(Video) Notre Dame star brutally punches a USC player but evades ejection
The historic Notre Dame-USC rivalry often creates intense pressure, sometimes sparking heated altercations.
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One of Lincoln Riley's USC players got punched (Image via ESPN/X)
The Saturday fixture between Notre Dame and USC had everything. From hard tackles and silky quarterback runs to a pick-six. The game even saw a Notre Dame player punch a USC player.
After an hour of football at the Coliseum, Notre Dame led USC 21-14. The Trojans had the ball in their possession on third and ten near the Irish’s territory. Quarterback Jayden Maiava went for an improvised quarterback sneak by leaping over the Notre Dame defensive line to score a touchdown.
The referee stopped the clock to see if Maiava made it in. It took a minute to confirm the touchdown, which reduced the deficit to just one before they took the lead by converting two points.
However, amid the commotion, the referee missed a crucial detail, which was picked up by the TV camera. When the players piled themselves on the line of scrimmage, Notre Dame’s defensive tackle Rylie Mills punched USC’s left guard, Emmanuel Pregnon, in the face.
Pregnon survived any serious injuries because he was wearing his helmet. In fact, the impact of the punch did more damage to Mills’ fist, as he appeared to be in pain.
HE PUNCHED HIM IN THE FACE ?
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) November 30, 2024
Notre Dame playing dirty vs. USC.#GoIrish | #FightOnpic.twitter.com/7EeFmxcTRa
Notre Dame has one foot in college football playoffs
Right after USC went ahead, Notre Dame’s quarterback Riley Leonard connected with Mitchell Evans for a 23-yard score, which was his second touchdown pass of the night. Leonard had 17 completions on the day for 155 yards through the air but also contributed one score on the ground.
Maiava answered back with a six-yard pass to Ja’Kobi Lane, with just over eight minutes left in the final quarter. USC quickly regained possession from an Irish punt, and Maiava targeted Kyron Hudson on the drive, which was snagged by Christian Gray for a 99-yard pick-six.
CHRISTIAN GRAY #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/VPYKhCeH3S
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 1, 2024
However, on the days when USC retired Caleb Williams’ jersey, his successor Maiava underwent a meltdown. He threw a second interception to Xavier Watts after the two-minute warning, which killed the game off.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman bookends the season with as much emotion as you’ll ever see from him, just as fired up after this rivalry game win vs. USC as he was after the season opener at Texas A&M.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) December 1, 2024
The Fighting Irish are playoff bound. What a leader of a program. pic.twitter.com/gc6sNYgCGG
The game ended with Notre Dame 49-35 for USC. This win more or less confirmed the #5 Notre Dame’s place in the college football playoffs. According to the newly revised rule of the CFP, the Irish can move into one of the four first-round byes courtesy of Ohio State’s loss earlier on the day.
Notre Dame finished with an 11-1 record. First-year coach Marcus Freeman’s only loss came against Northern Illinois in week two. Since then, the Irish didn’t lose a single game.
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Ishan Misra
(3107 Articles Published)