Staring into the abyss of their worst season in nearly a decade, Notre Dame came into Saturday with one goal: ruin rival USC's late-season surge.
But much as they have all season, Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish fell hopelessly short.
Adoree' Jackson accounted for three touchdowns, two in the return game, as USC ran away with a 45-27 victory over Notre Dame in their regular-season finale.
The Trojans and Irish were essentially equal on the offensive side of the ball, but Jackson's penchant for big plays turned the game around. The 5'11" speedster took a second-quarter punt 55 yards to the house to give the Trojans a two-score lead and went 97 yards on a third-quarter kickoff return after Notre Dame had just closed the gap to 10 points.