USC ousts No. 5 Notre Dame, but falls to the Irish after a disastrous fourth quarter

The tape played on a loop all week at Notre Dame’s facility, a sobering reminder to the Irish two years later of what USC could be under Lincoln Riley if everything fell into place. A superhero quarterback. A rolling running game. A wild front. That commanding victory over Notre Dame in the final week of the 2022 season had been in many ways the highlight of the coach’s tenure at Trojan, an important moment that would seemingly take a program to new heights.

In the two years since then, I’ve spent chasing that feeling as one frustrating season rolled into the next and USC was never quite able to live up to that moment, stumbling its way up until Saturday where the Trojans had the chance to catch that magic again for the briefest of moments.

But that light only flickered for a few moments in the fourth quarter of USC’s 49-35 loss to Notre Dame, as the Trojans dominated the field in the fourth quarter and had a chance for a late equalizer. Instead of his quarterback saving the day, Jayden Maiava watched as his pass was intercepted and returned 99 yards for a touchdown.

In his third appearance, Maiava tried to emulate Caleb Williams by extending plays, sending passes downfield and scoring two short points. Against the No. 1 pass defense in the country, Maiava managed to throw for 360 yards and three touchdowns, but couldn’t conjure up the magic when it mattered most.

With Notre Dame leading by two points in the fourth quarter – and after a rare stop by the USC defense – Maiava brought the Trojans back within striking distance, completing two big plays downfield and setting up a six-yard touchdown shot that Ja’Kobi far outstripped Lane.

Just three minutes later he would get the ball back and have the chance to play the hero.

Maiava fired a deep ball down the sideline and hit Duce Robinson for a 22-yard gain. On the next play, running back Quinten Joyner rolled another 23 yards, leaving USC just outside the red zone.

But when Notre Dame finally got within range, Maiava made his first big mistake of the afternoon, flinging a pass near the pylon to Kyron Hudson, which was deflected by Irish cornerback Christian Gray.

Gray started from the 1-yard line with only green grass in front of him. He didn’t stop until he sprinted 99 yards for the game-winning pick-six.

One drive later, the Irish added another second pick-six in the fourth quarter when Maiava made a desperate prayer into the end zone. There was no reply.

The Trojans’ offense had been staying afloat up to that point without the help of running back Woody Marks, who was injured in the first half and never returned. Joyner averaged more than 8 yards per carry in his place and finished the game with 83 yards on 10 carries.

Notre Dame was moving the ball at will on USC’s defense in the third quarter as USC’s offense stalled. The Irish managed to accumulate 437 yards, including 259 on the ground, while harassing the Trojans throughout.

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The missed opportunities started on Saturday. Facing a four-and-two on USC’s first drive, Riley threw a swing pass to receiver Zachariah Branch, but it was rejected in the backfield.

From there, Notre Dame wasted no time in enforcing its plans to bully the Trojans at the top. The Irish ran the ball eight times in a 13-play opening drive, hitting USC in the mouth right in front of the goal before a 1-yard score.

After stalling possession to start the game on offense for the second straight game, the Trojans struck back on the other side of the ball – literally. Cornerback Jacobe Covington recovered a fumble by Irish wideout Jayden Thomas and gave the ball back to USC, which had little trouble taking advantage deep in Notre Dame territory. Five plays later, Maiava ran for a one-yard touchdown, his third rushing score in as many games.

As momentum gained, USC was prepared to force a three-pointer. But a misplaced punt kept the drive alive for Notre Dame, which launched another 13-play drive … only to miss a chip-shot field goal from the USC 27.

The Trojans’ defense didn’t get much of a reprieve in response, as the Trojans only managed one yard before putting the ball away. It took Notre Dame seven plays to get down the field after that, as tight end Eli Raredon stormed past USC linebacker Mason Cobb and came in just long enough for Leonard to find him for a 12-yard score.

With just 55 seconds left in the half, Maiava released down the field and eventually found Makai Lemon for a 35-yard catch that put USC within field goal range. A misplaced pass interference for Notre Dame brought the Trojans even closer. Then, with 24 seconds left, Maiava threw a 12-yard shot to Lane, who scored his seventh goal of the season to make the game 14-1.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Maiava found itself in a similar situation again. But this time his pass didn’t reach its intended destination. From there, Notre Dame rolled.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.