Early mistakes haunt USC in loss to Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It was a valiant effort by a USC squad that entered the 4th fourth trailing by 21 to rival Notre Dame.

A 77-yard thrust capped by a Keaontay Ingram touchdown made it a two-possession game, past a Chris Steele interception acceptable up different agelong march down the tract and a Darwin Barlow touchdown. Even aft a missed other point, the Trojans had silenced the sellout assemblage clad successful navy and greenish by cutting the shortage down to 8 with 8:51 to play.

But successful the end, it wasn’t capable to flooded the mistakes USC made earlier and aft its comeback attempt.

Notre Dame went 75 yards connected 8 plays connected the ensuing drive, aided by a walk interference by Steele and an unsportsmanlike behaviour punishment connected Xavion Alford. Backup backmost Tyler Buchner rushed for a 3-yard touchdown to springiness the Irish breathing room, and USC yet fell 31-16.

“I consciousness similar we ran retired of time,” interim caput manager Donte Williams said. “We made mode excessively galore mistakes against a truly bully shot team. … We each made mistakes, and we took turns making them.”

If determination is 1 series from the crippled that sums up wherever the Trojans (3-4, 2-3 successful Pac-12) are astatine this constituent successful the season, it came successful the last infinitesimal of the archetypal half.

Down 14 and needing a conversion connected fourth-and-2 from the Notre Dame 47 with 39 seconds near earlier the break, USC tried to gully the Fighting Irish offsides but had to pain their last timeout erstwhile Notre Dame didn’t jump. The Trojans called a run, and Ingram got the archetypal down, but the timepiece kept ticking.

Rather than a passing play to the sideline that could enactment USC successful tract extremity scope and halt the clock, the Trojans had a miscommunication from the sidelines that resulted successful different Ingram run.

“That’s my fault,” Slovis said.

Sixteen seconds left, Slovis rushed USC up to the enactment of scrimmage for a passing play. Unable to find a receiver, Slovis scrambled for an unnecessary archetypal down alternatively than throwing the shot distant to halt the clock. The remaining 2 seconds were not capable clip for USC to get the shot disconnected earlier the fractional ended, without the Trojans attempting a tract extremity oregon taking a changeable astatine the extremity zone.

“I we would get the archetypal down and the timepiece would halt with 3 seconds left, we should beryllium capable to spike it,” Slovis said. “But the chains weren’t acceptable astatine each either, but I conjecture they ran it erstwhile the shot got down. I didn’t perceive a whistle oregon thing truthful that’s connected maine again.”

Williams ripped his headset disconnected successful frustration. Meeting Slovis connected the mode to the locker room, helium signaled to his backmost that helium should person spiked the shot to halt the clock.

The deficiency of consciousness connected each levels was damaging for USC. But it was 1 of galore ways the Trojans outgo itself.

The USC violative enactment was wholly outmatched by the Notre Dame walk rush. Slovis was perpetually nether pressure, opening erstwhile helium was sacked connected the archetypal drawback of the game. Tackle Jonah Monheim was replaced aft his antheral blocked a walk that was intercepted by Bo Bauer astatine the enactment of scrimmage. But helium was reinserted the adjacent thrust erstwhile his replacement, Jalen McKenzie, was called for a mendacious start, 1 of 9 USC penalties.

And the Trojans’ reddish portion issues popped up again. With 8:08 near successful the 3rd quarter, USC was really out-gaining the Irish 267-218 but trailing 17-3 aft 1 red-zone turnover and a missed tract extremity by Parker Lewis. This came against a Notre Dame defence missing All-American information Kyle Hamilton, who near successful the archetypal 4th with a limb injury.

“The frustrating happening is it’s not similar we’re going retired present and having 50 yards of full offense,” Slovis said. “Some mistakes here, not executing present and you extremity up with 17 points connected a time wherever you consciousness similar you should person a batch more.”

The USC defence had its moments, similar holding Notre Dame (6-1) to a tract extremity connected a thrust that began astatine the USC 5, a basal that was imaginable due to the fact that Slovis sprinted 80 yards to tackle Bauer and forestall a pick-six.

But the aged shortcomings similar missed tackles were evident from the beginning. Three of Notre Dame’s archetypal 4 drives went for astatine slightest 70 yards, the lone objection being the 1 that started astatine the USC 5.

The USC mistakes were capable to suffer consecutive games for the archetypal clip this season, and overshadow a career-high 171 receiving yards by Drake London and a 138-yard rushing show by Ingram.

“If it’s conscionable 1 peculiar subordinate [making mistakes], each of a abrupt you tin sub that subordinate out,” Williams said of the pass-blocking issues, though helium could person been speaking of USC arsenic a whole. “But erstwhile it’s conscionable a corporate of antithetic plays, it’s hard.”