Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2024 19 Gray's redemption embodied that vic- tory. Notre Dame punched, got punched back and delivered the knockout blow. The Irish began the afternoon with a fourth-and-short stop on a tackle by Gray and a methodical touchdown drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Jeremi- yah Love. It looked like they might run away with a win, but senior wide re- ceiver Jayden Thomas fumbled in Notre Dame territory. USC's ensuing touch- down drive gave the Trojans life. Toward the end of the first half, same thing: senior Irish quarterback Riley Leonard found junior tight end Eli Rari- don for a 12-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead, but 35 seconds later, the Trojans were celebrating at the other end. "We had some adversity, but they re- sponded," Freeman said. "14-14 at half- time, our guys came out of the locker room and responded. It was a sense of urgency that we didn't have against Northern Illinois." With a 28-21 lead in the fourth quar- ter, Leonard evoked memories of NIU with a woefully under-thrown inter- ception on a deep passing attempt. He called the throw "embarrassing," but his defense picked him up. USC faced a fourth-and-3 at the Irish 38-yard line, and Maiava saw sophomore wideout Makai Lemon open down the right side. He made an accurate throw, but Watts darted from center field and grabbed Lemon's arms after the ball hit his hands to break up the pass. Leonard jogged back onto the field and threw a tight-window dime to senior tight end Mitchell Evans for a 23-yard score. "Boom, we throw the pick, defense gets a four-and-out," Leonard said. "That's what should be highlighted. And then we go down there, throw it up to Mitch Evans, he makes a great play. That's what gives me a little bit of hope." Pick sixes from Gray and Watts — the latter's going 100 yards — sealed the deal. After the game, the Irish walked to the southeast corner of the Coliseum, join- ing arms as they sang their alma mater. The marching band didn't travel, so it was up to the players, coaches, support staff and families to belt the words. As soon as the song wrapped up, Freeman pumped his fist and shouted, "YEAH! WHOO!" as loudly as he physi- cally could. This one meant everything to the third-year head coach. "It's hard to put into words, but it's an unbelievable feeling," Freeman said. "This is a special place." Notre Dame will likely host a first-round CFP matchup against a to-be-determined opponent on Dec. 20 or 21. Next time the Irish sing the alma mater, they'll have help. FIRST QUARTER NOTRE DAME 7, USC 0 Top moment: Notre Dame sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love powered into the end zone from one yard out to extend his streak with at least one rushing touchdown to a program-best 12 games. Feature performer: Love ran 4 times for 36 yards and his score. The very first play of the game was a 19-yard gain on the ground for Love. Notable Stats: USC outgained Notre Dame 82 to 80 in total yards. The Irish averaged 5.7 yards per play to the Tro- jans' 5.5. Time of possession was fairly even, with the Irish possessing the ball for 7:33 and the Trojans having it for 7:27. Items: Sophomore cornerback Chris- tian Gray made a critical tackle on a screen on fourth-and-2 from the Notre Dame 29 on USC's first possession … The Irish scoring drive spanned 72 yards and took 13 plays and 7:13 of game time. SECOND QUARTER NOTRE DAME 14, USC 14 Top moment: Notre Dame senior quarterback Riley Leonard connected with junior tight end Eli Raridon for a 12-yard touchdown with 1:03 left in the first half. Feature performer: Leonard com- pleted 7 of 9 pass attempts for 66 yards and 1 score. When the game started opening up in the second frame, Leon- ard was up to the task. Notable Stats: Notre Dame outgained USC 138 to 106 in total yards. The Trojans averaged 8.2 yards per play to the Irish's 6.6. Notre Dame possessed the ball for 9:51 while the Trojans only had it for 5:09. Items: USC got on the board with a 1-yard touchdown rush from quarter- back Jayden Maiava … Irish walk-on