The Notre Dame Fighting Irish improve to 6-1 after taking down their rival the USC Trojans 41-31. The Trojans fall to 3-3 on the season. The Irish are now 5-0 at home and the Trojans are now 1-1 on the road.

This game was very streaky, as Notre Dame came out playing well with a 21-10 lead after the first quarter and then USC scored 21 straight points. After that Notre Dame scored 17 straight points to win the game.

The USC Trojans started the game off carving up the Notre Dame defense on the way to a touchdown when Cody Kessler kept the ball and it ran in for the three-yard touchdown. Then on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing Notre Dame drive, quarterback DeShone Kizer would air it out to Will Fuller for the 75-yard game-tying touchdown.

The next drive USC nailed a field goal to go ahead 10-7. Notre Dame would get the ball back on offense and hand it off to running back C.J. Prosise who ran it in from 25 yards out to put Notre Dame ahead 14-10.

After a stalled USC drive, they attempted to punt the ball and it was blocked by Equanimeous St. Brown and ran in for the score by Amir Carlisle to put Notre Dame up 21-10. Those 21 points are the most Notre Dame has ever scored in one quarter against USC. On Notre Dame’s next drive DeShone Kizer passed it to Torii Hunter Jr. for the nine-yard pass. Hunter then fumbled the ball on the three-yard line, changing the momentum of the game.

On Notre Dame’s next drive, Justin Yoon hit a 32-yard field goal to put Notre Dame up 24-10. Cody Kessler would respond as he passed it to Jalen Greene who aired it out to JuJu Smith Schuster for the 75-yard touchdown to torch the Irish defense again on a trick play. That score made it a 24-17 game.

On USC’s very next drive, Cody Kessler tossed the ball to Adoree’ Jackson for the 83-yard touchdown to tie the score up 24-24. USC’s kicker Alex Wood hit the left upright to miss the field goal and keep the game tied at 24-24.

After a defensive stop to start the second half, USC's offense would continue the onslaught as Cody Kessler would cap off an 80 yard drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Taylor McNamara.

After a Notre Dame punt, and a USC punt, Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise ran it six yards for a touchdown to tie the game up 31-31. After a USC punt, Notre Dame got the mojo back when DeShone Kizer threw a pass to Corey Robinson for the absolutely beautiful 10-yard touchdown to put Notre Dame ahead 38-31. They wouldn’t relinquish that lead for the rest of the game.

USC quarterback Cody Kessler would attempt a Trojan comeback, but with 8:18 left in the fourth quarter he threw the ball in a place he really shouldn’t have attempted to put the ball and KeiVarae Russell made him pay getting the pick. With that drive Notre Dame’s kicker Justin Yoon put one right through the uprights to make it a 41-31 game.

Prior to that throw the NBC announcers Doug Flutie and Dan Hicks said that Cody Kessler was flawless. On the next drive Cody Kessler threw a bad pass that was tipped in the air by Russell and landed right into Max Redfield’s hands for his second interception of the night.  

Notre Dame starting wide receiver Will Fuller had only three receptions tonight but made them count. On those three receptions he had 131 yards and one touchdown. DeShone Kizer wasn’t the only quarterback in this game for the Irish as Notre Dame pulled off the same trick play in the fourth quarter that USC pulled off in the first quarter. That other quarterback was Torii Hunter Jr. who went 1/1 for 35 yards.

Next week Notre Dame has a bye and in two weeks they play at Temple on Halloween night. Next week USC looks to get back on the right track and above .500 with a game against the number four team in the country the Utah Utes in LA.