Notre Dame turned two first-half interceptions by safety Xavier Watts into 14 points, and Watts provided a final exclamation point with a late scoop and score as the Fighting Irish routed archrival USC by 48-20. Al Golden’s defense was phenomenal. The Irish forced five turnovers, stopped the Trojans twice on fourth down, sacked Caleb Wiliams six times and pressured him on virtually every play.

The offense was not dominant but they capitalized on their opportunities. Sam Hartman threw a pair of touchdown passes and Audric Estime ran for two more. Even the Irish special teams got into the act as Jadarian Price returned a kickoff for a 99-yard score immediately after USC had closed to within 31-20. Notre Dame committed no turnovers.

It was evident from the start that Golden’s plan was to pressure Williams from every conceivable angle and make him uncomfortable. The Heisman Trophy incumbent tried to force throws off his back foot while under pressure. This resulted in three interceptions that led to 21 Irish points. The hosts were thus able to build a 24-6 lead at the half.

The Trojans finally found the end zone midway through the third quarter. MarShawn Lloyd took and option pitch from Williams and ran 31 yards for a score. Now leading by just 24-13, Hartman answered on the next series with a perfect play action bomb to Chris Tyree for a 46-yard score.

A dazzling punt return by Zachariah Branch set up another touchdown by USC early in the fourth quarter to make it 31-20. Notre Dame needed to answer, and Price did so in a matter of seconds as he outran the Trojans to paydirt. With the score now 38-20 and nine minutes remaining, the visitors became desperate. A fourth down sack stopped their next drive deep in their own territory and the Irish tacked on a field goal to make it 41-20.

Williams got the ball back and completed a short pass to the flat. Notre Dame’s Cam Hart knocked the ball loose and Watts picked it up and took it home for the final margin of victory. Watts later forced another fumble in the final minutes to add insult to injury, although USC’s Williams had already given way to backup Miller Moss.

It was a great night for Irish fans but no one was more happy than Head Coach Marcus Freeman. His coaching acumen was questioned during the week and he responded by having his team at a fever pitch. Although the offense remained shaky at times, there were enough new wrinkles and individual performance improvements to satisfy most everyone. The line played well and protected Hartman flawlessly. Estime ran for 95 tough yards.

Defense was the story of the game, though. Besides Watts, JD Bertrand and Ben Morrison played well as did Javontae Jean-Baptiste. Hart and DJ Brown also deserve mention but I can rightfully name every individual defender for their inspired play. Despite the Trojans’ 35 minutes of possession, the emotional Irish did not wear down.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Will Notre Dame be able to keep containment on Williams? Containment? They darn near killed him.
• Can the Irish offense avoid negative plays by the aggressive Trojan defense? There were no sacks or major havoc plays by USC, although that unit can’t be blamed for many of Notre Dame’s 48 points.
• Which team will have the fewest penalties and turnovers? USC had five turnovers and nine penalties while the Irish were flagged five times.
• Will poor field position and lackluster special teams again plague Notre Dame? That was the case for a while. Branch’s punt return hurt them but Price won the day with his 99-yard response. After watching the Irish special teams this season, I have no idea where that came from.
• Which team will be able to run the ball most effectively? Neither team ran wild but Estime was the difference maker in this category.
• Will the Irish offensive line be able to protect Hartman? Yes.. There were no snafus in pass protection. A great turnaround from last week.
• Which team will tackle best, particularly in the secondary? Both teams improved over previous performances this season but at least two of USC’s smaller DBs suffered injuries when Estime ran over them.
• How many transfers can a team acquire before it becomes absurd? It’s already absurd. Not Colorado absurd, but absurd nonetheless.

Notre Dame has a week off before returning to action on October 28 against Pittsburgh, who swamped Louisville by 38-21 tonight. This win gives rise to hope that the Irish can win out, especially if they play at the level we saw against the Trojans. There may be more loops on this rollercoaster, however, but for now the faithful can enjoy an inspiring win for the ages.