Notre Dame football accomplished history Saturday never seen in 17 years at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. And the Fighting Irish pulled off this feat against annual bitter rival USC in Los Angeles, as Notre Dame rolled to a 49-35 romp and with Trojans legend Caleb Williams in the house. 

The visitors inside the L.A. Memorial Coliseum grabbed not one, but two pick sixes. But these weren't just any interceptions. Notre Dame took both back for a combined 199 yards — in the fourth quarter.

Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiva first saw Christian Gray step in front of his end zone pass. Gray accelerated 99 yards for the touchdown with 3:39 left. Maiva, though, watched an even longer interception return. Xavier Watts snatched the ball from inside the end zone, then ate up 100 yards for the game-sealing touchdown for ND.

Notre Dame joined history after Watts' pick six. The Fighting Irish emerged as the first defense to deliver multiple pick sixes in a single season since the 2007 UTEP Miners, per OptaSTATS.

Notre Dame pulled off the rare feat while being led by a defensive mind in head coach Marcus Freeman.

How Notre Dame has fared defensively for 2024

Article Continues Below
More NCAA Football News
Peyton Falzone visits OSU the day of the Ohio State Buckeyes' 38-15 win over the Indiana Hoosiers in an NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
Auburn football flips 4-star Penn State QB commitJaren Kawada ·
Gator fans cheer as the flags are brought onto the field during the first half of the University of Florida Orange & Blue game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Florida football picks up big recruiting win over rival GeorgiaScotty White ·
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) throws a pass during the game against the Texas Longhorns in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Cade Klubnik name drops Arch Manning among 4 loyal QBs changing the gameScotty White ·
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14.
Ohio State lands stud OT over Texas, Texas A&MLorenzo J Reyna ·
Nov 29, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers mascot Bucky Badger performs prior to the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Wisconsin release statement on RB’s ‘tragic passing’Zachary Draves ·
Oregon Ducks mascot The Duck leads the team entrance against the Washington State Cougars at Autzen Stadium.
Oregon football’s top 3 2026 targets after whiffing on Jared Curtis, Ryder LyonsScotty White ·
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman watches game action against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Notre Dame pulled up to Southern California with the nation's fourth-best defense in tow.

The Irish only allowed 273.1 total yards per game through 11 games. Opposing offenses also only averaged 4.24 yards per play facing Freeman's unit. Opponents only crossed the end zone 15 times against the Irish defense.

Even before the USC game, opponents struggled running up the score on ND. Only Louisville emerged as the lone offense to surpass the 20-point mark on Notre Dame. The last six opponents after couldn't scale over 14 against ND.

USC, however, becomes the first to crack the 30-point threshold. Maiva combined for all five USC touchdowns, including three through the air. But, Maiva and a vaunted Trojans air attack failed to deliver a single completion past 40 yards.

Notre Dame now awaits its College Football Playoff fate. At 11-1, the Fighting Irish are in tremendous shape to enter and potentially claim one of the four top seeds. The fifth of six CFP pairings are announced on Tuesday, Dec. 3. But the final seedings are unveiled Sunday, Dec. 8 and a day after conference championship games get decided.