Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2016 23 BY MATT JONES I t was the worst loss for the Notre Dame football team since the previous time it traveled to Los Angeles. The Irish went about it in a differ- ent fashion — melting down on spe- cial teams primarily— but the re- sult was similar. USC won its eighth straight game, beating Notre Dame 45-27 in front of 72,402 spectators at a rainy Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Notre Dame finished the season 4-8, its worst record since going 3-9 in 2007 under Charlie Weis. There will be no postseason play for the Irish, a team that was preseason top 10. "I thought we could play with any- body this year," seventh-year head coach Brian Kelly said. Kelly is now 59-31 in his time with the Irish, raising questions about his long-term future with the program. Instead of staying on the West Coast to recruit, the 55-year-old went back to South Bend earlier than he typi- cally does at the end of the season, he said, in an effort to conduct exit interviews with his players. Wi t h a t h l e t i c s d i re c t o r J a c k Swarbrick standing close by, Kelly made it clear that if left up to him, he wants to return to Notre Dame in 2017. "Absolutely," Kelly said. In Notre Dame's previous trip to Los Angeles (2014), USC's Cody Kes- sler threw six touchdowns in a 49-14 victory over the Irish. This time, the Notre Dame special teams proved to be the weak link, allowing dynamic USC junior return man Adoree' Jack- son to run back both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns. Jackson, a starting cornerback, also played at receiver on offense and caught a 52-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. It was the first time in Jackson's career he scored three touchdowns in one game. "He's a superhero," first-year full-time USC head coach Clay Hel- ton said of Jackson, who finished with 291 all-purpose yards. "He's unbelievable." While the Irish kept the game re- spectable until the fourth quarter, USC consistently played like the bet- ter team. After Notre Dame junior quarterback DeShone Kizer ran for a one-yard touchdown — following a 74-yard run by sophomore running back Josh Adams — to take a 7-3 lead with 9:51 left in the first quarter, USC immediately responded. The Trojans went 75 yards on seven plays to move ahead 10-7 on a 51-yard run by sophomore running back Ronald Jones II. That lead grew quickly late in the second quarter when Jackson took a punt from Notre Dame junior Tyler Newsome for a 55-yard touchdown with 1:24 left in the half to make it 17-7. On the second play of the ensu- ing Irish drive, Kizer was intercepted by USC redshirt sophomore corner- back Ajene Harris, who returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to give the Trojans a 24-7 halftime advantage. "I wish I could have that throw back, obviously," Kizer said. "I stepped up in the pocket and got ag- gressive on the ball that was a little late to a receiver. They jumped it and returned it for six." Kizer, in possibly his last game at Notre Dame, completed 17 of 32 throws for 220 yards. His counter- part, redshirt freshman Sam Darnold of USC, was 19-of-29 passing for 205 yards with two touchdowns. Kizer threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter to cut USC's lead to 10 — a 14-yarder to sopho- more wide receiver Chris Finke and a 29-yarder to freshman wideout Kevin Stepherson — but both were answered by Jackson touchdowns. After Notre Dame cut the lead to 24- 14 on Finke's score, Jackson capped a 79-yard drive with his receiving USC junior Adoree' Jackson (No. 2) became the second player in the NCAA the past 10 years to score on a punt (55 yards), kickoff (97) and reception (52) in the same game. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA GLOOMY FINISH USC hammers Notre Dame 45-27 in rainy 2016 finale