20 OCT. 28, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
BY JACK SOBLE AND TYLER HORKA
X
avier Watts knew it before
everyone else. He knew he
stripped the ball from USC
freshman running back Quinten
Joyner on what would be USC's last
possession. The Notre Dame Stadium
crowd roared to life when it saw Watts
fist-pump like he'd never fist-pumped
before in celebration, realizing what the
senior safety just did.
That was the kind of night Watts had.
When he walked into the media room
during graduate student quarterback
Sam Hartman's postgame press confer-
ence, Hartman stopped mid-sentence
and made a valid point.
"Hey guys," Hartman said. "That guy
is pretty good at football."
Watts finished his night with 7 tackles,
2 interceptions, 1 pass broken up, 1 forced
fumble and 1 fumble recovery, which he
returned 15 yards for a touchdown. He
and the rest of Notre Dame's ferocious
defense fueled a 48-20 win over USC.
"I mean, I don't know," Watts said
when asked, plain and simple, what got
into him against the Trojans. "Obviously
came off the loss from Louisville, so just
kind of angry from that. I mean, big ri-
valry game. Just wanted to come out and
MEGA-WATTS
Led by Xavier Watts' career game,
Notre Dame hammers USC 48-20
