Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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a good example for the rest of the team by toughing out the dings he accumulates throughout the season. "This year, you can see if he gets nicked at practice he's not coming out," Martin said. "He's staying out there, he's taking every rep at practice, and he's not complaining at all. To see that and to see him grow is awesome." Jones' durability allows him to be a more constant contributor than he's been in years past. On his touchdown drive — one that USC head coach Ed Orgeron considered a backbreaker — Jones played a key role on four of the six snaps. He drew a pass interference call on one play, nearly missed a reception on another and then caught the touchdown pass. He also motioned into the backfield early in the drive and lined up as a makeshift fullback to spring junior running back Cam McDaniel for a 24-yard gain. "Ideally, I don't think I'm the receiver that was supposed to be out there on that play. They just kept the same personnel on the field," he said. "I did what I could, did my best, and he took off down the field." Jones won't be converting into a blocking threat in the backfield anytime soon, but that play was another example to add to his new commitment to playing through pain. Penalties Doom Trojans There's no accusing the game's Pac12 crew of favoritism for conference member USC. In fact, if you ask the Trojans, the exact opposite was the case in Notre Dame's 14-10 victory. "We do what we can," USC freshman wide receiver Darreus Rogers Miscellaneous Notes • Senior quarterback Tommy Rees has thrown for 6,073 yards in his career with the Irish. Rees passed the 6,000-yard mark with his seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Troy Niklas in the first quarter. Rees completed all six of his pass attempts on that drive and finished the game 14-of-21 passing for 166 yards before an injury ended his night early in the third quarter. • Representatives from the Maxwell and Lott Award committees came to South Bend for this weekend's game. Former Irish linebacker Manti Te'o won both of those awards a year ago. The Lott contingency presented a trophy to athletics director Jack Swarbrick on behalf of Te'o. The presenter was former USC safety Mike Salmon. • Notre Dame and USC have played 85 times, and this year's game was only the 11th time neither program has been ranked when they met. The Irish are now 8-3 in those games. • The win over USC gives Notre Dame an all-time record of 8-2 when playing night games at Notre Dame Stadium. The team's only two losses under the lights came against Miami in 1984 and USC in 2011. • The temperature in South Bend at 7:43 p.m., when Notre Dame kicked off to start the first quarter was 48 degrees. The game lasted a total of three hours and 16 minutes, one of the faster home games in recent history for the Irish. • Niklas' touchdown catch was his fifth of the year, which leaves him one score away from tying the program record for most touchdown catches by a tight end in one season. That mark was set by Hall of Famer Ken MacAfee in 1977. Niklas is currently tied with Tyler Eifert (2011) and MacAfee (1975) for second on that list. "I'd say I've grown tremendously," Niklas said. "I think I'm going to make another big stride in the remainder of the year."