While there were many storylines heading into Saturday’s football game between No. 20 USC and No. 13 Notre Dame, including the fate of the historic rivalry, Trojan redshirt freshman running back King Miller’s rise and the lightning storms that threatened to delay the game, only one ended up mattering: the dominance of Notre Dame junior running back Jeremiyah Love.

From Notre Dame’s second play of the game, when he broke for a 63-yard run up the middle, Love looked dominant through and through as he led the Fighting Irish (5-2) to a 34-24 win over USC (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) at Notre Dame Stadium. The star running back finished with 228 yards on 24 attempts and a touchdown, more than triple the yardage of the Trojans’ entire run attack.

Fellow Notre Dame junior running back Jadarian Price also contributed heavily, adding 87 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own to go alongside a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that squashed USC comeback momentum in the third quarter. Despite being the standout in last week’s upset win over then-No. 15 Michigan (5-2, 3-1), Miller was kept comparatively quiet Saturday, going for 70 yards on 18 rushes and failing to break for any runs as long as Love’s.

While redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava started strong, leading USC to an early touchdown on an impressive leaping grab from redshirt senior tight end Lake McRee, he had several lapses that halted the Trojans’ momentum: a costly interception late in the third quarter, a fourth-down incompletion in the red zone in the second quarter and a low third-down pass meant for junior wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane in the end zone during the second quarter. The ultimate killer of momentum, however, was a fourth-and-1 incompletion with about six minutes to play.

Despite having multiple near misses, Maiava still far outclassed Notre Dame freshman quarterback CJ Carr, who made a minimal impact on the game in the air with 136 yards and a second-quarter red zone interception, though he later added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Maiava completed 22-of-42 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw a second pick in garbage time on a last-ditch heave towards the end zone.

Behind Lane, Maiava spread the ball around, hitting seven different receivers for plays of at least 10 yards, including junior wide receiver Makai Lemon and freshman wide receiver Tanook Hines, who both caught at least four passes for at least 67 yards. 

Though he was effective in the receiving game, a costly fumble by Lemon on a trick play attempt in the fourth quarter — just one drive after Maiava’s interception — set Love and Notre Dame up for another score that extended their lead to 10 with less than eight minutes in the fourth quarter, effectively sealing USC’s fate.

A significant amount of run plays made it past USC’s defensive line, allowing secondary players, including redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald, sophomore linebacker Desman Stephens II and junior safety Christian Pierce, to lead the Trojans in tackles. 

Sophomore defensive end Kameryn Crawford earned USC’s only sack, and junior defensive end Braylan Shelby intercepted an errant throw by Carr that kept the Trojans in the game before halftime. Despite offensive line injuries still plaguing USC, Maiava was also only sacked once.

USC now heads into a bye week before it will face No. 25 Nebraska (5-2, 2-2) in Lincoln on Nov. 1 in what will be a must-win contest for the now-two-loss Trojans. The Trojans will likely need to win out, including road contests against both Nebraska and No. 8 Oregon (6-1, 3-1), to have a shot at making a College Football Playoff debut, which would have been a likelihood had they beaten the Irish on Saturday.