SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love didn’t need any extra motivation to show up big at home in what is currently the final meeting between the Fighting Irish and Southern Cal.
So, while he was confronted for much of the night by defenders who wanted to exchange words with the standout junior, he decided to tear it up on the turf in a historic way that no player has before inside Notre Dame Stadium.
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“They weren’t good conversations,” Love said about his repeated confrontations with USC defenders. “That’s all I can tell you.”
“It means a lot,” Love added following No. 13 Notre Dame’s 34-24 win over No. 20 Southern Cal Saturday on a soggy South Bend night. “Obviously the rivalry between USC and Notre Dame has been going on for a very long time and I feel very honored and blessed to be a part of that and also to have as great of a performance as I did tonight.”
Love recorded a career-high 228 yards on the ground in the Fighting Irish’s (5-2) win over the Trojans (5-2). It was also the most-ever rushing yards by a Notre Dame running back in Notre Dame Stadium history. There have been over 500 games held there.
Now Love, in a big rivalry matchup, has perhaps the final say.
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“You know, I told the guys and I reminded myself, you remember rivalry games,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “I remember my rivalry games from Pee Wee to high school to college and the ones I’ve been a part of as a coach. They just — those are games that mean more. You remember obviously the outcomes, but obviously remember some things you did in that game that led to the outcome.”
Notre Dame won its fifth-straight game this season in the win over the Trojans. It’s the first ranked win by the Irish this season.
After trailing 24-21 with over four minutes left in the third quarter, it was Jadarian Price, not Love, that made the play that turned the tide.
Following USC’s 59-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Maiava to Ja’Kobi Lane and a successful two-point conversion, the visitors had taken their first lead since 10-7 in the first quarter.
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Price received the ensuing kickoff trailing 24-21 and decided to take it 100 yards to the house, similarly to a 99-yard return he made against the Trojans in 2023. Notre Dame led 27-24 as the fourth quarter arrived.
“Thinking back, I didn’t do the right thing not going under the block,” Price said. “I kind of went outside the block, but it worked out. After I broke the first tackle, I knew I was going to the house. It was déjà vu like two years all over again.”
Freeman agreed that it was a momentum swing at the right time.
“We were down; they converted a two-point conversion,” Freeman said. “They got all the momentum. They are up three points. For JD to, I mean, it’s another version of déjà vu from two years ago. I am sitting there like, ‘God, I get you, man.’ You know?”
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USC never fully recovered from that moment. The Trojans final four drives resulted in three turnovers and one turnover on down. Notre Dame scored the final 13 points in the win.
“I feel like we did a good job with that, and especially with their high-powered offense we took it for what it was,” safety Adon Shuler said. “It was a one-play, one-life mentality. We kept that throughout the game and we had to create turnovers. That was the only way we were going to get out with a win and we were able to do that.”
Notre Dame amassed 442 total yards against USC’s 396. While the Fighting Irish exceeded on the ground, the Trojans were not limited by the rain in their aerial attack. Quarterback Jayden Maiava completed 22-of-42 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. His pair of interceptions were thrown in the final quarter in desperation time.
“Our defense, we challenged them,” Freeman said. “Let’s make them one dimensional. We can’t let them run and throw the ball at will. That’s what they’ve been doing. For the most part we stopped them in the run game.”
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USC gained just 68 yards on the ground.
The Fighting Irish and Trojans were hoping to fit in the game during a brief lightning-free window. Thunderstorms in the area delayed both teams from visiting the field for warmups until less than an hour remained before kickoff.
“It was going to be O-line, D-line driven game and be won in the trenches,” Freeman said. “We weren’t going to be able to throw the ball a lot in the second half because of the moisture and the weather, and that’s what we want. That’s our edge. We got to play the game in a physical manner that maybe not every team wants to play.”
USC scored first and cruised down the field to do so. Notre Dame responded quicker with Love breaking back-to-back 63- and 12-yard runs. The latter evened the game at seven. Notre Dame eventually clung to a 14-13 halftime lead.
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The Irish began the second half with a near seven-minute scoring drive that saw CJ Carr throw his only touchdown pass of the day, this time to captain Will Pauling for a 21-13 lead. Carr finished 16-of-26 and threw for just 136 yards, a touchdown and in interception. The pick was the Irish’s lone turnover of the game.
For an offensive line that featured first-time starter at center Joe Otting, the gaps for Love and Price to run through for bigger than necessary.
“He did great,” Love said of Otting. “One man goes down and another comes up. He was ready for his opportunity. … He had his chance and executed every single play he did his job. That added to the performance we had as an offense.”
Notre Dame and USC are both off next week. The Fighting Irish return to the field on Nov. 1 when Notre Dame travels to Boston College.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
#20 Southern Cal — 10; 6; 11; 0 — 24
#13 Notre Dame — 7; 7; 13; 7 — 34
First quarter
USC (11:09) — Jayden Maiava pass complete to Lake McRee for 10-yard touchdown. PAT is good. (USC 7-0)
ND (10:11) — Jeremiyah Love rushes for 12-yard touchdown. PAT is good. (Tied 7-7)
USC (8:04) — Ryon Sayeri converts a 42-yard field goal. (USC 10-7)
Second quarter
ND (14:38) — Jadarian Price rushes for 16-yard touchdown. PAT is good. (ND 14-10)
USC (1:43) — Sayeri converts 24-yard field goal. (ND 14-13)
Third quarter
ND (8:04) — CJ Carr pass complete to Will Pauling for six-yard touchdown. PAT is good. (ND 21-13)
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ND (6:19) — Sayeri converts 43-yard field goal. (ND 21-16)
USC (4:32) — Maiava pass complete to Ja’Kobi Lane for 59-yard touchdown. Two-point conversion is successful. (USC 24-21)
ND (4:17) — Jadarian Price runs 100-yards for a kickoff return touchdown. PAT is no good. (ND 27-24)
Fourth quarter
ND (7:16) — Carr rushes in one-yard touchdown. PAT is good. (ND 34-24)
