University Southern California Trojans
USC
Notre Dame
Players Mentioned
No. 10 USC Football Set To Defend Jeweled Shillelagh At No. 21 Notre Dame
October 10, 2023 | Football
THE GREATEST INTERSECTIONAL RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
*USC and Notre Dame…two renowned brands…two iconic football programs…it doesn't get any better.
*USC travels to South Bend to challenge the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 94th meeting of the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. It will be shown live nationally on NBC.
*The game is a battle between schools with glorious gridiron heritages. The winner gets year-long possession of the jeweled Shillelagh.
*In its last 11 games against the Irish, USC is 4-7.
*USC is ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
*Last year, both teams were also ranked for this match up. USC was No. 5 and Notre Dame was No. 13.
ARIZONA RECAP
*Defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams led the Trojans to defeat Arizona 43-41 in a thrilling 3OT game.
*Williams was 14-of-25 with 1 TD. He also rushed for 41 yards and 3 TDs and the game-winning 2 point conversion in triple overtime.
*Williams' 3 rushing TDs tied his single-game career-high.
*USC's comeback against Arizona was the biggest in the Lincoln Riley era at USC - the previous best being a comeback from 14 points down vs. UCLA last season.
*USC has scored at least 42 points in every game this season, the first time in school history that it has scored 40 or more points in each of its first 6 games of the season.
*The 43 points that USC scored were the most Arizona has allowed in a game this season (31 twice before). USC entered the game with a 53.6 scoring average, top in the country. USC currently still sits at No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense (51.8). Arizona was allowing its opponents to score 19.0 points per game in its first 5 games.
*RB MarShawn Lloyd had 15 carries for 86 yards and a rushing TD. It was his fourth rushing TD of the season.
*WR Kyron Hudson caught a 5-yard touchdown pass with 2 seconds remaining in the first half to bring USC within 3 points making it 17-14 at the break. He finished the game with 2 catches for 12 yards.
*WR Brenden Rice led USC with 96 receiving yards on 4 catches.
*S Jaylin Smith led the Trojans with 10 tackles.
*RUSH Jamil Muhammad had 2 sacks in the second quarter and now has a team-leading 6 sacks this season.
*In CB Jacobe Covington's first start of the season, his critical INT of Arizona QB Noah Fifita in the second quarter allowed the Trojans to have a short field and set up USC QB Caleb Williams to score his first rushing TD of the night and put the first points on the board for USC.
*It was Covington's first INT of his career.
*QB Caleb Williams and RB Austin Jones each rushed for TDs in the first and second overtimes, respectively. Williams then rushed for a successful 2-point conversion to push the Trojans ahead 43-41. Then the USC defense stopped Arizona's attempt to win the game.
*The last 3OT game for the Trojans was against Stanford in 2011, when USC lost 56-48.
*Saturday's game was the first 3OT win in program history.
*It's its history, USC has only played in 12 overtime games.
*USC improved to 6-0 - back-to-back 6-0 starts for first time since doing so 3 straight years in 2004- 05-06.
CALEB BY THE NUMBERS
*This season, Williams is 119-of-166 for 1,808 yards with 22 TDs and 1 INT. He has also rushed for 124 yards this season with 6 TDs – all within 20 quarters of football throughout 6 games, including 3OTs against Arizona.
*Compared to his first 6 games of his Heisman winning season in 2022 (122-of-188 for 1,590 yards with 14 TDs and 1 INT and 178 rushing yards with 3 TDs – playing 23 quarters of football), Williams has thrown 8 more TDs through 6 games this year.
*He is currently No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency (206.4), points responsible for (172), points responsible for per game (28.7) and passing TDs (22), No. 2 in the nation in yards per pass attempt (10.98), No. 7 in the nation in total offense (324.3), No. 8 in the nation in passing yards (1,808) and No. 9 in the nation in passing yards per completion (15.31).
*He is the first FBS player in the last 25 years to throw for 6 passing TDs in a game for multiple schools.
COUNT WITH CALEB
Last 6 games
| Total Yards | Passing TDs | Rushing TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs. SJSU* | 276 | 4 | 0 |
| vs. Nevada* | 361 | 5 | 0 |
| vs. Stanford# | 302 | 3 | 1 |
| at Arizona State | 332 | 3 | 2 |
| at Colorado | 415 | 6 | 0 |
| vs. Arizona | 260 | 1 | 3 |
*played 3 quarters
#played 2 quarters
RILEY'S ELECTRIC OFFENSE
*The Trojan offense is No. 1 in the nation for scoring offense (51.8), No. 3 in the nation for team passing efficiency (196.97), No. 3 in the nation for passing offense (355.2) and No. 4 in the nation in total offense (523.3).
