a 23-yard run by Quinten Joyner. USC went for it all from the Irish 21 but Kyron Hudson slipped at the pylon. Gray made a one-handed interception, pivoted, and took off down the sideline. The stunned Trojans could only watch as a convoy of Irish escorted Gray to the end zone.

Now trailing by 42-28 with 3:39 left in the game, Maiava refused to quit. He threw a 34-yard seed to Lemon to jump start another promising march. When the drive ran out of steam at the Irish 13-yard line, Maiava rolled the dice on fourth down. Watts stepped in front of his pass in the end zone and took off down the sideline. His 103-yard return looked like a repeat of Gray’s romp two minutes earlier, including the Irish convoy. At 49-28 with just 1:18 left in the game, the war was finally over. USC added a touchdown as Notre Dame was too busy celebrating to tackle anyone in the final minute.

A win in the Coliseum is always a glorious achievement. I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to avoid numerous seizures, strokes, and heart attacks. Al Golden’s defense returned to earth as the Trojans racked up over 500 yards, but the Irish never trailed. Notre Dame had 258 yards rushing, which doubled USC’s total until their final drive. Leonard was an efficient 17 of 22 for 155 yards and two scores. It was gratifying to see Gray rise to hero status after impersonating a goat for 56 minutes. Watts also showed why he is an All-American. His clinching interception came moments after he returned to the game from an injury.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Will Notre Dame get off to a strong start? Yes. The Irish scored on their opening drive and never lost the lead.

• Can the Irish secondary cover the dynamic Trojan receivers? Not very well. I lost count of the 30-yard passes that Maiava was able to hit. Leonard Moore played very well, though.

• Which team will have the fewest penalties and turnovers? USC had seven penalties to three for Notre Dame. They were winning the turnover battle until Maiava’s interceptions cost them the game.

• Will these strong, fast defenses continue to get stops on third down? USC was slightly better on third down but the Irish converted all three of their fourth down tries. The Trojans also went for it three times on fourth down but came up empty.

• Which team will be able to run the ball most effectively? Love, Price, and Leonard dominated on the ground. USC’s Woody Marks went down with a concussion in the first quarter while Love was knocked out in the third period.

• Will the Irish pass rush be able to rattle Maiava? Not at all. For a while it seemed as though Notre Dame was trying to jump start Maiava’s 2025 Heisman campaign.

• Which quarterback will prove to be the most accurate passer? Leonard was accurate on short throws and had two intermediate length scoring passes. Maiava was far more impressive on the deeper shots, even while under pressure.

• Will the Irish special teams have a positive or negative impact? Jeter’s missed chip shot was awful. Notre Dame was fortunate it did not figure into the final outcome. On the plus side, James Rendell nailed his most important punt attempt of the game. The Irish kick and punt coverage teams were solid. Finally, Tyler Buchner’s 23-yard pass to Evans on the fake punt was a thing of beauty. Freeman showed big cojones in calling that play in his own territory.

Notre Dame will have three weeks to prepare for what should be a home playoff contest. This will give Howard Cross, who did not play today, extra time to heal a high ankle sprain. Hopefully Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will be ready as well. Initial reports indicate Love’s knee injury is not serious. Quite frankly, the Irish would be diminished going forward without their offensive MVP. Love was a monster before going down with 99 yards on 13 carries. Today, Price admirably picked up the slack with 111 yards on a dozen attempts. Both are much more effective in tandem.

We will now have to wait though the conference championship games before the final playoff matchups are revealed.  This will occur on Sunday, December 8. In the interim, it was satisfying to see Caleb Williams bring some Chicago Bears magic to the Coliseum. Alas, my heart bleeds for Ryan Day and Ohio State. Irish fans should also light a candle for Miami and Clemson, and the rest of the wretched ACC. It is a shame we could not add Georgia to that list. Yes, I know it is wrong to gloat, and I should go straight to hell for rooting for Michigan. Right now, however, I don’t give a damn.