Notre Dame capped off an impressive 11-1 regular season with a 49-35 victory over rivals USC. This game added another great chapter to the historic rivalry between the two schools. When you think of famous rivalries in college football, you imminently think of Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn, or Army-Navy. However, Notre Dame-USC is right up there with those three. Seeing Xavier Watts stare down the USC sideline while running pack a 100-yard pick-six showed the hatred between the two sides.
This win also clinched a playoff birth for the Irish as well as a home game. Ever since the new playoff format was released, Irish fans have been hoping to host a playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium. Although the goal is always to win the national championship, many fans and alumni wanted a home playoff game. A dream that seemed dead after NIU.
Although embarrassing, you can make the argument that the loss to NIU was the best thing to happen. Think back to the Texas A&M game. Although the best-looking win on paper, it wasn’t a strong showing from the Irish. They left a lot to be desired even with the win vs a Top 25 opponent. The embarrassment of NIU lit a fire under this team and propelled them to dominate week in and week out. It’s possible they don’t look this good without that loss. Here are the major takeaways.
Notre Dame Offense Holds Their Own in Shootout
All season, the identity of this Notre Dame team has been this defense. They came into the season with high expectations and yet they have still played above expectations. With underwhelming performances from the offense, the defense was always something Notre Dame could count on. Yet, on Saturday, the defense put in their worst statistical performance of the season. They gave up a season-high 35 points as well as season-highs in passing and rushing yards allowed.
However, the offense picked up the defense for the first time this season. For the majority of the second and third quarters, this game was a shootout. Each team took turns driving down the field and scoring, which is every Notre Dame fan’s worst nightmare. Although the offense has made massive improvements, many still weren’t sure if they were good enough to win a game by themselves.
But, with what this offense was able to do on Saturday, those concerns have been squashed. It seemed like every time the offense touched the ball, they were a lock to get into the endzone. Whether it was Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price running over USC defenders or Riley Leonard throwing darts to his receivers, the offense was just firing on all cylinders. This gives Notre Dame a ton of momentum heading into the playoffs. They’re no longer over-reliant on the defense. They know that the offense can pick up the defense and put the team in a position to win.
Christian Gray Rollercoaster Day
The most noteworthy person from the Irish defense was cornerback Christian Gray. Gray started the game with a strong performance in the first quarter. However, for the rest of the game, he was constantly being burned by USC receivers. He was also called twice for defensive pass interference. In the 4th quarter, the USC pass attack revolved around getting the ball to whoever Gray was covering.
But, when it mattered most, Gray stepped up. With USC marching down the field down 35-28, Gray picked off Jayden Maiava’s pass and returned it 99 yards, essentially icing the game for Notre Dame. This shows a lot about the mentality of Gray. He’s not a guy who’s going to let a bad stretch take him out of the game. He’ll keep his head down and keep trying to make plays.
Gray performance was a microcosm of the entire defense performance. As mentioned before, the defense had statistically the worst performance of the season. But, when it mattered most, the defense stepped up and made the plays they had to. In the end, Notre Dame got the victory.
Brian Germinaro is a sportswriter for Belly Up Sports. Follow him on Twitter/X for more sports coverage and Belly Up Sports for even more college football content. Feature image credit: Kevork Djansezian.
