Notre Dame turned two first-half interceptions by safety Xavier Watts into 14 points, and Watts provided a final exclamation point with a late scoop and score as the Fighting Irish routed archrival USC by 48-20. Al Golden’s defense was phenomenal. The Irish forced five turnovers, stopped the Trojans twice on fourth down, sacked Caleb Wiliams six times and pressured him on virtually every play.
The offense was not dominant but they capitalized on their opportunities. Sam Hartman threw a pair of touchdown passes and Audric Estime ran for two more. Even the Irish special teams got into the act as Jadarian Price returned a kickoff for a 99-yard score immediately after USC had closed to within 31-20.