bgi usc game report
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7/31/2019 BGI USC Game Report
1/12
By Dan Murphy
notre Dame overcame four costly turn-overs, a second-half comeback by
USC and a heart attack of a final driveto exorcise a decade of Southern Califor-nia demons with a 20-16 victory over the
Trojans on a cold and rainy night in LosAngeles.
The Irish (7-5) needed a little bit of luckto hold on to their slim lead in the gamesfinal seconds. On a third-down play frommidfield with just more than a minute
left on the clock, USC quarterback MitchMustain hit fellow senior Ronald Johnsonwith a pass that looked like it would once
again break the hearts of Notre Dame fans.But Johnson, with nothing but 10-15 yardsof turf between him and a game-winning
touchdown, let the ball and the game slipthrough his hands. Four plays later, NotreDame senior safety Harrison Smith sealed
the victory with an interception at the Irish1-yard line.
Its about time we caught a break,
Irish head coach Brian Kelly said of thedropped pass. I think today, more thananything else, we brought the fight back
into the Fighting Irish.The win, Notre Dames third in a row,
snapped an eight-game losing streak to
archrival USC that dates back to 2002 and
included two last-second defeats at homein 2005 and 2009.
The Irish looked like they were on theirway to another tough loss when USCs
Joe Houston gave the Trojans a 16-13 lead
with just more than six minutes to play.Notre Dames offense had only one firstdown in the second half going into its
final drive when the Irish decided to callon senior running back Robert Hughesafter sophomore Cierre Wood nearly lost
a fumble on a 26-yard run.
We felt like we needed to get north andsouth, and he gives us that kind of a chan-
geup, Kelly said.Hughes powered through consecutive
runs of six, 12 and 13 yards to get the
Irish to a first-and-goal situation and thenfinished the drive with a five-yard scoring
blast up the middle to give Notre Damethe lead for good.
It was raining, and we didnt want to
throw the ball around, said Hughes, whohad 11 carries for 69 yards in the game.I like to look at myself as a workhorse in
any weather. If I get the carries and I getthe opportunity, Im going to make somegood things happen.
The uncharacteristically sloppy weather,mixed with the fastest defense freshmanTommy Rees has ever seen, led to the
young quarterback turning the ball overa season-high four times against the Tro-jans. USC capital ized on the mistakes,
scoring all 16 of its points on drives fol-
lowing the turnovers.The most detrimental of Rees mistakes
came when he fumbled deep in NotreDame territory midway through the third
USC g Cp v. 28, 2010
rising up!Trojans dro sure toucdown ass in te nal minute, and Irisovercome four turnovers and oor weater to nally beat USC
Senior safety Harrison Smith interceted USC quarterbac itch ustains ass into the end zone with 36 sec-onds left in the ame to seal otre Dames first ictory oer the Trojans since 2001.
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quarter. USC defensive end Nick Perryjarred the ball loose from Rees with a
big hit on the Irish 10-yard line and alsorecovered the fumble on the 2. Four playslater, Mustain scored the Trojans lone
touchdown on a one-yard sneak to tie thegame at 13.
The score was the first touchdown sur-
rendered by the Notre Dame defense in 13
quarters. The streak lasted for 227 playsand over two hours of game clock beforethe Trojans were able to cross the goal lineon fourth down.
We actually kind of get excited whenthings like that happen. Its like a chal-lenge for us, Smith said. It just gets us
going.Notre Dames defense stood up to the
challenge following Rees three intercep-
tions, holding the Trojans to a trio of
field goals despite excellent field posi-tion. On all three possessions, USC tookover inside Notre Dames 40-yard line,
but picked up no more than 18 yards onany of the drives before the Irish defensedug in its heels.
We put the defense in some bad situ-ations, and they just continued to battle,
Kelly said. Theyve done that all year.This is not a one-time occurrence.USC was forced to rely on Houston,
who entered the game with a mediocre
7-of-13 performance on field goals withmisses on all three of his attempts frommore than 40 yards. But the senior place-
kicker kept his team in the game by con-verting all three of his field goals from23, 37 and a career-long 45 yards.
T D 20, USC 16Nv. 27, 2010L.A. Mmal ClsumLs Angls
Attndanc 85,417
1st 2nd 3d 4t Tt
Nt Dam 0 13 0 7 20
USC 3 0 10 3 16
FirST QUArTer
ND USC
USC Houston45-yardfieldgoal4:09 0 3
Dv: 4plays,3yards,2:20
SeCoND QUArTer
ND Floyd1-yardpassfromRees(Rufferkick)2:39 7 3
Dv: 16plays,79yards,8:02
ND Kamara1-yardpassfromRees
(Rufferkickfailed)0:07 13 3
Dv: 7plays,62yards,0:37
ThirD QUArTer
USC Houston23-yardfieldgoal11:02 13 6
Dv: 7plays,15yards,2:29
USC Musta in 1 -yardrun (Houstonk ick) 5 :40 13 13
Dv: 4plays,2yards,1:50
FoUrTh QUArTer
USC Houston37-yardfieldgoal6:25 13 16
Dv: 7plays,18yards,4:03
ND Hughes 5- ya rd r un ( Ru ffe r ki ck) 2: 23 2 0 1 6
Dv: 7plays,77yards,3:55
ND USC
Ttal Fst Dwns 15 12 Rushing 8 4
Passing 7 8
Penalty 0 0
rusng Attmpts 32 30
Yads Gand rusng 160 84
Yads Lst rusng 13 4
Nt Yads rusng 147 80
Nt Yads Passng 149 181
PassesAttempted 34 38
PassesCompleted 20 21
HadIntercepted 3 1
PercentCompletion 58.8% 55.3%
YardsPerAttempt 4.4 4.8
YardsPerCompletion 7.5 8.6
Ttal offnsv Plays 66 68
Ttal Nt Yads 296 261 Avg.GainPerPlay 4.5 3.8
Fumbls: N.-Lst 2-1 0 -0
Pnalts: N.-Yads 1-10 8-47
Punts: N.-Yads 6-225 7-257
Avg.PerPunt 37.5 36.7
Avg.NetPunt 36.8 33.9
Punt rtuns: N.-Yads 0-0 1-4
Kckff rtuns: N.-Yads 5-106 3-79
intcptn rtuns: N.-Yads 1-0 3-8
Fumbl rtuns: N.-Yads 0-0 1-8
Mscllanus Yads 0 0
Pssssn Tm 28:25 31:35
Td-Dwn Cnvsns 5-15 4-17
Percentage 33.3% 23.5%
Fut-Dwn Cnvsns 0-0 2-3 Percentage 0.0% 66.7%
Sacks By: N.-Yads 0-0 1-5
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7/31/2019 BGI USC Game Report
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You cant let people keep hangingaround, USC head coach Lane Kiffin
said. We should be scoring touchdownsinstead of kicking field goals.
