USC vs. Notre Dame game balls
With playoff hopes dashed after the loss to Louisville last weekend, the Notre Dame defense came up big Saturday night against the nation’s highest-scoring offense in a 48-20 win for the No. 21 Irish (6-2) over No. 10 USC (6-1).
Here are the three most deserving Irish game ball honorees in the impressive Irish victory.
Safety Xavier Watts
The Irish senior made a quick, thorough and lasting impact on a game that he finished with 7 tackles, 2 interceptions, and one late scoop-and-score touchdown.
Watts intercepted Trojans’ junior quarterback Caleb Williams in the first quarter. He returned it 38 yards to the USC 12-yard line to set up a touchdown and a 7-0 Irish lead.
Watts later recorded his second interception of the game, and third of the season, late in the first half, and returned it 23 yards to the USC 2-yard line, which set up another touchdown that pushed the Notre Dame lead to 17-3.
As an encore, Watts recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter and returned it 15 yards for the first touchdown of his career.
Linebacker JD Bertrand
The Irish graduate team captain did most of his work in the first half when Notre Dame built a 24-6 lead when he recorded 9 tackles of his game-high 11 stops.
Bertrand’s solid night included an impressive tackle for loss midway through the second quarter on a USC 4th-down-1 that turned the Trojans over on downs and kept it from cutting into a 17-3 Irish lead.
Bertrand’s performance tied his season-high for tackles and made him Notre Dame’s leading tackler this season with 52 stops.
Tailback Audric Estimè
Be it through play calling or some recent poor offensive line performances, the Irish junior was limited in both carries and production the last three games against Ohio State, Duke and Louisville, but was showcased Saturday against USC.
Estimè responded with his best game in his last four outings with 22 carries for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns.
It was the most productive game on the ground for Estimè since his 176-yard performance against Central Michigan on Sept. 16, and it helped set a course for Notre Dame to return to its run-reliant offensive approach.
Estimè finished with a team-best 99 all-purpose yards.
