Click here for the recap and final stats.
Click here for the post-game press conference.
To the End
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The Trojans have endured some brutal losses this season, including falling flat at the Rose Bowl last week, but the hallmark of this team is resiliency. USC is 4-0 in bounce back games in 2014 with no performance better than today's demolition of rival Notre Dame. "These guys have a unique ability of just rallying together," said head coach Steve Sarkisian. "It showed again today. I don't know if we could've played better than we did there for a while. They were just doing everything right." The players credit the coaches and captains for the character and resiliency of this team. "The one thing I love about this team is the brotherhood," said junior WR George Farmer. "We all stick together through tough times and great times."Cody Stands Alone
No quarterback had ever thrown for six touchdown passes against Notre Dame until Cody Kessler put together an historic performance tonight. The junior played a near perfect game completing 32/40 passes for 372 yards and 6 TDs without an interception. He spread the ball around to nine different targets with junior Nelson Agholor hauling in 12 receptions for 120 yards and a TD. Kessler now has 36 TDs on the season to only 4 INTs. No USC QB has ever thrown 40 TD passes in a season, but he'll get his chance to break the school record in the bowl game.
Enjoying Senior Day
All 11 seniors got in on the act today. LB Hayes Pullard (fumble recovery) and S Gerald Bowman (interception) accounted for the two turnovers, while TE Randall Telfer caught a touchdown pass. However, no senior matched the performance of OLB J.R. Tavai who recorded 3.5 sacks out of 4.5 tackles-for-loss plus a forced fumble. "It was hard hiding those emotions, but it eventually came out playing on the field for the last time," said Tavai. "I just wanted to put out. I was holding nothing back."
By George
USC fans have been waiting for George Farmer to breakout, and the junior wide receiver enjoyed the best game of his career today with four catches for 85 yards and 2 TDs. He is considered the fastest player on the team, and he showed off his speed catching a pair of deep balls. "Finally! It felt great. I saw the ball in the air and just made the best of my opportunity," said Farmer about his chance to go long. "To come out here and play our last game of the season in the Coliseum and walk away with a win, it means everything to us."
Setting the Tone
Coming out of the UCLA game, the line of scrimmage was in central focus as the Trojans lost the battle upfront. The head coach made it a point of emphasis, and he saw the results today. "We have to be more physical, and we're going to get more physical. We saw that this week. These guys were physical at the point of attack," said Sarkisian." The offensive line started three true freshmen tonight, and the kids took the fight to the Irish. "It's just so unbelievable how much they've grown over the season," said RB Justin Davis, who had 19 carries for 81 yards and a TD. "They're just so eager to learn. They absorb information and take coaching well. They're going to be great."
The Big Picture
While all Trojan fans should enjoy this win over Notre Dame, many will still wonder why the Trojans could not summon this performance against UCLA. Sarkisian explained, "Last week is the one that I am still digging into, and I am going to figure it out because we came out and played another rival today and played fantastic football. Maybe it's not all bad that we had to have some of these failures or a bad taste in our mouth to move forward as a program. I think we are building a really cool foundation. There's going to be things we take away from this season that are really going to help us, and continue to build us into the program that is going to win championships. That's why we're all here."
Here are the SnappyTV highlights with all seven USC touchdowns:
