Notre Dame runs roughshod over USC, defeats Trojans 34-24

Jeremiyah Love put his hands on his hips and lingered in the end zone, soaking in the ecstatic Notre Dame Stadium crowd. He may have soaked in some rain, too.

Love, after running roughshod over USC all night amid a constant downpour, threw a key block on redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr’s 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Love’s block was the nail in the coffin on that play, and Carr’s score was the nail in the coffin on the Trojans’ hopes of an upset win.

For most of the game, Love was the one punishing defenders in red helmets with the ball in his hands. The junior running back set the all-time record for most rushing yards by a Notre Dame player in Notre Dame stadium — which has hosted 512 games since 1930 — with 228. Running behind a dominant offensive line, Love and redshirt junior running back Jadarian Price (87 yards) out-rushed the Trojans 306-68.

That, timely takeaways and special teams magic were enough for No. 13 Notre Dame to beat No. 20 USC 34-24 and improve to 5-2. The Trojans fell to 5-2 after the Irish out-classed them in the trenches.

“I love being physical, going out there and trying to run somebody over,” Love said. “We pride ourselves on being stronger and dominating our opponent.”

Love threw a haymaker on his first carry of the game, bursting up the middle for 63 yards. He was untouched for most of it, running through a massive seam created by redshirt junior left guard Billy Schrauth and redshirt sophomore center Joe Otting. Two plays later, he found the end zone.

The offensive line cleared lane after lane after lane, the point where the Irish felt comfortable running the ball on third-and-6 and third-and-7 on the same possession. Late in the game, Love ran for gains of 15 and 16 to set up Carr’s score despite everyone in the building knowing who would get the ball.

“We weren’t going to be able to throw the ball a lot in the second half because of the moisture and the weather, and that’s what we want,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “That’s our edge. We got to play in a physical manner that maybe not every team wants to play.”

Love was at the peak of his powers, shredding tackling angles and racing past USC defenders. Price made his greatest impact as a kickoff returner, taking one back 100 yards in the third quarter for the eventual game-winning touchdown.

He bounced off two tacklers and outran everybody the rest of the way.

“I didn’t do the right thing; I kind of went outside the block, but it worked out,” Price said. “After I broke the first tackle, I knew I was going to the house.”

Defensively, the Irish sought to make USC one-dimensional. They did just that, holding the Trojans to 2.3 yards per carry. The front four controlled the line of scrimmage, the linebackers attacked downhill and the safeties were constantly involved.

Redshirt sophomore safety Adon Shuler led Notre Dame with 10 tackles, including a forced fumble on star USC wide receiver Makai Lemon that set up the game-sealing drive. The Trojans tried a trick play, handing Lemon the ball on a reverse and giving him the option to throw, but the Irish sniffed it out.

In the rain and chaos, Shuler attacked Lemon and knocked the ball free. Sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa recovered.

“In the fringe area, they like to do trick plays,” Shuler said. “I kind of just read it and my coach put me in a great position to make a play.”

After USC cleared the field and Notre Dame finished its alma mater, sophomore defensive end Bryce Young emerged from the group and screamed toward the student section in elation. In return, the students who remained — all of them — erupted. Many had their shirts off, as per tradition, despite the pouring rain.

As they gutted out a night of football weather in South Bend, Notre Dame gutted out a massive victory.