Operating without starting quarterback
Matt Barkley, who sat out the game due toa high ankle sprain, Kiffin said the Trojansneeded to do a better job of running the
ball. Notre Dame held the USC ground
game to 80 yards, or 112 yards less thanthey averaged through the first 11 gamesof the season. Notre Dame, meanwhile,racked up 147 rushing yards, making Sat-
urdays win its 26th straight when outrush-ing the opponent.
I dont know why the running game
didnt get going, Kiffin said. That wasthe plan this week, to run the ball.
The Notre Dame offense also struggled
to move the ball early, gaining only 47yards on its first four drives before finding
its rhythm in the second quarter.With 10 minutes remaining in the first
half, Wood started what would becomeNotre Dames longest scoring drive of the
year with a nifty nine-yard run. Sixteenplays and eight minutes later, Rees con-nected with junior wide receiver Michael
Floyd for a one-yard touchdown pass toput the Irish up 7-3. Floyd had five of histeam-leading 11 catches during the drive
that sparked the Notre Dame offense.The Trojans threatened to steal the mo-
mentum back immediately when fresh-
man Robert Woods returned the ensuingkickoff to the 44-yard line. But, after oneUSC first down, Irish linebacker Brian
Smith came up with a pair of clutch stops,including a pass breakup on fourth downwith 44 seconds remaining in the half.
When I get in the position to makeplays, I have to make them, Smith said.When my chance came I made the plays,
and it got things going the right way.
After the turnover on downs, Woodagain started the drive, running 28 yards.
Rees then drove the ball down the field
with passes to Floyd and sophomore tightend Tyler Eifert before finding senior widereceiver Duval Kamara in the corner of
the end zone with seven seconds left inthe half.
Kamara, who slipped and missed a pos-sible game-winning touchdown in lastyears loss to the Trojans, took advantage
of the chance for redemption a feelingshared by many of his teammates andfans.
Its huge, Kelly said. Just looking atthe faces of so many of the Notre Dame
fans that have been waiting so long for thismoment, to see the look on their faces. Itssatisfying.
top playersof the gaMeS: CH DThejuniors11grabsagainstrivalUSC
gavehim159totalreceptionsinhiscareerandplacedhimNo.3ontheall-timelist
atNotreDame.Thestaroffensiveweapon
pulledin aquick,one-yardslant fromfreshmansignal-caller TommyRees for
NotreDamesfirstscore,andconverted
twootherfirstdownsduringthemarch.Onthefollowingdrive,hehada19-yard
snagonthesidelinetogettheballintotheredzoneandaseven-yardslantto
the1-yardlinetosetupanIrishscorejust
beforehalftime.Floydalsohadaphysicalpresenceontheperimeterandmadekey
blocksfortherunninggame.
DS: B STHIrishheadcoachBrianKellynotedduring
USCprepweekthatthedefenseneeded
linebackerBrianSmithtoplaymorephysi-cally,andtheseniordisplayedatremen-douslevelofintensityandproduction
againsttheTrojans.Hewasconstantly
aroundthefootball,particularlyinpasscoverage,andcameawaywithtwokey
passbreakups.Hefinishedthedaywith
fivetackles,includingonebehindthelineofscrimmage.KellyinitiallyfeltthatSmith
talkedmorewithhismouththanhispads,
buttheversatileplayermadetheproperadjustmentsandhasbeenavitalcompo-
nenttoanimprovingdefense.SpC TS: B TUkSpecialteamsplaymaynothavebeena
decidingfactorinNotreDames20-16vic-
toryoverUSC,butfieldpositionwas.With
theTrojansoffensegettingpossessionofthefootballinNotreDameterritoryon
fouroccasions(threeinterceptionsand
acausedandrecoveredfumble),itwasuptosophomoreBenTurktomakesure
hedidntgivetheopponentmoreoppor-
tunitieswhenhehadachancetopunt.Hehadatotalofsixpuntsfora37.5-yard
average,anefforthighlightedbykicksof49,45and40yards.
Sohomore runnin bac Cierre Wood rushed for a ame-hih 89 yards on 15 carries, hihlihted by 28- and26-yard runs off misdirection draw lays that set u two of otre Dames three touchdowns.
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7/31/2019 BGI USC Game Report
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Cg T HvSTIt has been a goal for Brian Kellys foot-
ball team since he first arrived in SouthBend: play better football in Novemberthan they did in September. With threeimpressive wins to finish the 2010 regularseason, it appears that Kelly is beginning
to reap what he sowed.Notre Dame had lost eight of its lastnine games in the month of Novemberbefore Kelly took over as the Irish headcoach. During the summer, he recognizedthe home stretch as one of his new teams
biggest problems and set about fixing it.He stepped up the players early seasonworkouts and added a training table tobe able to better monitor the nutrition hisplayers received.
As a result, many of the Irish players
are stronger now than they were beforethe grueling three-month season began.The defense is outlasting its opponent andcontrolling the line of scrimmage, and theoffense is making the plays when theyneed to be made.