BREATHTAKING BRANCH
*WR Zachariah Branch continues to impress the college football world with his shifty moves and electric returns. Against Stanford, he returned a punt for a 75-yard TD in the second quarter . He had a 96- yard kickoff return for a TD vs. San Jose State on Aug. 26.
*He also has 2 TD receptions this season and is the first Trojan since Adoree' Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a TD, as well as at least one receiving TD in the same season. Jackson had 2 punt returns and 2 kickoff returns for TDs and 1 TD reception during the 2016 season.
*Since 1971 (when records are available) Branch is one of just 3 USC players to accomplish the feat, joining Jackson and Curtis Conway (1992 – 1 kickoff return TD, 1 punt return TD, 5 rec TD). He also had 4 receptions for 30 yards and 1 carry for 2 rushing yards against Stanford.
*Branch is currently tied for No. 1 in the nation in kickoff return TDs (1) and punt return TDs (1).
MORE NATIONAL RANKINGS
*USC is No. 1 in the nation in tackles for loss with 57.0 and is tied for No. 3 in the nation in sacks with 22.0.
NOTRE DAME SCOUTING REPORT
*The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 5-2 overall.
*They are coming off a 20-33 loss to Louisville on the road.
*After starting the season 4-0, the Irish have lost 2 of their last 3 games.
*QB Sam Hartman leads the Fighting Irish and is 118-of-183 for 16 TDs and 3 INTs.
*RB Audric Estime (105 carries for 692 yards for 7 TDs) is Notre Dame's top back.
*TE Mitchell Evans is Notre Dame's top pass catcher with 22 receptions for 343 yards and 1 TD.
*TE Holden Staes has scored 4 receiving TDs for the Irish, the most on the team.
*In addition to Evans and Staes, 10 other receivers have caught TDs for the Irish this season.
*S Xavier Watts has intercepted 2 passes this season, while S DJ Brown, S Ramon Henderson, CB Clarence Lewis and CB Benjamin Morrison have each collected 1.
*DL Howard Cross III leads the team with 42 tackles. He also leads the team in TFLs with 5 for minus 10 yards.
*DL Jordan Botelho is the top sack man for the Irish with 2 sacks for minus 14 yards.
*K Spencer Shrader is 7-of-12 in FGs this season with his long being 54 yards.
RANKINGS
*USC is ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Poll and 9th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
*Notre Dame is ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and 21st in the USA Today Coaches Poll. SERIES
*Notre Dame leads the series with USC, which began in 1926, 50-37-5 (not including Troy's 2005 victory that was later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 50-38-5). Including that 2005 vacated game, USC has won 12 of the last 20 meetings and 15 of the last 26 (including 8 in a row from 2002 to 2009), but ND has won 7 of the last 11. Since 1967, USC has gone 26-25-3 (not including the 2005 vacated game; original record: 27-25-3).
*In South Bend, USC is 13-28-1 (not including the 2005 vacated game; original record: 14-28-1), with 2 other USC losses in Chicago. USC has lost in its last 5 trips to South Bend (its longest streak since dropping 7 consecutive there from 1983 to 1995), but Troy had won the previous 5 times there and 6 of the previous 8.
USC AND NOTRE DAME BOTH RANKED
*In USC-Notre Dame games in which both teams are ranked by AP, Notre Dame holds a 17-14-2 edge (not including 1 USC win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 17-15-2). When USC is the higher ranked team in such games, the Trojans hold an 12-6-2 advantage (not including 1 USC win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 13-6-2).
IN OCTOBER
*USC has a 317-125-19 (.708) all-time record while playing in the month of October (not including 5 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 322-125-19, .711).
UNDEFEATED GOING INTO SOUTH BEND
*When USC is undefeated (wins and ties) going in to South Bend to play Notre Dame, the Trojans are 5-2-1.
*This year's USC-Notre Dame game is just the seventh Trojan night game ever at Notre Dame Stadium (2011 was the first and it also happened in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021). It also ties with those games as the latest USC-ND game ever (7:30 p.m. kickoff), as all 12 such night encounters in Los Angeles were 5 p.m. starts.
