Notre Dame drove right down field on USC on the game’s opening possession, but the Irish were unable to punch the football in from the goal line on fourth down when Cam McDaniel was stuffed for a loss of three yards. Despite leaving points on the scoreboard, Notre Dame took a lead in to halftime against the Trojans, leading 14-10.
After USC’s defense stood tall, the Trojans offense went to work. USC put together a 96-yard touchdown drive, capping it off with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Silas Redd. Redd reached halftime with 91 rushing yards n 14 carries. Notre Dame would tie it up on the final play of the first quarter when Tommy Rees completed a seven-yard pass for a touchdown to Troy Niklas. Rees again struck gold with a touchdown strike to TJ Jones late in the first half. That second touchdown pass gave Notre Dame a 14-10 lead before halftime.
While this game may not have any sort of national impact, with both teams unranked and playing in the shadows of some other notable games around the country at the same time, the pageantry that goes along with this rivalry game is still something special to watch for the nostalgic fan. The game is also pretty important for both teams to determine which way the rest of the season could unfold.