USC downs Notre Dame 38-28 as Caleb Williams adds to his Heisman resume

USC Trojans #13 Caleb Williams 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Photo by William Johnson/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The #6 USC Trojans (10-1, Pac-12, 8-1) moved closer to a Pac-12 championship and College Football Playoffs berth after beating #13 Notre Dame (8-4) at the Rose Bowl 38-27.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams completed 18 of his 22 passes for 232-yard yards, one touchdown. and carried the football nine times for 54 yards and three touchdowns with a dominating performance by the Heisman hopeful.

"He's a special player," said Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. "He's elusive, and he's got huge legs like a running back, but he's got an arm of a great quarterback."

USC Trojans #87 Lake McCree (TE) hurtling over Notre Dame Fighting Irish # 2 DJ Brown (S) after his 31-yard reception. Photo by William Johnson/TGSportstv1.

Austin Jones continues to be a threat running the football for USC, carrying the football twenty-five times for 154 yards.

Trojans opened up the game with an emphatic drive, including the Trojans tight-end Lake McCree, who hurdled an Irish defender during a 31-yard reception.

USC’s Tahj Washington capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown grab from Williams to give them a 7-0 lead.

The Trojans' defense came out firing on all cylinders tackling Notre Dame running back Logan Diggs for a 4-yard loss on third down on their opening drive, forcing a quick three-and-out.

"The reality is we're not sitting here 11-1 without our defense," said USC head coach Lincoln Riley. "Our defense has made some big-time plays in big-time moments."

The Trojans continued their strong play on defense in the second quarter, stopping a fourth down tight-end sneak on the opening drive. Notre Dame was held scoreless for the first 25 minutes of the game.

"When our offense goes down, our defense is right there to punch back. Defense goes down, offense and special teams are right there to punch back," said Williams.

Williams closed out the first half with a 5-yard scramble into the endzone to give USC a 17-7 lead.

After leading Notre Dame down the field to start the third quarter, their quarterback Drew Pyne fumbled just outside the Trojans’ red zone, giving the football back to USC.

USC Trojans #14 Raleek Brown (RB) 5-yard touchdown run against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s defense. Photo by William Johnson/TGSportstv1.

Williams drove their offense 74-yards downfield and the Trojans now led 24-7 with a 5-yard touchdown run by Raleek Brown.

Notre Dame responded two minutes later when their tight end, Deion Colzie, used his 6'4" frame to snag a jump ball in the endzone for a 24-yard touchdown narrowing the lead to ten points, 24-14.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Williams waltzed into the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown while backpedaling and looking at Irish defenders, making the score 31-14.

Notre Dame trailed 31-21 thanks to a 5-yard touchdown run by Logan Diggs. USC Calen Bullock intercepted a pass by Pyne with less than five minutes left in the game.

Willaims would score on his second touchdown after slicing through the middle for a 16-yard touchdown run on fourth and two, making the score 38-21 as "Heisman" chants echoed throughout the Coliseum.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish #87 Michael Mayer (TE) 24-yard touchdown against the USC Trojans’ defense. Photo by William Johnson/TGSportstv1.

The Fighting Irish would score their final touchdown of the game when Pyne threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mayer making the final score 38-28.

Pyne finished the game completing 26 of his passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

"We were really physical at the line of scrimmage," said Riley. "We got pressure on the quarterback, made some competitive plays on the throw game, obviously the pick."

USC heads to Las Vegas riding a five-game win streak where they'll be looking to avenge their only loss of the season in a rematch with #14 Utah. The Utes snuck by USC 43-42 last month which was the only Trojan loss of the season.

A win by USC on Friday will make them the Pac-12 Champions and almost guarantee a spot in the College Football Playoffs after Ohio State and Clemson's loss earlier in the day.