Quarterback Sam Hartman threw two touchdowns and Notre Dame’s defense forced five turnovers as the No. 21 Fighting Irish defeated No. 10 USC 48-20 on Saturday night.
Notre Dame had a commanding 24-6 halftime lead behind three interceptions thrown by Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams. Safety Xavier Watts had two of those picks in the first half.
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Williams tossed his first interception on the game’s opening drive, and Notre Dame capitalized. Watts returned the pick 35 yards and set up Hartman for a 4-yard touchdown pass to Gi’Bran Payne.
Notre Dame running back Audric Estime rushed for two touchdowns in the second quarter on runs of 2 and 1 yards, respectively.
The Fighting Irish scored four touchdowns in the second half, including a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown by running back Jadarian Price.
USC fumbled on back-to-back possessions to finish the game. Its five turnovers are the Trojans’ most since committing as many against Arizona State on Nov. 10, 2012.
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Hartman finished 13-of-20 for 126 yards. Estime rushed for a game-high 95 yards.
Williams tallied 199 passing yards on 62% completion. His three interceptions are a career-high.
