Tight end Mitchell Evans #88 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches a pass and is tackled by Safety Akili Arnold #0 of the USC Trojans in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Quarterback Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dives over cornerback Jacobe Covington #14 of the USC Trojans for the first down in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
From USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams during a NCAA football game between the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold #4 of the USC Trojans recovers a fumble by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Quarterback Jayden Maiava #14 of the USC Trojans runs for a first down against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Wide receiver Beaux Collins #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish drops a pass against cornerback Jacobe Covington #14 of the USC Trojans in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Defensive end Devan Thompkins #98 of the USC Trojans reacts after a sack against quarterback Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold #4 of the USC Trojans walks off the field with a injury against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Quarterback Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish scrambles for yardage against the USC Trojans in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Running back Jadarian Price #24 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs for a touchdown against the USC Trojans in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Quarterback Jake Jensen #17 of the USC Trojans is tackled for a loss of yards by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defense in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Wide receiver JaKobi Lane #8 of the USC Trojans reacts after catching a pass of touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans celebrate after a touchdown against the USC Trojans in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans with his quarterback Jayden Maiava #14 of the USC Trojans against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Defensive coordinator DAnton Lynn of the USC Trojans walks off the field after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the USC Trojans 49-35 to win a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Show Caption1 of 16Tight end Mitchell Evans #88 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches a pass and is tackled by Safety Akili Arnold #0 of the USC Trojans in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
ExpandLOS ANGELES — The roars reverberated around a weary Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum come the fourth quarter, a salute to a USC football program that was flawed and fragile but always fearless.
Lets go, Tro-jans! Lets go, Tro-jans! Lets go, Tro-jans!
Pride came, outpouring like it never quite had before in 2024. The Trojans backs had been against the wall on their home turf from kickoff: heroic running back Woody Marks was sidelined, and their run defense was bludgeoned, and quarterback Jayden Maiava had seemingly used up every drop of juice in his right arm.
And yet here this confounding program hung, improbably, against fifth-ranked Notre Dame, a touchdown shy of a tie-game with four minutes to go.
Nobody whod watched this USC team, head coach Lincoln Riley asserted in the hours to come, could deny their heart. Nobody could deny their soul. Nobody could say they didnt lay everything they had on the line, for weeks and months, for the 60 minutes that elapsed Saturday.
But gut and guile could only go so far, as most everything that could go wrong did go wrong in those final four minutes, the Trojans rivalry hopes to collapse late in a 49-35 loss to Notre Dame that bookended this Greek tragedy of a football season.
Yeah, Riley said in his opening comments postgame, with the muted emotion of someone delivering a eulogy. Just an excruciating loss.
Theyd made massive strides on the defensive side of the ball. Theyd been in position to strike in every fourth quarter this season. Yet by the time players trudged off the turf Saturday, USCs 2024 record closed at an ugly 6-6, a step back from a disastrous 2023 follow-up to Rileys first year and a stark result thatll lead to a complicated offseason.
At times, on Saturday afternoon, USC (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) looked both outmatched in talent at the line of scrimmage and – to reference their head coachs rhetoric – a few plays away from competing with the best of the best nationally, a complex reality through which to evaluate their status three years into Rileys reign.
Postgame, when asked what gave him faith in the programs direction to compete for championships, Riley largely deflected the question.
I can sit up here for an hour and talk about the things that I know are happening within this program, Riley said. I could rattle off all the stats, I could show you facilities, I could show you recruiting – I mean, I can show you the staff. I can go on about that for an hour. I just don’t think that it’s the appropriate time right now.”
Right now, indeed, his players were stuck processing the emotions from a last-minute stretch that was as much a gut-punch as any other collapse in 2024, the pain etched into the furrow of quarterback Jayden Maiavas eyebrows.
By the start of the fourth quarter, Notre Dame seemed poised to slam the door and wave a gleeful goodbye on a bus ride out of the Coliseum, up two touchdowns on USC. They ran for 258 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries, Riley saying USCs defense simply didnt do a good enough job against the run, and USCs home crowd was silent.
But DAnton Lynns unit came up with a pair of timely stops, helped by sacks from true-freshman edge Kameryn Fountain and senior defensive end Jamil Muhammad, and Maiava connected with receiver JaKobi Lane in the end zone to narrow Notre Dames lead to a score. Again, Maiava marched the Trojans downfield deep into Notre Dame territory, poised to strike for an improbable tie.
With a first-and-10 on Notre Dames 21-yard-line, though, Maiava pulled back a play-action, fearless as ever in testing one of the toughest secondaries in the country. Star running back Marks exited with an injury in the first quarter and didnt return. USCs offense had become heliocentric around Maiava, hinging on his ability to lob deep balls to his playmakers.
Kyron Hudson found a sliver of daylight, streaking deep. But the two, Riley reflected postgame, werent quite on the same page.
Maiava went back-shoulder with the throw. Hudson stumbled, unable to come back to the ball. And Notre Dames Christian Gray intercepted Maiavas toss, then streaked down the left sideline with nobody in cardinal-and-gold in his way, shutting down USCs comeback bid in one fell swoop with a 99-yard touchdown return.
Maiava stumbled to the sideline in sheer despair, offensive lineman Amos Talalele offering a steadying arm of support around the quarterbacks waist. Not two minutes later, a last-gasp heave from the 13-yard line was picked off again, this one returned for a 100-yard touchdown by Notre Dames Xavier Watts for an improbably gut-wrenching sequence to bury USCs rivalry hopes.
It was a lot to learn from, for sure, Maiava mumbled postgame, asked what hed learned about himself after three games as USCs starter. Hed let the team down, he felt. Particularly the seniors.
But Riley cut in before reporters could move to a different question.
Nah, you were a big part of the reason why we had a chance to win that game, Riley told Maiava directly, at the postgame podium. So make sure you remember that, too.
Indeed, Maiava authored a virtuoso performance, finishing 27 of 49 for 360 yards and five total touchdowns. He played from behind for much of the afternoon – leading a tour-de-force 28-second touchdown drive before halftime, Superman-leaping into the end zone in the third quarter on a keeper to tie the game. He gave a host of receivers chances to make plays, with a 133-yard effort from budding star Makai Lemon and three touchdowns from Lane.
But too much was placed on Maiavas right arm Saturday, between Notre Dames overwhelming ground game and Marks absence, and this USC team found themselves in the same place theyd always been: a few plays away from glory.