All the work that we have done during
the year points toward when you wantto play your best football, and that is inNovember, Kelly said. It validates theplan that has been in place from day one.A victory helps in some of those otherperceptual issues that are out there, but for
us we knew we were on the right track.The Irish are now 3-0 in the month of
November with two wins coming againstsome of the toughest teams on their sched-ule. Heading into the seasons final month,Notre Dame appeared to be a long shot to
achieve bowl eligibility. After wins overthen-No. 15 Utah and archrival USC, theIrish are all but guaranteed a spot in a re-spectable bowl game.
More than the 180-degree turnaround,Kellys biggest accomplishment has beenhis ability to get his players to believe in
g TS
Junior wide receier ichael loyd hauled in 11 recetions for 86 yards and a touchdown, with nine catches and 74 yards comin durin otre Dames three scorin dries.phT SUzzI
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page 6
the system even during a series of hard
times.Coach Kelly, the first thing he said
when he came in was that he wanted to
play good football in November, Irishsenior linebacker Brian Smith said. Hepreached that all the way down the line.
Now its November, and its time to stepup.Irish senior safety Harrison Smith put
the bow on Notre Dames third Novem-ber victory with an interception on thelast meaningful play of Saturdays win.
He said the success against USC, andthroughout the month, has provided aturning point for the program.
The way weve been playing allthrough November is something thatweve been criticized for in the past, he
said. I think thats just a tribute to theway the coaches have coached us and the
way weve been training and working hardall offseason and during the season.
The hard work has led to promising re-
sults on the field and a team continuing togrow closer together off of it. The successleaves a much better taste in the mouths of
Irish fans than in years past and a renewedfaith that the team is improving. Now,Kellys team is faced with the task of con-
tinuing to get better in December.
TH CD BkSMidway through the second quarter, on
a third-and-long play near midfield, fresh-man quarterback Tommy Rees fired a passat his magnetic wide receiver, Michael
Floyd, along the Notre Dame sideline.Floyd hauled in the pass and picked up 12yards on the play, not only crossing mid-
field for the first time all game en routeto his teams first touchdown, but also
crossing off yet another name in the Irishrecord books.
The juniors fourth catch of the game
put him ahead of Tom Gatewood and
Golden Tate with the third highest total ofcareer receptions in Notre Dame history.
It feels good, Floyd said. Its some-
thing nice to leave a little thing back atyour school, but Im not looking at all thatstuff. Im just trying to play ball.
Floyd provided a spark with three ofhis five catches during the drive comingon third downs. He also continues to be
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pTCpT CHToFFeNSe
QB:TOMMYREES
rB:CIERREWOOD,RobertHughes,JonasGray
FB: BobbyBurger
Wr:MICHAEL FLOYD,DUVALKAMARA, ROBBY
TOMA,JohnGoodman,TJJones,TheoRiddick
Te:TYLEREIFERT,MikeRagone
LT:ZACKMARTIN
LG:CHRISSTEWART
C:BRAXSTONCAVErG:TREVORROBINSON
rT:TAYLORDEVER,MattRomine
DeFeNSe
De:ETHANJOHNSON,KonaSchwenke
NG: SEANCWYNAR,HafisWilliams
De:KARPONLEWIS-MOORE
oLB: DARIUSFLEMING,PrinceShembo
iLB:BRIANSMITH,CarloCalabrese,DanFox
iLB:MANTITEO
oLB:KERRYNEAL
CB:DARRINWALLS,RobertBlanton
S:HARRISONSMITH
S:ZEKEMOTTA,JamorisSlaughter
CB:GARYGRAY,RobertBlanton
SPeCiAL TeAMSKck rtuns:DanielSmith,DuvalKamara,Patrick
Coughlin,DanFox,SteveFiler,ChrisSalvi,Robert
Hughes,BobbyBurger,PrinceShembo,AustinCol-
linsworth,BennettJackson
Punt rtun:JohnGoodman
Plackck:DavidRuffer
Kckff Cvag:BrianSmith,SteveFiler,Prince
Shembo,DanFox,DanielSmith,DavidRuffer,Pat-
rickCoughlin,BennettJackson,RobertBlanton,
AustinCollinsworth,LoWood
Punt:BenTurk
hld:RyanKavanagh
Lng Snapp:JordanCowart
St Snapp:BraxstonCave
Gunns:RobertBlanton,BennettJacksonots: LaneClelland,BarryGallup,MikeGolicJr.,
AndrewNuss,ChrisWatt
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7/31/2019 BGI USC Game Report
7/12page 7
a rock for Rees to lean on in tough spots.Hes a great player, and anytime you
can get the ball in his hands good thingsusually happen, Rees said. Hes some-body you have to look to.
Floyd, who has 165 career catches, hasa good chance to catch Rhema McKnight(170) during Notre Dames bowl game. He
will have to have a very big game to catchJeff Samardzija, who holds the top spotwith 179 career receptions.
Floyd also ranks among Notre Damesall-time top five in touchdown catches(second, 26) and receiving yards (fifth,
2,430). Samardzija leads in scoring grabswith 27 while Tate (2,707) tops the yard-
age leaders, followed by Samardzija(2,593), Derrick Mayes (2,512) and TimBrown (2,493).
CHp TH D BCkIt doesnt rain all that often in South-
ern California. In fact, the last time NotreDame had to battle the elements as well asthe Trojans in the Los Angeles Coliseum
was 26 years ago.The Irish entered their 1984 showdown
with USC in a very similar position to the
g TS
irst-year rish head coach Brian kelly set a oal uon his arrial on camus for his team to lay better inoember than it did at the beinnin of the 2010 season. Wth a 3-0 record and ictories oer then-o. 15 Utahand USC, the team has succeeded.
phT SUzzI
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2010 team. The team was 6-4 and looking
to build on a three-game winning streak.They also hadnt left Los Angeles witha win in 16 years, a span covering eight
straight games. With the help of startingfullback Chris Smith, Notre Dame closedits season on a high note with a 19-7 win.
