Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally settled a heated national debate during massive victory over the hated rival USC Trojans
A heated national debate was settled during the Notre Dame victory over USC.
After several strong games in a row, Notre Dame redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr had a struggling performance during the team’s 34 to 24 victory over the USC Trojans on Saturday night. Luckily for the Fighting Irish offense, the running game was able to make up for the mostly underwhelming showing through the air. Between Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, that running back duo led the way for Notre Dame to rush for 308 yards and three touchdowns during the contest.
It was a historic game for Love, who ran for a career-high 228 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. It was the first time in Love’s career that he rushed for over 100 yards in a single half, and that first half was the most rushing yards the Trojan defense has allowed in a half all season (182 yards). Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and his USC squad didn’t seem to have many answers to stopping the Irish run game. Love also hauled in five receptions for 37 yards during the game as a receiver.
Price had fewer opportunities on the offensive side of the football in comparison, but he still made his impact known. On the day, the redshirt junior rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries. The Texas native also took a kickoff back for a touchdown during the game, the third of his Fighting Irish career. Those two had a massive impact on Notre Dame being able to come out with the important victory.
Prior to the 2025 college football season beginning, that Notre Dame running back duo was a part of some heated debates about who the best backfield was in the entire country. Needless to say, that debate is dead. The performance against the Trojans felt like the final nail in the coffin to settle it.
The debate is over
The team most heavily a part of that debate was Penn State, which has the duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. With the disastrous season that Nittany Lion program is having, needless to say, things haven’t been great for that dynamic duo. Heading into the game against USC, Love and Price had combined to rush for 800 yards and scored 19 total touchdowns. If there is a better one-two punch in college football right now, someone will need to point it out.
When your quarterback struggles as much as Carr did on the day, most offenses typically don’t have the complimentary element to make up for it. Notre Dame does, and it is an elite “compliment” to boot. If Notre Dame is going to make a legitimate playoff run this season, the duo of Love and Price will need to continue playing a massive part. While Carr’s passing game impact has been a welcome addition to this team, this Fighting Irish program will always be built around two things: being physical and running the football.
We are watching the best duo Notre Dame has had in a very, very, long time.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish News
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. USC Trojans rivalry matchup brings a game of enormous storylines that will unravel on Saturday night
The Notre Dame vs. USC rivalry matchup is the game of storylines.
