The No. 20 USC Trojans had the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish right where they wanted them on Saturday night. USC had built a 24-21 lead in the third quarter on the road, with momentum swinging their way after an explosive 59-yard touchdown by Ja'Kobi Lane.
Then everything fell apart. The Trojans collapsed completely, losing 34-24 in South Bend as self-inflicted mistakes turned a winnable rivalry game into a nightmare.
Lincoln Riley's postgame admission said it all.
“We just flat out did not play good enough tonight and had some missed opportunities that make you sick.”
The numbers tell a brutal story. Three turnovers, all in the second half. A 306-68 rushing yards deficit. Zero points in the fourth quarter, while Notre Dame added seven. So where did it all go wrong? The breakdown starts with special teams.
USC football's special teams catastrophe
The single moment that flipped this game came at 4:17 of the third quarter. USC had just taken a 24-21 lead on Ja'Kobi Lane's 59-yard touchdown catch and a two-point conversion. The Los Angeles faithful who made the trip were going wild. Then, Jadarian Price took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to the house, and suddenly Notre Dame led 27-24 after a missed extra point.
Riley didn't mince words about the significance. He called it “probably the biggest singular play of the game.”
“To me, having a kickoff return for a touchdown is almost like losing it six to nothing,” Riley said. “You can negate a pretty stout defensive performance. You negate any of the positive plays on special teams or the few that we had offensively.”
That's exactly what happened. The defense had forced stops, the offense had made explosive plays, and one kickoff coverage breakdown erased it all.
The timing made the situation exponentially worse. USC had finally taken control after trailing for most of the night. The momentum was on their side. However, just fifteen seconds later, that momentum shifted to Notre Dame, and the Trojans never managed to recover. The special teams coordinator is expected to have the units prepared for these critical moments. Instead, the coverage unit got torched on college football's biggest stage.
Riley's questionable calls and Maiava's mistakes sealed it
If the kickoff return cracked the door open for Notre Dame, Riley's play-calling and Jayden Maiava's turnovers kicked it wide open. Early in the fourth quarter, after Maiava connected with Makai Lemon for a 42-yard gain to reach Notre Dame's 37-yard line, Riley dialed up a trick play designed for Lemon to throw. In the rain! Notre Dame's Adon Shuler forced a fumble, and the Irish recovered near midfield.
Riley took full responsibility afterward.
“Stupid call. Stupid call.”
He took accountability for multiple bad decisions, including the trick play and two failed fourth-down calls that didn't put his players in good positions.
Even USC legend Matt Leinart questioned the decision on social media, posting: “That play call in the rain. Not sure why?”
Minutes later, facing fourth-and-short, Riley opted for a pass play that fell incomplete instead of sneaking it. Notre Dame capitalized on the field position from the fumble, with C.J. Carr punching in a 1-yard touchdown to make it 34-24 with 7:16 remaining.
Maiava's two interceptions made things worse. Christian Gray intercepted him near midfield late in the third quarter, destroying any momentum USC still had after the kickoff return. Luke Talich ended the game with another pick at 1:06 remaining as the Trojans tried desperately to come back. Maiava's finished 22-of-42 for 328 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He made big plays downfield, but his turnovers proved costly.
The run game disappeared when USC football needed it most
Notre Dame rushed for 306 yards on Saturday while USC managed just 68. That 238-yard gap tells you everything about how this game was won and lost in the trenches. Jeremiyah Love dominated the Trojans' defense, racking up a career-high 228 rushing yards, repeatedly gashing USC on big runs throughout the rainy night.
On the other side, injuries to running backs Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan left USC short-handed and one-dimensional. They couldn't establish anything on the ground or control the clock in the fourth quarter, leaving Notre Dame's defense free to pin its ears back.
In wet conditions where ball security and ground control matter most, USC had no answer. Notre Dame controlled the game-ending drive with their rushing attack, bleeding the clock and sealing the victory.
USC faces a difficult stretch ahead with road games at Nebraska and Oregon, plus a rivalry showdown with UCLA. With two losses already and a likely drop from the Top 25, there's no margin for error left.
