Jeremiyah Love averaged 9.5 yards per carry against the Trojans. (Photo: Chad Ryan)
First and Fitzharris: A Weekly Look at Notre Dame Football with Connor Fitzharris
A rivalry game, two teams fighting for their playoff lives. The vibe in the crowd was electric, the battle on the field epic and my ND hoodie was soaked through by game time.
And I didn’t care.
Because winning cures all, and beating USC is a beautiful thing.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish outclassed the USC Trojans under the lights on Saturday night at a rain-soaked Notre Dame Stadium to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. While far from perfect, Notre Dame still walked away with a convincing 34-24 victory—remarkably close to my original 34-20 prediction—marking their fifth straight win.
Ash’s Defense Up to the Task
After USC marched 75 yards for an opening touchdown, I had an uneasy feeling that we might be in for another shootout, similar to the Texas A&M game earlier in September. As the rain poured down, I had hope that the Irish might benefit from the field conditions by being the more physical team as I mentioned in First and Fitzharris last week.
The weather would surely have a negative impact on the Trojans as the rain soaked me to the skin, Right. Correct! Notre Dame absolutely proved to be the more physical team, as Chris Ash’s defense, the one I took to task in this column for the first three weeks of the season played a high velocity physical form of football for most of four quarters. The Irish held USC scoreless in the fourth, limited the damage for one of the nations top pass offenses, and shut down the Trojan running attack. the Irish forced three turnovers, including a game-sealing interception by Luke Talich. Notre Dame’s defense now has nine interceptions in its last three games.
One of my keys to the game had been the need to contain USC star wideout Makai Lemon. Leonard Moore and the Notre Dame secondary did exactly that—holding Lemon to four catches and no touchdowns. My defensive MVP is Adon Shuler, who recorded 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. On the fumble play, Lemon rolled to his right attempting a throw, but Shuler stripped the ball, and Kyngstonn Vilamu-Asa recovered. Shuler has established himself not only as Notre Dame’s top safety but also as one of the best in the country.
Chris Ash, my sincerest apologies.
J-Love and J-Price Continue to Dominate
What else is there to say about these two? Leading up to this season, Penn State’s running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton got plenty of hype. After Notre Dame’s win over the Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl last season, it was clear the Irish had a pretty dynamic tandem of their own.
This year’s clash with USC erased any doubt. Love and Price didn’t just match the hype — they buried it, proving they’re the most dangerous backfield duo in college football.
Love rushed for a career-high 228 yards and a touchdown on just 24 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per attempt—the most rushing yards by a Notre Dame running back in Notre Dame Stadium history. He also added five receptions for 37 yards. Jadarian Price’s 100-yard kickoff return to reclaim the lead after USC briefly took it was a defining moment; the Irish never trailed again. Price also rushed for 87 yards and another touchdown, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Together, Love and Price are Trojan slayers and their performance Saturday night, will haunt USC fans for years to come.
Next Stop: Chestnut Hill
Now that my brain has finally dried out from four hours in the rain on Saturday, my thoughts turn to what’s next in Notre Dame’s quest to return to the College Football Playoff.
Notre Dame now gets a much-needed bye week to regroup and hopefully get key players back, including wide receiver Jaden Greathouse (hamstring) and defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio (arm). The Irish will travel to Boston College on November 1 looking for their sixth straight win. The Eagles have dropped six in a row, including a 38-23 loss to UConn last week, and they’re simply not built to challenge a Notre Dame team with Love and Price running wild and a defense that’s forcing turnovers at every opportunity. The Irish should roll through Chestnut Hill and keep their playoff push alive.