Even on the rare occasion when USC punted Saturday night against Notre Dame in the 93rd rendition of their cross-country rivalry, Trojans Heisman-esque quarterback Caleb Williams managed to play a part in foiling what the 15th-ranked Irish do better than any team in the country.
Block punts.
No. 6 USC simply kept its offense on the field, then had Williams take a few extra steps back and pooch punt the ball — twice — keeping ND’s punt block team sidelined for the entirety of the Trojans’ 38-27 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
One of them was a 58-yarder.
Williams’ statistical bottom line, though, otherwise wasn’t cartoonishly bloated. Notre Dame QB counterpart, junior Drew Pyne, actually threw for 86 more yards (318 to 232), completed a higher percentage of his passes (88 to 82) and had a higher passer rating (221.6 to 185.4).
Instead, the USC sophomore slayed the Irish (8-4) with a tsunami of offensive efficiency and creativity, and accomplished that in equal parts of what he actually did against the nation’s No. 17 team in total defense and the threat of what he could do.
Against the nation’s No. 2 team in total offense and No. 4 in passing offense, Notre Dame started two freshmen at cornerback — Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey — and used a third displaced by Morrison, junior Clarence Lewis, in its corner rotation due to injuries to senior Cam Hart and elite nickel option TaRiq Bracy.
To protect the back end of his defense, Irish coordinator Al Golden had to leave the front seven constantly exposed and in a perpetual run/pass dilemma on almost every down.
The latter, in turn, opened up USC’s traditional running game to be Notre Dame-ish and dominate that particular statistical facet — 204 yards to 90 for the Irish. Williams rushed for 35 of those, one more than ND sophomore Logan Diggs had in 12 carries.
The 6-1, 215-pound Oklahoma transfer also extended plays with his feet — sometimes in Houdini-like fashion — leading to an 8-of-12 efficiency rare on third down. He also scored three TDs rushing to go along with one touchdown pass as USC (11-1) concocted the highest yardage total (436) and point total (38) the Irish had given up all season.
Williams did botch a chance at a receiving TD by pushing off and picking up an offensive pass-interference penalty, but USC still was able to coax a field goal out of that possession.
"Gosh, you just see it happen over and over all year,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said of Williams, the third QB ranked in the top 10 nationally in pass efficiency the Irish have faced this season, joining Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
“His ability to feel pressure, to spin out of it. We told our guys 'He's going to spin, He's going to spin and work upfield.' He's elusive, man. He's got huge legs. He's like a running back back there at times.
“But he's got an arm of a great quarterback. He's really difficult to bring down. He's a special player."
Who rarely makes mistakes on top of all that. USC came into the game and exited it with just four turnovers lost all season — the best mark in the nation — and the FBS’ best turnover margin to boot.
The Irish lost two turnovers Saturday night, one on a fumbled exchange by Pyne on the first series of the second half when Notre Dame was driving with momentum and nearing the red zone. The other was a fourth-quarter interception Pyne forced into coverage after the Irish had gotten a rare defensive stop and had a chance to make it a one-score game.
Notre Dame also turned the ball over on downs deep in USC territory in the first half on a failed fourth-and-1 attempt.
“I’ll have to go back and look at the film,” Pyne said when it was suggested to him that perhaps a handful of plays was all that separated the two teams Saturday night. “But I think USC is a great team. They're going to go on and do great things for the rest of their season. Caleb Williams is a great player. Their defense is good.
“They are a great team, but so are we.”
Because of No 2 Ohio State’s blowout loss at home to Michigan and No. 5 LSU’s upset loss at Texas A&M, the Trojans might be a win in next weekend’s Pac-12 Championship Game from making the College Football Playoff field for the first time.
The Irish, meanwhile, are virtually locked into the Cheez-It/Gator/Holiday bowl mix outside the New Year’s Six bowl lineup.
“I think we have a lot to play for, still,” Pyne said.
Both teams find out their postseason fate Dec. 4, along with all the other playoff and bowl-eligible teams.
Of greater consequence for Notre Dame in the big picture, though, is what will the Irish team look like the next time these two arch-rivals clash — Oct. 14 in South Bend.
Saturday night’s meeting in L.A. was just the second time in the past 15 that both teams were ranked. The way both teams are trending, 2023 will be the third such matchup and maybe perpetually for the foreseeable future.
The series certainly figures to be spicier, at least next time out.
Not only did Williams, the Heisman Trophy front-runner, flex the Heisman pose after a big play Saturday night, he painted his fingernails with the words F - - - ND, for all the world to see.
Now the question is, will the Irish be in a position to do anything about it the next time the two play?
Saturday’s game didn’t expose what the Irish were lacking. It confirmed it.
“I think every team is saying, ‘OK, our quarterback play has got to be at a certain level and our perimeter play (as well), whether that's corners or receivers’ — the game is played in space,” ABC/ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said earlier this week on a Zoom call with the media.
“So you're defending space, and you’ve got to have guys that can win in space. And I think right now they're pretty good in those areas. I'm sure that through the recruiting in these next couple of years, you're going to try to see them go to another level.
“But those would be the obvious areas to me, just continuing to raise the bar on the perimeter and making sure that you're getting a quarterback that can be a game-changer, that can spin it, that can run around, make plays ... to really make a run.”
In other words, there’s nothing wrong with the identity Freeman has forged, as the Irish being an offensive line/defensive line-driven team. But the next stage is to add the dynamic bells and whistles to the offense and elite skill on the back end of the defense.
There were hints of some of that Saturday night. Sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Styles’ four catches for 34 yards was one more than USC’s Jordan Addison, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner, had (3 for 45). And fellow sophomore Deion Colzie’s career-high 75 receiving yards (on three catches with a TD) was more than any Trojan offensive player amassed against the Irish.
Additionally, the Irish have three Rivals top 150 wide receivers poised to sign National Letters of Intent in less than a month and two top 150 cornerbacks as well. And the recent verbal commitment of quarterback Kenny Minchey gives Notre Dame a developmental player at the position with an intriguing skill set and promising ceiling.
And yet Freeman is going to have to do what USC first-year coach Lincoln Riley did so well — though, in more modest measures — hit the transfer portal.
It wasn’t too long ago the Irish fell hard off college football’s bigger stages with alarming consistency and rare exceptions. And now they’re winning some of those matchups and suddenly consistently competitive at the very lest when they don't. With a recruiting blueprint and prowess to address what's missing.
And a team culture that weathered some dark days to now push for bigger dreams.
"I'm proud of the way our team continued to progress, continue to fight, continue to get better,” Freeman said. “It's not over. We've got one left.
“After week six, when we lost to Stanford, it could have went a bad direction. But these leaders and these guys continue to fight. And they'll fight after this one. It hurts because you gave it your all, but our leaders will keep us together."
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