USC hosted No. 5 Notre Dame at the LA Coliseum, and the Trojans were threatening to upset the Fighting Irish until they suffered a fourth quarter meltdown.
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That is, with 3:39 left in the game and USC down 35-28, the home team was in scoring position, trying to tie up.
However, quarterback Jayden Maiava accidentally threw the ball to Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray, who returned the interception 99 yards for a defensive touchdown.
NOTRE DAME 99-YARD PICK-SIX, THAT ABOUT DOES IT FOR USC!
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) December 1, 2024
Then on the following drive, USC found themselves with another scoring opportunity, when Maiava threw an interception to Xavier Watts in the end zone, which he also took to the house.
NOTRE DAME WITH BACK-TO-BACK 99-YARD PICK SIXES 😱 🤯
(via @CBSSportsCFB)
pic.twitter.com/PlMttgfhaB— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 1, 2024
To point out, this long-standing rivalry also featured some bad blood as Rylie Mills punched USC offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon after Maiava scored on a QB sneak.
Notre Dame’s Rylie Mills punches #USC LG Emmanuel Pregnon as he’s on the ground here tugging on Mills’ leg on Jayden Maiava’s TD keeper.
🎥 @Rivals_Jeff pic.twitter.com/nKRoqTwOCC
— Ryan Young (@RyanYoungRivals) November 30, 2024
More punches thrown in rivalry week, this time involving a Notre Dame punching a USC player. 👊 pic.twitter.com/vdbKYxuQfm
— SPORTS TREE LTD. (@sportstreeltd) November 30, 2024
In view of another highlight during the game, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love hurdled Kamari Ramsey on a halfback screen pass.
HURDLE GAME TOO STRONG 😤pic.twitter.com/SL2ewUALUZ
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) November 30, 2024
Ultimately, after a 49-35 win, the Fighting Irish have now punched their ticket to the college football playoffs, as they are 11-1 on the year. To mention, their only loss on the year came vs. Northern Illinois (16-14 loss), who Notre Dame paid $1.4 million to play against.
On the other hand, the Trojans finished with a 6-6 disappointing record, despite a promising start to the season when they defeated LSU (27-20) in Week 1.
Notre Dame is now 6-1 vs. USC in the last seven matchups and 52-37 all-time.