A generation later, Chriss son, BrianSmith, played a key role in ending anothereight-game losing streak to the Trojans on
a wet and soggy Coliseum field.Theres no other place I would rather
beat USC than in the Coliseum, especially
as my last regular season game with theFighting Irish, Smith said. Im just soexcited about the whole situation.
Smith had five tackles from his middlelinebacker position in his final showdownwith the Trojans, the best perhaps com-
ing on a third-down play late in the firsthalf when he got into to he backfield and
dragged down USC running back MarcTyler for a one-yard loss.
Smith also broke up a key fourth-down
pass attempt on the very next play to putthe Notre Dame offense in a good positionto score before the end of the half. The
senior linebacker, who saw limited play-ing time earlier in the year, finished hisregular season with 46 stops, including 3.5
tackles for loss.
SCUS TSRunningbackRobertHugheshastakena
backseatduringhisseniorseason,firsttofellowseniorArmandoAllenandthento
sophomoreCierreWood.But,heremained
anxiousandpreparedtogethisshot.Imchompingatthebittogetoutthere,
Hughessaidearlierthisweek.Youneverknowwhatmighthappen,soyouprepare
toplayandwheneveryournumberiscalled,
youplaylikeyoureNo.1.
SophomorewidereceiverTheoRiddickreturnedtothefieldSaturdayaftermiss-
ingfourgames withan ankle injuryhe
sustainedinNotreDames44-20winoverWesternMichiganOct.16.Riddicksawlim-
itedplayingtimeandwasthrowntoonly
onceduringthegame.SpeakingofWesternMichigan,theBron-
cosbecamebowleligibleFridaywithawinoverBowlingGreen.TenteamsontheIrish
schedulethisseasonarebowleligible,only
PurdueandUSCwhichcannotplayinabowlduetoNCAAsanctionsareelimi-
natedfrompostseasonplay.
SeniorsafetyHarrisonSmithandjuniorwidereceiverMichaelFloydweregamecap-
tainsforthethirdconsecutivegame.Smith
hasbeenacaptainfourtimesthisyearandFloydhasbeengiventhehonorfivetimes.
Saturdaysgamemarkedthefirsttime
since1941whenFrankLeahyandSamBarrybothdebutedfor theirrespectiveteams
thatbothUSCandNotreDamefacedoffwithfirst-yearheadcoaches.Kellybecame
thefirstIrishheadcoachtowinhisfirstshowdownwiththeTrojanssinceLouHoltzin1986.
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Senior linebacer Brian Smith, eihth on the team intacles (46) this year, layed his best football durinotre Dames 3-0 finish in oember.
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7/31/2019 BGI USC Game Report
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T DDvDU STTSTCSrusng N. Gan Lst Nt Avg. TD Lg.Wood 15 89 0 89 5.9 0 28Hughes 11 69 0 69 6.3 1 13TEAM 1 0 2 -2 -2.0 0 0Rees 4 2 5 -3 -0.8 0 1Riddick 1 0 6 -6 -6.0 0 0
Ttal 32 160 13 147 4.6 1 28
Passng Att. Cmp. Pct. int. Yds. TD Lg.Rees 32 20 62.5 3 149 2 22TEAM 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Ttal 34 20 58.8 3 149 2 22
rcvng N. Yds. TD Lg.Floyd 11 86 1 19Eifert 3 36 0 22Toma 2 15 0 8Hughes 1 8 0 8Riddick 1 6 0 6Kamara 1 1 1 1Wood 1 -3 0 0
Ttal 20 149 2 22
Punt rtuns N. Yds. TD Lg.None
Kck rtuns N. Yds. TD Lg.Jackson 5 106 0 29
Ttal 5 106 0 29
Puntng N. Avg. L g. Blk. TB FC 50+ in 20Turk 6 37.5 49 0 0 2 0 1
Ttal 6 37.5 49 0 0 2 0 1
Fld Gals Mad Att. Lg. Blk.None
Dfns Tack. Ast. Tt. TFL Sack-Yds. PD FF FrFleming 5 2 7 1-3 0-0 0 0 0Lewis-Moore 4 3 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0G.Gray 4 2 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0H.Smith 5 1 6 0-0 0-0 2 0 0Teo 3 3 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Blanton 4 1 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0B.Smith 2 3 5 1-1 0-0 2 0 0Motta 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 1 0 0Slaughter 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Neal 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Cwynar 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Johnson 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Burger 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Calabrese 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Cave 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Coughlin 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Filer 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Kamara 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Ruffer 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Walls 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Wood 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
intcptns N. Yds. TD Lg.H.Smith 1 0 0 0
Ttal 1 0 0 0
USC DvDU STTSTCSrusng N. Gan Lst Nt Avg. TD Lg.
Tyler 17 51 3 48 2.8 0 11
Gable 7 19 0 19 2.7 0 5
Woods 1 6 0 6 6.0 0 6
Baxter 1 4 0 4 4.0 0 4
Havili 2 3 1 2 1.0 0 3
Mustain 2 1 0 1 0.5 1 1
Ttal 30 84 4 80 2.7 1 11
Passng Att. Cmp. Pct. int. Yds. TD Lg.
Mustain 37 20 54.1 1 177 0 34
Baxter 1 1 100.0 0 4 0 4Ttal 38 21 55.3 1 181 0 34
rcvng N. Yds. TD Lg.
Woods 8 81 0 34
Johnson 6 40 0 15
Ellison 5 38 0 14
Havili 2 22 0 19
Ttal 21 181 0 34
Punt rtuns N. Yds. TD Lg.
Johnson 1 4 0 4
Ttal 1 4 0 4
Kck rtuns N. Yds. TD Lg.
Woods 3 79 0 38
Ttal 3 79 0 38
Puntng N. Avg. L g. Blk. TB FC 50+ in 20Harfman 7 36.7 49 0 1 4 0 4
Ttal 7 36.7 49 0 1 4 0 4
Fld Gals Mad Att. Lg. Blk.
