Christian Gray’s 99-yard pick-6 with 3:39 remaining clinched No. 5 Notre Dame’s 49-35 victory over USC on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With the win, the Fighting Irish clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans cruised to a potential game-tying touchdown on a 22-yard reception by Duce Robinson and a 23-yard run by Quinten Joyner. That put USC at the Irish’s 21-yard line.
Jayden Maiava then looked for Kyron Hudson down the right sideline. But he subbed his pass as Hudson fell and Gray took the throw at the 1-yard line. The sophomore returned the ball 60 yards down the sideline before moving to the left hash and running toward the end zone as four Irish teammates held defenders off him.
On the next possession, USC again drove toward a potential touchdown, moving 62 yards in seven plays. But on fourth-and-6 from the Notre Dame 13-yard line, Maiava was intercepted again, this time in the end zone by safety Xavier Watts.
The senior ran his pick-6 back 100 yards without the Trojans offensive player getting anywhere near a tackle.
What looked like a USC rally started with Ja’Kobi Lane’s touchdown catch with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter. The score cut the Irish’s lead to 35-28. The Trojans’ defense then forced Notre Dame to punt on its next possession, aided by a holding penalty and sack by Jamil Muhammad.
A 60-yard punt by James Rendell pushed USC back to its 16-yard line. However, the Trojans drove 63 yards in five plays before Gray’s ill-fated interception ended the chances of a comeback.
Notre Dame’s chances of a spot in the College Football Playoff looked uncertain after a shocking loss to Northern Illinois in the second game of the season. But the Irish won their next 10 games, including Top 25 wins over Louisville, Navy and Army. And Notre Dame opened the season with a win against Texas A&M, one of the top teams in the SEC.
The Irish were ranked fifth in the latest version of the CFP rankings and will likely rise after Ohio State’s loss to Michigan. Anyway, they essentially ended a home game with the win (they can’t get a bye because they’re independent).
