No. 5 Notre Dame punches CFP ticket with 2 late interception return TDs to beat USC 49-35

LOS ANGELES -- - Notre Dame's defense was backed up almost to its goal line while protecting a seven-point lead in the final minutes when Southern California's Jayden Maiava fired a back-shoulder pass toward Kyron Hudson.

Christian Gray alertly picked it off, somehow keeping his feet and the ball after a pirouette - and then the sophomore cornerback ran it back for a touchdown that'll live long in Notre Dame lore.

These Fighting Irish (11-1) haven't been in many tough spots in the 12 weeks since their only defeat, but they handled pressure splendidly in the 95th edition of their biggest rivalry game.

The pressure only gets bigger in December, but Notre Dame thinks it's ready.

Gray returned his interception 99 yards for a score with 3:39 to play, Xavier Watts returned another interception 100 yards for a TD with 1:18 left, and No. 5 Notre Dame punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff with a 49-35 victory over USC on Saturday.

Riley Leonard threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another score for the Irish, who won their 10th straight game by holding off the persistent Trojans (6-6). Notre Dame has won six of seven in this famed intersectional rivalry, retaining the Jeweled Shillelagh for another year.

"The statement we made was we won our rivalry game against a dang good football team," Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. "And that was the only statement I wanted to make tonight."

Notre Dame led 35-21 early in the fourth quarter, but Ja'Kobi Lane made the second of his three touchdown catches for the Trojans with 8:43 left.

After USC stopped the Irish offense, Maiava moved the Trojans to the Notre Dame 21 for a shot at a tying score - but Gray changed the game with the play of his life, returning it all the way down the USC sideline.

Maiava led another desperate drive before throwing a comparatively easy end-zone pick to Watts, who took the same route for the clinching touchdown. Notre Dame is the first team in the 21st century to have more than one 99-yard interception return for a TD in a game, let alone 2 1/2 minutes apart.

After winning in Los Angeles for the first time since 2018, the Irish are headed for the inaugural 12-team playoff. But Freeman also wanted his players to take a moment to appreciate what they've done in the 84 days since their humiliating loss to Northern Illinois.

"This is what it's all about," Freeman said. "Proud of these guys and the fight they put on. ... They're resilient. They battled. They're never out of the fight, and that's what I love about them."

Jadarian Price rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Irish, and Jeremiyah Love added 99 yards and a score. Eli Raridon and Mitchell Evans caught TD passes from Duke transfer Leonard, who continued his solid finish to the season with 155 yards passing.

"Every single week, these guys prepare their tails off," Leonard said. "This team, we'll be very ready and very healed up for this playoff game coming up."

Maiava rushed for two touchdowns and passed for 360 yards in his first loss as the starter for USC (6-6), which lost five of eight to end a second straight disappointing regular season under coach Lincoln Riley.

Lane caught his third TD pass with 13 seconds left, but the Trojans didn't hold a lead in the fourth quarter for the first time all season.

"We had a couple of opportunities to make some competitive plays there in the second half, and they made a couple more of them," Riley said. "We've made massive progress on defense in every way you can measure it, but certainly today wasn't our best."

Woody Marks, USC's 1,100-yard rusher, got hurt on a 9-yard run to begin the Trojans' second drive. He didn't return to the game despite being on the sideline, and the injury ended the Mississippi State transfer's FBS-best streak of 56 consecutive games with a reception.

"Woody has been our best offensive player this year, so it did affect us some, although I think our backs came in and made some big plays," Riley said.

The first half was remarkably even in front of a big Coliseum crowd. Love hurdled Kamari Ramsey to set up Raridon's 12-yard TD catch 59 seconds before halftime, but the Trojans went 78 yards in 31 seconds to tie it when Lane beat Gray for a 12-yard TD.

Takeaways

Notre Dame: The Irish could only beat the teams on their schedule, and that's what they've done every week since losing to NIU. But it's also tough to tell how they'll respond to a big step up in competition level in the CFP after struggling a bit to hold off a .500 USC team.

USC: Until the frantic final minutes, the Trojans' lack of playmakers was glaring with Marks sidelined. Receivers repeatedly missed chances to help Maiava, while Riley didn't stick with the running game in Marks' absence.

Caleb's visit

Caleb Williams, the only USC quarterback to beat Notre Dame since 2016, watched from the Trojans' sideline. The Chicago Bears rookie's No. 13 was formally retired during an in-game ceremony.

Up next

Notre Dame: Likely hosting a first-round CFP game, since the Irish can't get a top-four bye.

USC: A low-stakes bowl game for the second straight year, which isn't what fans had in mind with the high-priced Riley.

------

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballbr/]