Jeremiyah Love ran for 228 yards to lead Notre Dame to a 34-24 victory over USC on Saturday night. The game featured a slew of great plays and mind-numbing mistakes by both teams. Despite wild emotional swings that continued from start to finish, the Irish won by being the more physical team. Notre Dame rushed for a whopping 306 yards to a mere 68 for the Trojans. Three USC turnovers in the last 17 minutes of the game shattered their hopes victory. Notre Dame rides a five-game winning streak into the fall break before facing Boston College on November 1.

Both offenses started fast and it appeared the first team to 100 points would win. Jayden Maiava led the Trojans down the field and hit tight end Lake McRee to open the scoring. Love responded with a 63-yard run to set up his 12-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven. Only five minutes had elapsed.

After USC added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead, the defenses dug in. Both teams punted twice before the Irish attack gained traction. Jadarian Price romped for 32 yards as the game moved into the second quarter. Later in the same drive, Price covered the final 16 yards to give the hosts a 14-10 advantage.

Following a defensive stop on fourth down in the red zone , Notre Dame began another march. Love ripped off a few runs to bring the Irish to the Trojan two-yard line. USC held right there on two successive running plays. On third down, CJ Carr was forced from the pocket and threw a horrible pass that was picked off by Braylan Shelby. A great scoring chance ended in flames.

This turn of events energized the Trojans.  Maiava and his mates parlayed two pass interference penalties against the Irish to move inside the Irish ten. Notre Dame refused to give up the lead, though. The defense came up with a key stop to force a field goal by Ryon Saveri. This shaved the Irish lead to 14-13 at the half.

As action-packed as the first two quarters had been, the second half made them look boring by comparison. Notre Dame took the kickoff and pushed the Trojan defense backward for seven minutes before scoring a touchdown. Carr hit Will Pauling on a post route for a 21-13 advantage. Unfortunately, hat bit of breathing room was short-lived.

USC started at its 35 when the Irish kickoff sailed out of bounds. Two more pass interference penalties led to another Saveri three-pointer that trimmed the margin to 21-16. After Notre Dame failed to get a first down, the Trojans wasted no time in taking the lead. Maiava hit Ja’Kobi Lane with a 59-yard scoring strike. This pair hooked up again on a two-point conversion to put the Irish behind by 24-21.

The crowd grew restless as USC kicked off to Notre Dame. Price caught the ball inside his own goal line, broke a tackle, and outran the Trojans for a touchdown. Although the Irish got the lead back, a missed extra point left them ahead by only 27-24.

Maiava attempted to answer as time was winding down in the third quarter. USC gained two first downs before Maiava’s off-balance pass was grabbed by Notre Dame’s Christian Gray. The Trojans had been picking on Gray all evening. Lane beat him for a long touchdown and he had been flagged for multiple penalties in coverage. His well-timed interception evoked memories of last season’s game where he also gained redemption in dramatic fashion.

Once again, the roller coaster ride continued for both teams. Gray’s turnover set up a short field goal attempt by Noah Burnette, which he promptly yanked left. The contest then moved into the final period. USC crossed midfield with a 42-yard pass from Maiava to Makai Lemon. Momentum swung back to the Irish moments later when Lemon took the ball on a reverse. Notre Dame defenders were not fooled and closed in on him. Lemon was looking to throw it downfield but panicked and dropped the ball on the ground. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa pounced on it to give the Irish possession.

The Irish brain trust wisely called Love’s number, and he delivered. Consecutive 15-yard runs moved the ball to the Trojan five-yard line. Carr then took two plays to run it into the end zone with Love as his lead blocker. Notre Dame now led by 34-24 with 7:16 remaining.

Yet another out of bounds kickoff by the Irish followed. USC could not capitalize on its good field position as Maiava missed another fourth down pass. Carr and the Irish tried to run out the clock but USC regained possession with 2:35 left.

Once again, Notre Dame’s defense was up to the task. They pressured and sacked Maiava before Luke Talich ended the evening by picking off his desperation heave. Maiava finished at 22 of 42 for 328 yards. His two scoring passes were offset by the pair of interceptions. More importantly, the Irish achieved their goal of making USC’s offense one-dimensional. Even 96 yards in penalties against Notre Dame to only five for the Trojans could not change the outcome.

It was a wild night on the field, while the rain and wind added to the chaos. It seemed that neither team wanted nor deserved to win but Notre Dame was clearly the better team. Recent Irish games have resembled Rocky Balboa fights but that brawling style serves this team quite well. One large negative is an apparent leg injury to guard Billy Schrauth. The Irish could really use some good news in this regard.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Will the Irish offense convert or squander its scoring opportunities? Both, often in spectacular fashion. A ridiculous interception and and a chili-dipped, chip shot field goal were inexcusable. On the positive side, scoring runs by Love, Price, and Carr were beautifully blocked and executed.
• Which quarterback will be able to operate under the least amount of pressure? Maiava was in control early but Notre Dame’s pressure increased as the night wore on. He was barely able to complete 50% of his throws. Carr struggled with accuracy most of the night, whether under pressure or not.
• Will Love and Price outrush Miller and Jackson? Yes, by 315-92. And don’t forget Price’s kickoff return.
• Which team will win the turnover battle? USC had three turnovers and a pair of fourth down failures that hurt their cause. Carr’s cringe-worthy interception was the only Irish turnover.
• Can Notre Dame win the line of scrimmage without Craig and Rubio? Yes. Joe Otting was stout at center for Craig while the defense effectively replaced Rubio by committee.
• Which team will be negatively impacted by penalties and mental miscues? Notre Dame was inundated with pass interference penalties but they still stopped the Trojans in key situations.
• Can Dallas Golden and the Irish secondary put the squeeze on Lemon? Leonard Moore did most of the heavy lifting against Lemon. He made a few plays but was not a dominant force as he has been against other teams. And yes, Viliamu-Asa and Adon Shuler did put the squeeze on him to force a fumble.
• Which coaching staff will make the most effective adjustments during the game? USC never figured out how to stop the run. Notre Dame found ways to pressure Maiava into in the second half. At the same time, they managed to shut down the Trojan ground game all evening.

The Irish get a well-earned week off to recover physically from a challenging seven game stretch. All aspects of the place-kicking game need significant improvement. Carr’s mistakes must also become teaching moments, especially his desire to make a heroic play at the wrong time. Most importantly, the team needs Schrauth, Gabe Rubio, and Charles Jagusah in the lineup. A playoff berth is not guaranteed but is more realistic now. Last year taught us that healthy linemen make a world of difference against the highest level of competition.

This is a reprint of John’s original preview article lost in a site technical issue