Oct. 17, 2015

Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, Indiana

TEAM NOTES

  • Notre Dame improved to 46-36-5 all-time against USC, including a 25-14-1 mark in home games. Both teams have the highest victory total historically against one another than any other opponent.
  • Notre Dame’s 41 points scored were the most in the series by the Irish since a 49-19 victory over USC in 1977. The 72 combined points were the third-most in series history, behind the 79 scored in 1974 (55-24 USC win) and the 75 tallied in 1986 (38-37 Notre Dame win).
  • Notre Dame improved to 11-2 in home night games. It was the third home night contest vs. USC, second only to Michigan (five) against an individual opponent.
  • Notre Dame reclaimed the Jeweled Shillelagh with the victory over USC, and now holds all five prizes from its “trophy games.”
  • Notre Dame’s 90-yard TD drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters was its fourth scoring drive this year of at least 90 yards. It was the 12th of at least 80 yards.
  • Notre Dame improved to 38-3 since the start of the 2002 season when rushing for more than 200 yards in a game. The Irish finished with 214 rush yards on the night. Notre Dame has won 57 of its past 62 games when outrushing its opponent, and improved to 4-0 in 2015 (Texas, Virginia, UMass and USC) when leading in the ground game.
  • Entering tonight under head coach Brian Kelly, the Irish had only allowed nine plays of at least 60 yards, the third-fewest in the Football Bowl Subdivision. USC had three such plays tonight.
  • Notre Dame’s 21 first quarter points are the most points that Notre Dame have ever scored in a single quarter against the Trojans. The previous high was 19 points in the fourth quarter of a 27-25 loss to USC in 1978. Notre Dame and USC have played 348 quarters of football against each other over 87 meetings.
  • The 75-yard TD pass to Will Fuller on the first play from scrimmage for Notre Dame was the eighth offensive TD of at least 50 yards for the Irish this year and the ninth overall. The eight offensive TDs of at least 50 yards are the most for the Irish since also having eight in 1992. The nine overall scores of at least 50 yards also are the most since having nine in 1992.
  • C.J. Prosise’s 25-yard TD run was Notre Dame’s sixth TD run of at least 25 yards this fall.
  • Notre Dame’s last blocked punt for a touchdown was by Robert Blanton against Utah on Nov. 13, 2010.
  • USC’s 75-yard TD pass in the second quarter was the longest passing play against the Irish since LSU also had a 75-yard passing TD against the Irish in the 2014 Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, 2014.
  • The 21 first quarter points scored by Notre Dame tonight are the most since also having 21 in the opening stanza against Wake Forest on Nov. 17, 2012.
  • At 24-24, it was the highest-scoring halftime tie in a Notre Dame game since at least 1998.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

  • RB C.J. Prosise finished with 143 yards rushing on 19 carries, scoring two touchdowns. It was Prosise’s fifth 100-yard game on the ground this season, tying for ninth place in a single season in program history.
  • Prosise has had multiple rushing TDs in four of the past five games, running for three scores against both Georgia Tech (Sept. 19) and Navy (Oct. 10) with a pair of TDs against UMass (Sept. 26) and tonight vs. USC.
  • WR Will Fuller surpassed the 100-yard receiving plateau for the fourth time in 2015, gaining 131 yards on three receptions. It was Fuller’s eighth career game over the century mark, moving him into solo sixth place in program history ahead of the seven such games of Maurice Stovall (2002-05).
  • Fuller’s 75-yard TD catch matched his career-long reception, done against Rice (Aug. 30, 2014). It was his third career reception of at least 70 yards. It was his sixth TD this year of at least 30 yards.
  • The 75-yard TD pass by QB DeShone Kizer was the longest of his career.
  • The TD by Amir Carlisle was the first of his Irish career on special teams. He had three receiving TDs in 2014.
  • WR Corey Robinson made his seventh career TD catch, and first of this season, from 10 yards out to give Notre Dame its final lead at 9:06 of the fourth quarter.
  • DBs KeiVarae Russell and Max Redfield both recorded their first INTs of the season during the fourth quarter.
  • Both field goals made by K Justin Yoon (second and fourth quarters) covered 32 yards.
  • DL Romeo Okwara finished with a team-high two TFL and a full sack, while DL Isaac Rochell added 1.5 TFL and a sack to go along with three QB hurries.
  • The blocked punt that was returned by Carlisle was the first of WR Equanimeous St. Brown’s career.
  • Kizer recorded his first two career punts tonight, averaging 40.5 yards per attempt with both punts downed inside the 20.
  • WR Torii Hunter Jr. completed the first pass of his career, finding Alizé Jones for a 35-yard gain in the fourth quarter.