USC falls to Notre Dame, finishes below .500 and bowl ineligible

With a losing record in sight and head coach Clay Helton’s job in question, USC allowed 24 unanswered points to No. 3 Notre Dame in a 24-17 defeat at the Coliseum on Saturday in front of a crowd of 59,821 at the Coliseum, the smallest attendance for the rivalry game in 58 years.

USC finished with a 5-7 record, marking its first season under .500 since 2000. The Trojans haven’t been bowl ineligible since they were sanctioned during the 2011 season.

The first half saw a cohesive USC team that had a fighting chance against undefeated Noter Dame, but the second half featured the USC that has shown up all season, allowing leads to slip right through its fingers.

Clay Helton looks on during USC’s loss to Notre Dame – Tal Volk | Daily Trojan

After USC led 10-0, Notre Dame found its first score off of 24-yard pass to Chris Finke in the end zone to cut USC’s lead right to 3 before the half.

In the third. USC’s defense had its first breakdown when running back Dexter Williams broke free for a 52-yard touchdown to bring the score to 14-10 and give Notre Dame the lead.

A 46-yard field goal brought the Irish ahead by a full touchdown in the only scoring play of the third quarter. Notre Dame continued finding holes in USC’s defense when running back Tony Jones hit the end zone fora 51-yard rush.

It was a far cry from the Trojans’ first half performance.

USC’s opening drive featured a steady passing offense that only had its sights set on quick, short passes – quite opposite from freshman quarterback JT Daniels’ inconsistent downfield throws all season. It featured seven passing plays and a 14-yard rush from redshirt sophomore Vavae Malepeai for the touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 23-yard reception collected the most yardage on one play – slow and steady seemed to be USC’s mantra.

The Trojan defense then stopped Notre Dame in its tracks at the 47-yard line. The Irish wouldn’t step foot in the red zone until the end of the second quarter.

St. Brown and Pittman ended the first half with 147 combined receiving yards on 12 total yards, but they fumbled the ball in Irish territory three times total, stunting the offensive momentum.

Momentum-changers for USC came and went without any enthusiasm in the second half.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Book threw 22 yards to the end zone only to see it intercepted by freshman safety walk-on Jordan McMillan. But the offense couldn’t produce with Daniels being sacked twice, resulting in a three-and-out drive.

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