ARTICIFIAL TURF
*USC is 49-35-1 in its last 85 games on artificial turf (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 52-35-1).
SHILLELAGH
*The winner of the USC-Notre Dame game gets year-long possession of the jeweled Shillelagh. The foot-long shillelagh—a Gaelic war club made of oak or blackthorn saplings from Ireland—has ruby-adorned Trojan heads with the year and game score representing USC victories, while emerald-studded shamrocks stand for Notre Dame wins. For tie games, a combined Trojan head/shamrock medallion was used. The first Shillelagh was retired after the 1989 game when it ran out of space for the medallions and a second one is now in use. There are now 50 shamrocks, 38 Trojan heads and 5 combined medallions on the shillelaghs (1 USC win was later vacated due to NCAA penalty).
WINNING TRADITIONS
*USC and Notre Dame have 2 of the top gridiron heritages in the country. The schools have both won 11 national titles (USC in 1928-31-32-39-62-67-72-74-78-2003-04 and Notre Dame in 1924-29-30-43-46-47- 49-66-73-77-88). Notre Dame is fourth in all-time victories among Division I-A schools (943, not including 21 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty) and USC is ninth (873, not including 14 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty). USC has played in 54 bowls (with 34 wins, not including 1 win and 2 appearances vacated due to NCAA penalty), while Notre Dame has been in 41 bowls (with 20 wins). Fourteen players from both schools have won Heisman Trophies (USC's Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Caleb Williams and Notre Dame's Angelo Bertelli, John Lujack, Leon Hart, John Lattner, Paul Hornung, John Huarte, Tim Brown). Notre Dame has had 201 All-American first teamers, while USC claims 175. USC has 35 players in the College Football Hall of Fame and Notre Dame has 49. Both schools have had 5 players selected first in the NFL draft and both are well-represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (a record 14 from USC and 13 from Notre Dame). Both programs have had legendary coaches (USC's Gloomy Gus Henderson, Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll, and Notre Dame's Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian).
A WIVES TALE
*If it had not been for the persuasiveness of a young bride in 1925, the Trojan-Irish series may never have been established. The series came about because of a discussion between two wives.
USC's graduate manager, Gwynn Wilson was a forerunner to the modern-day athletic director. He and his bride, Marion, got on the Sunset Limited train to Lincoln, Nebraska where Notre Dame was going to play the Cornhuskers. Mission: a USC-Notre Dame home-and-home series. Wilson didn't get to meet with Rockne though, until after the game when they all got on a train to Chicago.
"He told me that he couldn't meet USC because Notre Dame was traveling too much," Wilson said. "I thought the whole thing was off but as Rock and I talked, Marion was with Mrs. Rockne, Bonnie, in her compartment. Marion told Bonnie how nice Southern California was and how hospitable the people were."
"Well, when Rock went back to the compartment, Bonnie talked him into the game. But if it hadn't been for Mrs. Wilson talking to Mrs. Rockne, there wouldn't have been a series."
USC-NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS
*USC has no players from Indiana, while Notre Dame has 13 Californians on its roster.
*USC ILB Mason Cobb and Notre Dame S Thomas Harper previously played together at Oklahoma State.
*USC S Bryson Shaw and Notre Dame DL Javonte Jean-Baptiste previously played together at Ohio State.
*USC DL Korey Foreman and Notre Dame CB Jaden Mickey were teammates at Centennial High School.
*USC TE Jude Wolfe, RB Matt Colombo, P Will Rose, DL Kobe Pepe and Notre Dame DL Cole Aubrey all prepped at St. John Bosco.
*USC QB Miller Moss, S Jaylin Smith and Notre Dame DL Junior Tuihalamaka all prepped at Bishop Alemany High School.
*Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough previously served as USC's run game coordinator/running backs coach in 2017.
*USC ILB Raesjon Davis, WR Kyron Hudson, WR Josiah Zamora, RUSH Solomon Tuliaupupu, CB Domani Jackson, WR Corey Nerhus and WR Raleek Brown were high school teammates with Notre Dame CB Clarence Lewis at Mater Dei.
*The athletic departments and business schools at USC and Notre Dame, along with those at North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan and Texas, conduct the Sports Management Institute for mid- and upper-level sports administrators who aspire to be athletic directors, executive directors or general managers in college, amateur or pro sports.