Houston 3 3 45 0
Ttal 3 3 45 0
Dfns Tack. Ast. Tt. TFL Sack-Yds. PD FF Fr
Smith 5 7 12 1-3 0-0 0 0 0
Burnett 4 6 10 0.5-3 0-0 0 0 0
Wright 7 0 7 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
Casey 0 6 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Galippo 5 1 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Armstead 1 3 4 0.5-3 0-0 0 0 0
Jones 1 3 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Morgan 0 4 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0Baucham 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Harris 0 3 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Kennard 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Robey 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Wright 0 2 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Horton 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
McDonald 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Perry 1 0 1 1-5 1-5 1 1 1
Simmons 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 1 0 1 1-2 0-0 0 0 0
Thomas 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
intcptns N. Yds. TD Lg.
Kennard 1 8 0 8
Galippo 1 0 0 0
Jones 1 0 0 0Ttal 3 8 0 8
3Consecutive victories with fresh-manquarterbackTommyReesasthestarter.HejoinsMattLoVecchio(2000),
SteveBeuerlein(1983)andRalphGug-lielmi(1951)as NotreDamefreshman
quarterbackswhohelpedsteervictories
againsttheTrojans.Reesfirstthreestartscameonthreehallowedgrounds:Notre
DameStadium,YankeeStadiumandtheLosAngelesMemorialColiseum.
5StraightgamesthatNotreDamesop-ponentscoredfirst.ItstartedagainstNavyonOct.23andcontinuedwithTulsa,
Utah,ArmyandUSC.ButwhereasNavyandTulsatalliedtouchdownsontheirfirst
possessionsinvictories,theUtes,Black
KnightsandTrojansscoredonlyfieldgoalsenroutetotheirlosses.
6-0RecordunderBrianKellywhen
theIrishoutrushedtheopposi-tionthisyear,highlightedbyeachofthelastthreegames.TheIrishpickedup61
yardson thegroundduring thegame-
winningdriveandfinishedwith147yardsrushingtoUSCs80.NotreDamehasa26-
gamewinningstreakdatingbackto2005
whenitoutrushesitsopponent.
7Secondsleftinthefirsthalfwhense-niorDuvalKamarasnaredaone-yardscoringpassfromReesonthird-and-goal
withnotimeoutsleft.Theplaylookedvir-tually identicalto last yearslast-chance,
fourth-downplayfromtheUSC4inwhich
quarterbackJimmyClausenfiredtheballtowardKamara,wholosthisfootingon
theslipperyturf.
8:02TimeelapsedduringNotreDames 16-play, 79-yardtouchdowndrive in thesecond quartertomoveahead7-3.Thelongestprevious
scoringmarchfortheIrishthisyearwas6:23ona 15-play,80-yarddriveversus
PittonOct.9.The16playsalsowerethemostbytheIrishonascoringjourneythisseason.
11Punts in the gameby the twoteams,withonlyonereturn.USCdidhaveafour-yardreturninthesecond
half,butitwascalledbackbecauseofablockinginfractionbytheTrojans.Both
teamsoptedtoeitherfaircatchtheball
orletitdrop.
13QuartersinarowNotreDamesdefense had not permitted atouchdown,until USCfinallytalliedits
loneTDofthegameona two-yarddriveafteranIrishturnover.Thatisthelon-
geststreakbythedefensesinceitsetthe
schoolrecordof23backin1980.
26CareertouchdownreceptionsbyMichaelFloydafterhisone-yardreceptionwith2:39remaininginthesec-
ondquarter. HetiedformerteammateGoldenTateforsecondmostscoringre-
ceptionsinacareeratNotreDame.OnlyJeff Samardzija (2003-06) with 27hasmore.Floyds11receptionsagainstUSC
tiedhiscareerhighinagame.
38Possessionsbyan opposing of-fensebeforeitwasabletoscoreatouchdownonNotreDamesdefense,dat-ingbacktotheOct.30Tulsagame.When
theTrojansfinallybrokethatstreakinthe
thirdquarter,itcameonatwo-yarddriveafteranIrishfumble.
56YearssinceNotreDamelastwonagameonNov.27,untilthe20-16victoryversustheTrojans.Ithadbeenoneofthefewsub-.500datesinIrishannals,
withthelastwinoccurringatUSCin1954
(headcoachTerryBrennansfirstseason).Sincethen,theIrishhadbeen0-5-1on
Nov.27,mostrecentlya41-10lossatUSC
in2004.
B TH UBS
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SD TH CkNotre Dame head coach Brian Kelly On the postgame celebration: The feelings in our
locker room are really one of controlled excitement.They are excited about the win, but the feeling I got inthere is that it was everybody pulling together today.
On coming back to win the game: Weve overcome
a lot of adversity. We faced it here in the fourth quarter,and when we were required to play our best we came upwith a big drive and a big stop. And thats really whatweve tried to talk about all year. We cannot win here
unless all three units play football.
On the running game during the game-winning
drive: Theres a lot of things that are going on, on thesideline. Were trying to make adjustments as things go.
We struggled with throwing the football, and we reallyhad to just dig down deep. Sometime its just more aboutwill and desire and want to, and we have a lot of those
that weve built on during the year.
On the teams development: I would like to have
some more wins on the board, but I love the developmentof our football team and where were going from thatstandpoint. Look back to the 1-3 start and how we played
after that. We think we stumbled twice where maybe weshouldnt have, but our kids never blinked. They keptplaying hard, and they kept competing. Thats why we
are where we are in November.
On the scoring drive at the end of the first half: Webattled to get 44 seconds on the clock, I think we settledfor 41. I felt if we could pick up at least enough yardagewhere we wouldnt put our defense in a risky situation
throwing the ball that we would take a shot. So, once wewere able to get the big run thats when we said, Letsgo, Lets try to put this in the end zone.
On what freshman quarterback Tommy Rees didbest: He just kept competing. Hes a competitive kid.
He never, ever, lost his focus on what we wanted to do;he kept competing. Thats all we wanted him to do. He
went out there and got us in the right play. We checkeda lot of those plays from the sideline in the last drive to
make sure we got him in the right place, and he made all
the right checks.
