Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509682
24 OCT. 28, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT With USC in possession on the first offensive drive of the game for either team, Irish senior safety Xavier Watts intercepted a pass from USC junior quarterback Caleb Williams and returned it 38 yards to the USC 12-yard line. Three plays later, Notre Dame was in the end zone with a 7-0 lead, a play that gave the Irish a quick advantage they never relinquished on a play that set an early tone. The quick start and momentum boost that Watts provided with his interception was vital for Notre Dame in its fourth straight prime-time game against a ranked and undefeated opponent. This Watts' interception, which set up the quick touchdown and early lead, may end up being more than a turning point in this game, but a turning point to the rest of this season. STATS OF THE GAME After a dismal showing when Notre Dame lost the turnover battle to Louisville 5-1 en route to a 33-20 loss Oct. 7, the No. 21 Irish flipped the script in the 48-20 win over No. 10 USC. Notre Dame turned the Trojans over 5 times — 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recover- ies — and scored 28 points off of those 5 takeaways. Notre Dame was also prolific in the red zone, going 5 of 5 inside the Trojans' 20-yard line for 27 points (3 touchdowns, 2 field goals). Against the highest-scoring offense in the country, Notre Dame accomplished its goal of keeping of- fensive play numbers down, sort of. USC actually won that category 74-49 but undermined by the 5 turnovers that advantage meant little. Notre Dame started two touchdown drives inside USC's 15-yard line, and three of its four offensive touchdown drives began in plus territory. The Irish also returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score and capped its solid night with a 15-yard fum- ble recovery scoop-and-score from Watts. CORRALLING CALEB It was no secret that the secret to beating USC for Notre Dame was finding a way to at least corral the nation's top-rated quarterback Williams. The Irish limited the reigning Heisman Trophy win- ner to 23-of-37 passing for a season-low 199 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Williams had never had a 3-interception game in his career before this game and had only thrown 2 picks in a game one time in 32 career appearances. What a difference a year makes. Last season in a 38-27 win for the Trojans, Williams managed 232 passing yards with 1 touchdown but recorded 3 touchdown runs, including two in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for the Trojans. Notre Dame contained Williams, sacked him 6 times for -44 yards, and limited him to -8 rush- ing yards total. Williams entered the game against Notre Dame with 14 games with multiple touch- down passes in his last 16 outings. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE LINEBACKER JD BERTRAND The graduate student and team captain did most of his work in the first half, recording 9 of his game- high 11 tackles while Notre Dame built a 24-6 lead. His solid night included an impressive tackle for loss midway through the second quarter on a USC fourth-and-1 that turned the Trojans over on downs and prevented them from cutting into a 17-3 Irish lead. Bertrand's performance tied his season high for tackles in a game and gave him the team lead in tackles with 52 stops. TAILBACK AUDRIC ESTIMÉ Be it through play calling or some recent poor offensive line performances, the Irish junior was lim- ited in both carries and production the last three games against Ohio State, Duke and Louisville, but was showcased against USC. He responded with his best game in his last four outings with 22 carries for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was Estimé's most productive game on the ground since his 176-yard performance against Central Michigan Sept. 16, and it helped set a course for Notre Dame to return to its run-reliant offensive approach. He finished with a team-best 99 all-purpose yards. SAFETY XAVIER WATTS The Irish senior made a quick, thorough and lasting impact on a game that he finished with 7 tack- les, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 late scoop-and-score touchdown. He intercepted Trojans' junior quarterback Caleb Williams on the fourth offensive play of the game and returned it 38 yards to the USC 12-yard line to set up a touchdown and a 7-0 Irish lead. Watts recorded his second interception of the game, and third of the season, late in the first half, and returned it 23 yards to the USC 2-yard line to set up another touchdown that pushed the Notre Dame lead to 17-3. As an encore, he recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter and returned it 15 yards for the first touchdown of his career. He ended USC's night with a forced fumble recovered by teammate Javonte Jean-Baptiste. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Junior running back Audric Estimé notched 22 carries for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER