Trojans Come Up Short at Notre Dame
The USC Trojans fell to longtime rival No. 15 Notre Dame 34–24 at Notre Dame Stadium before a crowd of 77,622 in South Bend, Indiana. It marked the second loss of the season for Lincoln Riley’s squad, dropping the Trojans to 5–2 overall.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The USC Trojans fell to longtime rival No. 15 Notre Dame 34–24 at Notre Dame Stadium before a crowd of 77,622 in South Bend, Indiana. It marked the second loss of the season for Lincoln Riley’s squad, dropping the Trojans to 5–2 overall.
USC played short-handed, missing running backs Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan, both injured during last week’s 31–13 victory over Michigan. Without their top rushers, the Trojans were limited to just 68 yards on the ground against the Irish (5–2).
Quarterback Jordan Maiava helped keep USC competitive, completing 22 of 42 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. His 59-yard strike to Ja’Kobi Lane in the third quarter gave the Trojans a 24–21 lead, followed by a successful two-point conversion, also to Lane. The sophomore receiver finished with six receptions for 111 yards.
Notre Dame answered quickly. Jadarian Price electrified the home crowd with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and running back Jeremiah Love added a career-high 228 rushing yards and a score.
“It was a good game — our guys fought their tails off,” said USC head coach Lincoln Riley. “We had our opportunities; we just didn’t play good enough.”
Irish quarterback C.J. Carr connected on 16 of 26 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown and added a one-yard rushing score to seal the win.
With the victory, Notre Dame boosted its College Football Playoff hopes and is expected to climb in the national rankings.
“I told the guys, you remember rivalry games,” said Irish head coach Marcus Freeman. “Those are the ones that mean more — for the university, for the fans, for the players before us, and the players to come.”
Despite the setback, USC remains in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth. The Trojans’ most direct path now lies in capturing the Big Ten Conference title, which carries an automatic bid to the 12-team playoff.
USC’s remaining schedule includes two ranked opponents in the current AP Top 25 — No. 25 Nebraska and No. 8 Oregon. However, Nebraska will likely fall out of the rankings before the two programs meet Nov. 1 following its recent loss to Minnesota.