On the importance of a win against USC: There
are a lot of things we needed to get out of the way. Thefourth quarter, finishing in the fourth quarter. Weve donethat. Beating our archrival in USC. Weve done that.
Weve put those away. Now we can focus on ourselves
and getting better each and every week.
Notre Dame freshman quarterback Tommy Rees
On the USC defense: Hats off to USC, theyre agreat team. They made things pretty difficult for me there
for a while. The offense really rallied together, and to beable to bounce back like that on the last drive shows whatkind of character and leadership we have.
On getting frustrated with interceptions: At times Igot pretty upset, but you know you have no other choice
you have to stay composed. Your team is relying on
you, and Coach [Brian Kelly] did a great job of keepingme focused throughout all of that.
On the final drive: We were thinking touchdown
first. But once we crossed over into field goal range, wewere thinking, Alright, we have a great kicker; we cantie it up. Lets take care of the ball. But Rob [Robert
Hughes] wasnt satisfied, and neither was the offensiveline or any of us. We kept running hard, and he got intothe end zone.
Notre Dame senior safety Harrison Smith
On his game-clinching interception: Going up forthe ball, I was thinking no matter what I have to comedown with this because the games over. When I actuallycame down I was like, Oh, Im in the end zone great.
But at the same time I knew our offensive line wouldcome out and get a good push, and Tommy would get thesnaps and a get a little bit further out and waste the clock.
It was just a sigh of relief.
On USC receiver Ronald Johnsons drop duringthe final drive: Theres really not much to think. Myheart dropped, I knew it was coming and just lost my
footing. He made a great move, and I just lost my foot-ing real quick. I think Jamoris [Slaughter] mightve gothim down. It wouldve been close. I was just glad I saidmy prayers.
Notre Dame senior running back Robert Hughes On playing in a bowl game: Any bowl game sounds
good to me. It gives me a chance to continue to bearound the team and the guys that I love just hanging
around and having that team camaraderie. To have theextra couple practices and an extra month or so and play
another game is great. You have limited opportunities toplay the game of football, and we have another one. Itsa blessing.
USC head coach Lane Kiffin
On losing to Notre Dame: I am very disappointed inthe outcome. It is a very special game for a lot of people,
and we let them down today. We worked hard to get thateight-game streak. We just have to come back next weekand execute. We played conservatively with a backup
quarterback, and it came down to the last play. If you hadtold me before that we would be plus four on turnovers. I
would have expected a different result. We have to scoremore points off turnovers.
reshman quarterbac Tommy ees had a difficult eenin while throw-
in three intercetions and losin a fumble near his own oal line, buthe also maintained enouh oise to steer the ame-winnin drie in theclosin minutes.
phT SUzzI
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pp vSTDUSC Ug g vS. T D U DSTheTrojansenteredthecontestranked26thnationally
inrushingyardspergamewitha192.4-yardaverage,high-lightedbyarobust5.2yardspercarry.However,theIrish
rundefensehasbeenafortressthroughoutNovemberand
heldtheTrojansto80yards.NotonememberofthedeepUSCrunningcorpsthatcarriedmorethanonceeclipseda
3.0averageperattempt,andonlyoneofthe30running
playshadagainthatexceededsixyards,an11-yardrunbyMarcTyler.However, Tylers17 carriesnettedmerely48
yards,whileC.J.Gablessevenattemptstotaled19yards.
NooneontheIrishdefensehadmorethanseventackles,atestamenttohoweveryonecontributed.Thelinemen,in
particular,didaconsistentlyeffectivejobofdefeatingtheblocksanddidntjustengagetheoffensivelinemensothat
thelinebackersandsafetiescouldcleanup.Rather,onnu-
merousoccasionstheymadethestopthemselves.DvTg: NotreDame
USC pSSg g vS. T D pSS DSMinusstarterMatt Barkley(high anklesprain), USC
openedconservativelywithprimarily hitches,bubblescreensandnakedbootlegpassesunderfirst-timeTrojans
starterMitchMustain.Seldomdidthe Trojansgodown-
field,andonmostoftherolloutsorbootlegsMustainoftenfoundhimselfundersomeduress.InsidelinebackerBrian
Smithwasastandoutintheshortpassesacrossthemiddle,
twicebreakingupthrowsandregularlyprovidingexcellentcoverage.Mustainwasnothelpedoutbyareceivingcorps
thatdroppedaboutahalf-dozenpasses,mostnotablya
wideopenRonaldJohnsonattheIrish15forwhatcouldhavebeenthegame-winning53-yardtouchdown.
Anunderratedandperhapsunder-publicizedstatisthat
enteringthiscontest,NotreDamewasallowingonly10.1yardspercompletionthefewestyardspermittedsince
the11-1teamin1993allowedonly9.5.ThisyearsfigurecontinuedtobebolsteredbythefactthatMustains20
completionsaveragedonly8.6yards.Mustainsfinalpass,
anunnecessaryheaveintotheendzonewhileunderpres-sure,resultedinseniorsafetyHarrisonSmithsinterception.
DvTg: NotreDame
T D Ug g vS. USC U DSThesprintmisdirectiondrawtosophomoretailbackCierre
WoodtwicereapedhugedividendsfortheIrishnearthe
endofeachhalf.WithNotreDameleading7-3andonly44
secondsremaininginthefirsthalf,WoodtookthedrawplayonNotreDamesfirstplayfromits38andrambled28yards
totheUSC34,settingupanIrishtouchdownwithsevensecondsleftandprovidinga two-scorecushion.Thenon
thegame-winningdriveinthefourth-quarter,Woodtook
thesamehandoffonthesecondplay26yardstotheTrojans40,wheretightendTylerEifertalsorecoveredhisfumble.
