College Football

Notre Dame forces five turnovers, hands USC first loss in 48-20 victory

Published Oct. 14, 2023 11:45 p.m. ET

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Xavier Watts intercepted Caleb Williams twice and returned a fumble for a touchdown as No. 21 Notre Dame handed No. 10 Southern California its first loss in a 48-20 victory on Saturday night.

Having lost twice in the three games, the Fighting Irish (6-2) bounced back against their longtime rivals in a big way. Watts had two of Notre Dame's three first-half picks against Williams and then a 15-yard scoop-and-score with 3:27 left to add an exclamation point.

Benjamin Morrison had Notre Dame’s other interception of the half, leading to Audric Estime's 1-yard plunge that put Notre Dame ahead 24-3. A week after wiping out a 17-point deficit to beat Arizona in overtime, the Trojans (6-1) had no such comeback in them.

Williams had only been intercepted once, but he was sacked four times by the Fighting Irish and finished with 199 yards passing and a TD.

Averaging 51.8 points per game, USC ended up with five turnovers and was limited to 92 yards rushing. The Fighting Irish racked up 11 tackles for loss.

Williams pulled USC within 31-20 with a seven-yard TD pass to Brenden Rice with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter.

Seconds later, the Notre Dame lead bounced back to 18 points when Jadarian Price returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a score.

USC lost for the fifth consecutive time at Notre Dame Stadium.

USC vs Notre Dame Highlights

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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