The score was within seven points, the USC defense held Notre Dame offense to a three and out and redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava had rallied the Trojan offense just outside the red zone.
But then, disaster struck. Back-to-back pick-sixes were the dagger that led to the 49-35 Trojan loss to the Fighting Irish on Saturday.
Yet, the outcome could have been so different had it not been for the game-sealing turnovers.
“We battled today like we have all year, we just didn’t quite play good enough. We gave ourselves some chances right there at the end and tried to stay aggressive,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “Obviously some plays just didn’t go our way.”
USC and Notre Dame exchanged points and possessions up until the Irish took a 35-21 lead in the latter half of the third quarter. The Trojans played catch-up the entire game, not once leading in the ordeal.
It was Notre Dame who struck first in the game. On their opening possession, senior quarterback Riley Leonard led the Irish offense downfield, resulting in a one-yard touchdown by sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love – the only points of the quarter.
The Trojans finally found a spark defensively when senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold recovered a fumbled ball by Irish senior wide receiver Jayden Thomas. The Trojan offense capitalized on the turnover with a one-yard touchdown run by Maiava to tie the score.
Maiava finished the game passing for 368 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Irish finally managed to retake the lead toward the end of the second quarter. Leonard found junior tight end Eli Reridon for a 12-yard touchdown to go up 14-7.
With just under a minute before the halftime break, Maiava drove the Trojans downfield, which included a big 35-yard catch by sophomore wide receiver Makai Lemon. Maiava was able to tie the game with a 12-yard touchdown pass to a wide open sophomore wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane.
Both teams’ offenses continued to shine in the third quarter. Notre Dame’s rushing attack showed its dominance in its opening possession of the second half. Junior running back Jadarian Price broke through the Trojan front line for a big 36-yard touchdown run and gave the Irish the lead again.
The Trojans answered quickly with a touchdown of their own – a one-yard dive into the endzone for Maiava to tie the game at 21.
Notre Dame replicated that with a rushing touchdown from its quarterback. Leonard took it in for a two-yard touchdown run to reclaim the lead.
The Irish managed to pull away in the final two minutes of the third quarter with a 26-yard touchdown catch by senior tight end Mitchell Evans to give Notre Dame a 35-21 cushion.
The Trojans were finally able to get their offense moving in the fourth quarter, which included an impressive catch by redshirt junior wide receiver Kyron Hudson. That play set up a Lane touchdown catch that brought the Trojans within seven.
USC’s defense followed suit and gave the ball back to Maiava and the offense. Maiava drove the Trojans down to the Irish 21-yard line with under four minutes to go.
And then it happened.
Maiava was intercepted by Notre Dame sophomore cornerback Christian Gray – a player that had been plagued with defensive pass interference penalties all game long – and returned it 99 yards for a heartbreaking touchdown.
Deja vu struck the Trojans on the ensuing possession when Maiava again drove the offense down into the red zone and was intercepted by graduate safety Xavier Watts who returned it for a pick-six of his own – a 100-yard return for a touchdown – to give the Irish a comfortable 49-28 lead. Watts has a knack for turning over the Trojans, notching two interceptions and a fumble recovery against USC last year.
“There’s a lot to learn from this,” Maiava said. “I can’t turn the ball over in these big moments. I feel like I let the team down.”
The Trojans managed to get a consolation score on their next drive, an eight-yard touchdown reception by Lane.
USC finishes the regular season at just .500 with a 6-6 record. A bowl game is in sight with a lot to develop for the coming future.
“I think there is some really strong leadership in this program,” Riley said. “I think it speaks to what we are building. We are going to get better.”