Meanwhile,senior Robert Hughesprovided anideal
complementofpower,particularlyonback-to-back13-and12-yardrunsjustbeforehisgo-aheadtouchdownfromfive
yardsoutatthe2:23mark.Wood(89yardsrushing)and
Hughes(69yardsrushing)combinedfor158yardsonthe
groundand6.1yardspercarry.Itwasvintage,physicalfootballattheend,withtheIrishoffensivelineandtherunninggamehavingitsfinesthouroftheseason.
DvTg: NotreDame
T D pSSg g vS. USC pSS DSItwasaroughoutingforfreshmanTommyRees,who
threwthreeinterceptionsthatledtothreeUSCfieldgoalsandalsolostafumbleonablind-sidesackthatsetupa
two-yardtouchdowndrivefortheTrojans.NotreDamewentdownfieldevenlessfrequentlythanUSC,
yetMichaelFloyd(11catches,tyinghiscareerhigh,for86
yards)alwaysseemedtofindjustenoughofagap,beitwideorintheslot,tokeepthechainsmovingonseveraldrives.
Hegrabbedthreeclutchthird-downpassesonthefirstIrish
scoringdrive,highlightedbyhistouchdown,snared19-andsix-yardthrowsonthesecond,andprovidedsomebreathing
roomwithan11-yardcatchtobeginthegame-winningmarch.
DvTg: USC
SpC TSUSCseniorwalk-onkickerJoeHoustonhadthebestgame
ofhiscareerwhenheconvertedallthreeofhisfieldgoal
attemptsininclementconditions.Heenteredthecontesthavingmissedonallfiveofhisattemptsfrom35yardsand
beyond,butdrilledthree-pointersfrom45and37yardsagainsttheIrish.NotreDamesDavidRufferdidntattemptanyfieldgoalsbutmissedonaPATintheclosingseconds
ofthefirsthalfthatloomedlargemostofthesecondhalf.PenaltiesonaUSCpuntreturnandonanIrishkickreturn
gavebothteamsunfavorablefieldpositionatthetime.
USCspuntinggamewasabletobottleupNotreDamewithintheshadowofitsgoalline,particularlyinthethird
quarter,withfourpuntsthatweredownedinsidethe20.
OnlyoneIrishpuntwasdownedinsidetheUSC20.DvTg: USC
THD-DW (D UTH-DW) CvSS
Neitherteamexcelledinthisarea,buttheIrishfaredbet-terbyfinishing5of15(33.3percent)comparedtoUSCs
4of17(23.5percent),althoughtheTrojansdidscoreonfourth-and-inchesandalsoconvertedonfourth-and-seven
ontheirfinaldrivebeforethrowingtheinterception.
Afterfailingonthird-and-one,twiceonthird-and-twoandthenonthird-and-threeonitsfirstfourpossessionsofthe
game,NotreDamewas3of3onitsfirsttouchdowndrive:
a13-yardpasstoFloydonthird-and-seven,afour-yardgrabbyFloydonthird-and-fourandatwo-yardtouchdown
byFloydonthird-and-goal.Thatdriveitselfgivestheslight
nodtotheIrish.
DvTg: NotreDame
TUvSThemostamazingdatafromthegameisthatUSCwasplus-
threeinturnoverswithits4-1advantage,yetstillmanagedtolosethegameathome.Infact,theTrojansweretrailing20-16
evenwitha4-0leadinturnovers.USCwassetupinNotre
DameterritoryfourtimesafterIrishmiscuesandmanaged16pointsfromthem,butthedamagecouldhavebeenmuch
worse.TheoneturnoverNotreDameforcedcamewith36secondsleftwhentheTrojanswereaimingfortheendzone.
DvTg: USC
SSToachievevictoryattheLosAngelesColiseumdespite1)
committingfourturnoverstoUSCsone,2)notwinningthe
specialteamsmatchupand3)producingonly296yardsof
totaloffensemeansthatNotreDametrulyhadtobethebetterteam.
ThedropbyJohnsononthefinalpossessionnotwith-
standing,thiswasprobablyNotreDamesmostclutchdefensiveperformanceagainstaqualityopponentina
tightcontestsinceopeningthe2006seasonwitha14-10
victoryatGeorgiaTech.ThreeinterceptionsandafumblebyReesgavethefootballonasilverplattertotheTrojans
deepinNotreDameterritorythroughoutthecontest,buttheIrishdefenseduginanddidnotallowthegametogetawayfromit,forcingfieldgoalsthreetimes.
Oftenfindingitselfinpoorfieldposition,NotreDamesoffensestillrespondedwith79-,62-and77-yardtouch-
downdrives.Thefirstmilkedaseason-high8:02offthe
clock,whilethesecondwasahurry-up37-secondblitzkrieginfiveplaysjustbeforehalftime.Thefinalewasa clutch
game-winninganswerafterUSChadpulledaheadwith
6:25leftinthecontest.Defense,aproductiverunninggamelatein thecontest
andtheabilitytofinishinthefourthquarterwerecor-
nerstonesuponwhichfirst-yearIrishheadcoachBrianKelly
wantedto build.Those messages,and theirexecution,crystallizedinNovember,particularlyinthefinale.
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7/31/2019 BGI USC Game Report
12/12 page 12
TUg pTWith just less than 1:30 left in the contest, USC trailing
20-16 and facing third-and-seven at its 47, Trojans quarter-
back Mitch Mustain faded back and unloaded a rare passdownfield to senior wideout Ronald Johnson, who wasrunning a post route. When Irish senior safety Harrison
Smith reacted to the play, he slipped on the wet turf, leav-ing Johnson wide open and all alone for what appeared tobe a 53-yard touchdown. The pass hit him in the hands and
almost in stride before harmlessly dropping to the turf.
To USCs credit, it still converted on fourth-and-sevenand drove as far as the Irish 23 before Smith intercepted a
Mustain heave into the end zone with 36 seconds remain-ing in the contest. Virtually any national champion canlook back on a game(s) or play(s) during that season and
state, Whew, we caught a huge break there, otherwiseour victory would not have been possible. Likewise,sometimes you need a play like that just to reverse a los-
ing trend or culture. What is important is although NotreDame caught that break, it also finished out the drive byforcing a turnover to help seal the verdict.
