Notre Dame never leads, falls 38-27 to USC
In a topsy-turvy game that showed what Notre Dame can be at times, and what it isn’t at other times, the Irish never led but never quit in a 38-27 loss to USC Saturday night in the regular season finale at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Trailing 24-7, 31-14 and 38-21 in the second half, Notre Dame behind junior quarterback Drew Pyne answered all three deficits with touchdowns. But it never found the defensive stop it needed to pull an upset win.
The closest the Irish came to a comeback was when it gained possession down 31-21 with 11:29 left in the game.
But on a 2nd-and-10 during the ensuing possession, Pyne forced a throw into traffic to junior tight end Michael Mayer that was intercepted by USC Calen Bullock.
Three plays later, USC quarterback Caleb Williams scampered 16 yards into the end zone on a fourth-down play for his third rushing touchdown of the game and an insurmountable 38-21 lead with 2:35 remaining in the game.
Pyne played well, finishing 23-of-26 passing for 316 yards with 3 touchdowns, including a 15-of-15 passing start. But a lost fumble and the late interception that both led to USC scores clouded Pyne’s solid overall passing day.
With all else being equal, the quarterback matchup proved the difference.
Doing his best Patrick Mahomes’ impression, USC’s Williams boosted his Heisman hopes and proved he may be the best dual-threat quarterback in the country with 18-of-22 passing for 232 with 1 touchdown and no interceptions, while adding 35 rushing yards — which probably measured about 250 yards on a pedometer — with 3 rushing touchdowns.
It was a game that once Notre Dame fell behind 10-0, it was going to have a tough time winning, yet it never stopped trying.
Williams’ second-half performance likely keeps the College Football Playoff hopes alive for USC (11-1) while it ends any chance for Notre Dame (8-4) to win double-digit games for a sixth straight season.
Mayer led Notre Dame with 8 receptions for 98 yards with 2 touchdowns.
Sophomore Irish wide receiver Deion Colzie added 3 catches for 75 yards with 1 touchdown as his ascent continues.
The Irish running game that was critical to this game managed only 90 yards and 3.5 yards per carry.
USC wasted no time taking control of its must-win matchup to keep its playoff hopes alive.
USC took the opening kickoff and went on an 8-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead and quick momentum.
USC then parlayed a three-and-out on the Irish first offensive possession into a field goal and a 10-0 lead, and it was uphill sledding for Notre Dame from there.
Heading into this one on a five-game winning streak, Notre Dame hadn’t trailed in a contest since it lost 16-14 to Stanford on Oct. 15.
