what we learned: usc
A day after Notre Dame's 34 to 24 win over USC, this feels like the single most important victory of the season so far, a hard fought rivalry win over a ranked opponent that validates everything the program has been building toward since its 0 and 2 start.
The Positives
Jeremiyah Love was the best player on the field, carrying the ball 24 times for over 200 yards in one of the best individual performances of his career to date. Notre Dame trailed twice in the second half, including a 27 to 21 deficit in the third quarter, and did not panic. Jadarian Price's kickoff return touchdown immediately answered USC's go ahead score, and CJ Carr's fourth quarter rushing touchdown put Notre Dame ahead for good. The defense, which started the season as one of the worst units in the country, forced three turnovers in a game that mattered as much as any on the schedule to this point, with Jason Onye finally breaking through for a strip sack in the third quarter that Boubacar Traore recovered.
Price's return was the kind of moment that only makes sense with a little history behind it. Two years ago, almost to the day, Price broke off a 99 yard kickoff return touchdown against this same USC team at this same stadium, a play that put the 2023 meeting away for good. On Saturday, he did it again, breaking two tackles on his way to the house and delivering the exact type of dagger that has now become something of a signature against the Trojans. Price himself said afterward it felt like deja vu, and it is hard to argue with him. USC simply has not found an answer for him on special teams in either matchup, and Notre Dame has to feel like it has USC's number as long as Price is fielding kicks against them.
Marcus Freeman's postgame comments captured the significance of the moment, calling it a struggle against a good opponent and praising his team's resilience and opportunistic defense in the second half. Rivalry games, as Freeman put it, mean just a little bit more, and this win suggests Notre Dame's turnaround from 0 and 2 is no longer a fluke but a genuine trend heading into a much needed bye week.
The Negatives
Notre Dame's tendency to fall behind continued to be an issue on Saturday, even in a game it ultimately won. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59 yard strike to Ja'Kobi Lane that beat the secondary over the top on a play where Notre Dame simply had no answer for Lane's release off the line. Christian Gray was flagged for a costly pass interference penalty on USC's opening touchdown drive as well, and the Irish defense, while opportunistic with its three takeaways, still allowed USC to hang around deep into the fourth quarter of a game Notre Dame was favored to control from the start.
Who Shined
Jeremiyah Love's 200 plus yard rushing performance was the headline, but Jadarian Price's momentum swinging kickoff return touchdown was arguably the single biggest play of Notre Dame's season to this point, coming at the exact moment USC appeared to be seizing control of the game. It was also, fittingly, the second time in three years that Price has broken USC's heart on a kickoff return in this exact stadium, a piece of personal history that made Saturday's version feel almost inevitable once he got his footing. Jason Onye's strip sack was the defensive play of the game.
Who Disappointed
The blown coverage on the 59 yard touchdown to Lane and Christian Gray's costly penalty were the two individual low points in an otherwise winning effort, and Notre Dame's pass defense still had lapses against a talented USC passing attack, allowing over 300 yards through the air in a game that came down to the fourth quarter. It was a winning performance, but not a flawless one, and it leaves a clear blueprint for how future opponents might try to attack the Irish secondary during the second half of the season.