It is the type of play that might be looked back on some
day as not only a turning point in the 2010 USC game,but in the future direction of the program as an example of
using the breaks to your advantage.
STT TH gNotre Dame lost the turnover battle, 4-1 yet remark-
ably still won the game on the road. There is no way we
would have picked an Irish victory had we been toldbeforehand that USC would be plus-three in the turnovercategory.
Its not just the deficit in that area, but the fact that allfour turnovers occurred in Irish territory. Instead of givingup a potential 28 points with those miscues, Notre Dame
was able to mitigate the damage to 16 points.
An interception by USC linebacker Chris Galippo atthe Irish 31 resulted in only three net yards and led to a
45-yard field goal. Another USC interception, this one by linebacker DevonKennard to open the third quarter, set up shop at the Notre
Dame 21. The Trojans drove to a first down at the 9, buthad to settle for a 23-yard field goal. Defensive end Nick Perry forced a fumble by quarter-
back Tommy Rees that Perry recovered at the 2. On fourthdown, USC quarterback Mitch Mustain barely snuck infor the touchdown after a stout effort by the Irish defense.
In the fourth quarter, safety Marshall Jones picked off
a Rees pass at the Irish 38 when the score was knottedat 13, and again the Trojans had to settle for three on a
37-yard field.
vB BUpTHead coach Brian Kelly stated three priorities for the
2010 football team way back before spring practice even
commenced: stop the run in order to play champion-ship-level defense; finish games in the fourth quarter,especially with an ability to run the ball when the other
defense is getting tired; and be a better, more completeteam in November than at the start of the season.
You cant draw up the blueprint any better than what the
Irish achieved in the regular-season finale versus USC.
1. The defense was magnificent, yielding only one touch-down that on a two-yard drive that took four hard-earned
plays in three games. Furthermore, the Irish allowed ameager average of 233.0 yards total offense against potentfoes Utah, Army and USC.
2. During the 77-yard game-winning drive against USC,62 came via the running game, highlighted by a 26-yardsprint by sophomore running back Cierre Wood and 12- and
13-yard jaunts by senior ball carrier Robert Hughes beforehe powered his way in from five yards out.
3. Finally, after losing leads in the fourth quarter during
defeats to Michigan, Michigan State and Tulsa, the Irish ral-
lied to finish on the road in the fourth quarter against USC.It took some detours along the way, but Kellys vision for
November was fulfilled.
TH BSvTS By Lou Somogyi
Taking acLoSer LookWhAT WorKeD rusng attack. Despitelosingsenior
starterArmandoAllen,NotreDamehas
beenabletofindasparkinitsrunninggameinCierreWood.Thesophomorear-
rivedoncampuswithplentyoffanfareasa
freshman,buthehadaratherhumblingex-
periencewatchingfromthesideline.Nowthathehasbegantogothroughthematu-
rationprocessintheoffensivescheme,hehasproducedmoreonthefieldand
ranfor89yardson15carriesagainstUSC.ThethundertoWoodslightningversusthe
TrojanswasseniorRobertHughes,who
poundedfor69yardson11rushesandafive-yardtouchdown.Neitherplayerlost
yardageinthecontest,whichisanindica-
tionthattheoffensivelinecontrolledthe
lineofscrimmage.
run dfns. Nopassinggameiseffectivewithoutasolidrunninggame,andtheIrish
defenseputonquiteadisplayagainstanath-
leticUSClineup.TheTrojanswereheldtojust80yardsrushing,ledbyredshirtjuniorMarc
Tyler,ahighschoolclassmateofformerIrish
quarterbackJimmyClausen,with17rushesfor48yards(averageof2.8yardspercarry).
Cmpsu. Theremayhavebeenpres-sureonthelosingestseniorclassinIrish
history(23-26overallrecord)tobreakthe
programseight-yearlosingstreakagainstUSC,buttheIrishwereabletostaywiththe
plan.Usuallyatonofflagscanbethrownin
thesetypesofrivalrygamesduetotheag-gressivenatureofplay,butNotreDamewas
penalizedonlyonetimefor10yards(hold-
ingonakickoffreturn).TheTrojanssuffered
eightinfractionsforatotalof47yards.
WhAT DiDNT WorKPtctng t ftball. TheIrishsuffered
anumberofmiscuesthatallowedUSCto
remaininthecontest.TrojansdefenderswereabletogettheirhandsonthreeofTommy
ReespassestosetuptheoffenseattheNotre
Dame31-,21-and38-yardline.Thefreshmanquarterbackwasalsostrippedfrombehindon
asack,andtheUSCdefenserecoveredattheIrish2-yardline.TheIrishdefensecompeted,
however,andonlyallowedonetouchdownin
threered-zonechances.NotreDame,mean-while,cameawaywiththreetouchdownson
allthreeofitsred-zoneopportunities.
Applyng pssu. USCmayhavehadtostartMitchMustainatquarterbackdueto
ahighanklesprainsufferedbyMattBar-
kley,buttheIrishdidntspendmuchtime
attemptingtogethimfrazzled.Notbeing
creditedwithanysacksorquarterbackpres-
suresdidnthavemuchofaneffectonNotreDamespasscoverage.Thedefensecompiled
fivepassbreakups,andseniorsafetyHarrison
SmithpickedoffaMustainthrowinthefinalminutetoclinchNotreDames20-16victory.
Td-dwn cnvsns.NotreDamehad
abalancedattackwith147yardsrushingand149yardspassing,butitonlyconverted
5of15tries(33.3percent)onthirddown.Anumberoftheattemptsrequiredonlya
coupleofyardstogetanewsetofdowns.
TheIrishsustaineda16-play,79-yardscoringdrivebyconvertingontwothirddownsand
scoringonthethirdwithaone-yardpassto
juniorwidereceiverMichaelFloyd,buttherecouldbeahigherpercentagesuccessratein
thisarea.
Jasn Sapp
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