Xavier Watts intercepted Caleb Williams twice and returned a fumble for a touchdown as No. 21 Notre Dame harassed the Heisman Trophy winner all night and handed No. 10 USC its first loss in a 48-20 victory Saturday.
Having lost twice in the three games, the Fighting Irish (6-2) bounced back against their longtime rivals in a big way. Watts had two of Notre Dame’s three first-half picks and then a 15-yard scoop-and-score with 3 minutes, 27 seconds left to add an exclamation point.
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Benjamin Morrison had Notre Dame’s other interception of the half, leading to Audric Estime’s 1-yard scoring plunge that put Notre Dame ahead 24-3. A week after wiping out a 17-point deficit to beat Arizona in overtime, the Trojans (6-1) had no such comeback in them.
The Irish sacked Williams six times. The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 199 passing yards and a touchdown.
Averaging 51.8 points per game, USC ended up with five turnovers and was limited to 92 yards rushing. The Fighting Irish racked up 11 tackles for loss.
Williams pulled USC within 31-20 with a seven-yard scoring pass to Brenden Rice with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter.
Seconds later, the Notre Dame lead bounced back to 18 when Jadarian Price returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a score. USC lost for the fifth consecutive time at Notre Dame Stadium.
USC: The Trojans jump back into Pac-12 action Saturday when they host No. 16 Utah.
Notre Dame: After a week off, the Irish play host to Pittsburgh on Oct. 28.