Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/755613
26 DECEMBER 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Per usual this year, Notre Dame was competitive through the first half, trailing 10-7 and taking posses- sion at its 21 with 3:12 left until the intermission. The opening of the floodgates began with USC sacking junior quarterback DeShone Kizer for a 13-yard loss. Then when junior punter Tyler Newsome booted the ball from the end zone, USC game- breaker Adoree' Jackson fielded it on the bounce and raced un- touched for a 55-yard touchdown with 1:24 left. Two plays later while trying to operate the two-minute drill, Kizer was intercepted by redshirt sopho- more cornerback Ajene Harris, who returned the pick 33 yards for a score. In a span of 17 seconds, the score went from 10-7 to 24-7 on two non- offensive touchdowns. STATS OF THE GAME USC junior speedster/corner- back Adoree' Jackson scored three touchdowns via different routes that added up to 204 yards. He became the second player in the NCAA the past 10 years to score on a punt, kick- off and reception in the same game. His 55-yard punt return extended USC's lead to 17-7. After Notre Dame cut it to 24-14, Jackson caught his first pass of the year, a screen he took down the sidelines for a 52-yard tally. When Notre Dame pulled to within 31-21, Jackson's 97-yard kick return was the dagger. It's the first time an Irish opponent scored two touchdowns on special teams since USC's Anthony Davis two kickoff returns in a 45-23 vic- tory in 1972. In the Orange Bowl the following game, Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers scored three times on a run, once on a pass and threw a 50-yard TD during a 40-6 rout of the Irish. LATE FIRST-HALF WOES USC's two touchdowns in 17 sec- onds from 1:24 to 1:07 at the end of the first half to take a 24-7 lead were a distressing pattern for the Irish in four different defeats this season. • In the season opener, Texas went 80 yards in seven plays to score with 1:12 left in the first half for a 21-14 edge. • Michigan State drove 92 yards and scored a touchdown with 23 seconds left for a 15-7 halftime lead. • Duke marched 70 yards for a TD and scored with 1:22 remaining in the first half for a 28-21 advantage at the intermission. • Virginia Tech moved 75 yards and tallied a TD with 1:18 left to slice its halftime deficit to 24-14, which gave the Hokies momentum in their eventual 34-31 victory. Doing a better job of finishing games is much discussed, but it be- gins with finishing a first half. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI Fifth-year senior nose guard Jarron Jones continued his stellar play in the second half of the year with seven tackles (1.5 for loss) versus USC. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA OFFENSE: RB JOSH ADAMS The sophomore running back set the tone for his afternoon on Notre Dame's first play from scrimmage, busting loose for a season-long gain of 74 yards to get the Irish to the USC 1-yard line and set up the game's first touchdown. Adams finished with a career-high 180 yards on 17 carries, and added two catches for 30 yards. He had surpassed his season high by halftime, with 133 yards on just nine carries. He added another 38 yards in the third quarter, many of which came after contact while he played his most physical football of the season. He ended with 933 yards this season (5.9 yards per carry). DEFENSE: DL JARRON JONES The Irish defense flashed some good moments against USC, but no player was as effective as the fifth-year senior nose guard, who finished the game with seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a third-down pass broken up in the second quarter. USC had a hard time containing Jones, who got a strong push up the middle and forced the Trojans off tackle and to the perimeter with its run game. He spent a good portion of the game moving USC center Nico Falah into the backfield. Jones finished his senior season with 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and three passes broken up. SPECIAL TEAMS: KR C.J. SANDERS Notre Dame's special teams were thoroughly dominated by USC, and there were really no standouts. The sophomore return man gets the nod here because he was the one player who had no big mistakes. Sanders returned three kickoffs for 68 yards, with the lon- gest covering 27 yards. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY BRYAN DRISKELL