USC did what they had to do in this one and just like clockwork Caleb Williams was brilliant connecting on 80+% of his passes for 232 yards, 1 TD, and no interceptions to go along with 35 yards rushing and another 3 TD’s on the ground. `The Trojans led from start to finish in this one ahead 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, 17-to-7 at the break, 24-to-14 after three, and outscoring the Fighting Irish 14-to-13 in the final quarter to win it 38-27. Notre Dame QB Sophomore Drew Pyne was equally as accurate connecting on 23-of-26 for 318 yards, 3 TD’s, and 1 interception. USC rushed for more than twice the yards of the Fighting Irish with Senior RB Austin Jones leading the way with 25 attempts and 154 of the Trojan’s 204 total on the ground with Raleek Brown picking up their 4th TD. For Notre Dame, Sophomore RB Audric Estime and Logan Diggs rushed 18 times for 77 of the 90 total yards the Fighting Irish gained on the ground with Diggs providing their sole TD.
The electricity in the coliseum on Saturday reminded long time Trojan fans of days-gone-by and teams like that in 2002 which was coached by Pete Carroll with Carson Palmer under center, the first QB in USC history to win the Heisman Trophy, throwing for 3,942 yards, 33 TD’s and 10 interceptions. Through Saturday Caleb Williams has thrown for 3,712 yards, 34 TD’s and just 3 interceptions. The AP described it like this in their recap for ESPN: “The Coliseum was packed with fans of both teams, but USC’s faithful had a night that recalled this long-struggling program’s glittering past. ‘I don’t know how long it’s been since it was like that,’ [USC Head Coach Lincoln] Riley said. ‘I haven’t been here before (this season), but man, it was electric in there. That’s what I remember watching as a young kid. … These guys have brought it to life.’ The night felt like a Heisman coronation for Williams who iced it with 2:35 to play by sprinting 16 yards through the heart of the defense for his school-record 44th total TD. Williams was serenaded with frequent chants of ‘Heisman! Heisman!’ from the Coliseum crowd, which has cheered seven previous Heisman winners in this school’s fabled history.”
As the Los Angeles Times Ryan Kartje reported; “Not since the glory days of Pete Carroll have the Trojans won 11 of their first 12 games, a regular-season mark they last reached in 2008. USC spent the next dozen years desperately trying to capture that same magic, searching for exactly what it seems to have found this season under Riley, who Saturday tied the most wins ever for a USC coach in his inaugural campaign.” With No. 2 Ohio State getting beat soundly by No. 3 Michigan in “The Shoe” and No. 5 LSU falling to Texas A&M, the seas are parting in the Trojans’ favor if they can avenge their only loss this season in the PAC-12 Conference Championship against Utah. If they do make it in they’ll probably be facing No. 1 Georgia in the Chick’fil’A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, December 31st. If TCU can stayed undefeated the other semi-final could very well be between Michigan and TCU in the Fiesta Bowl on the same day. Look for Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl, which pits an ACC team against an SEC team, possibly against South Carolina.