Notre Dame Defense Excels In Win Over Southern Cal

Notre Dame knew that if it was going to beat USC Saturday night it would have to have its best defensive performance of the season. Neither head coach Marcus Freeman nor defensive coordinator Al Golden would ever say that out loud, but they knew.

Lincoln Riley’s Trojans sported the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (51.8 ppg) and hadn’t been held to fewer than 42 points since last year’s Pac-12 Championship Game loss to Utah. Even on an off night, USC has managed to post victories six times in spite of its below average defense.

That was not the case in Saturday’s 48-20 Fighting Irish win, which was sparked by Golden’s defense.

"I couldn't speak more highly of the performance of our defense and the way Coach Golden prepares,” Freeman said after his first win over USC. "Got a lot of respect for him. He's been through a lot of ups and downs in his time of being a football coach. He's unwavering. The way he prepares is unwavering. I mean, obviously had a great plan for what our guys performed today, but our guys perform as they are taught. That's why I kept saying to the coaches, it's on us. We don't have insubordinate kids. We have to teach them exactly what we want them to do to give them a chance to have success. I'm really proud of the way they performed and the way we prepared on both sides of the ball.”

Led by two interceptions from safety Xavier Watts, the Fighting Irish defense intercepted last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams three times and forced a pair of fumbles as well. Watts returned the first fumble for a touchdown and forced the last one, sealing the Irish victory, its fifth straight home win over its biggest rival.

Benjamin Morrison had the third interception for the Irish defense. All three first half picks set up Irish touchdowns.

"We were able to capitalize of them,” Freeman said of the turnovers. "Instead of just having PBUs or almost, our guys turned those into takeaways, which were huge for our entire team.”

Notre Dame’s primary defensive focus was Williams. The junior quarterback’s knack for extending plays with his legs has broken the backs of most defenses he has faced. He broke Notre Dame’s back with them last year, scoring three touchdowns in a 38-27 win in Los Angeles.

His three interceptions are a career-high and mark just the second time he has thrown multiple interceptions in a game. The six sacks the Irish had against Williams match Colorado for the most he’s had in a game since transferring from Oklahoma last year.

"I don't know if there is a perfect answer to stopping Caleb Williams,” Freeman remarked. "He is one of the best college football players that I've ever seen. All I kept telling the guys is, we have a plan, and on this play you have to attack. You cannot play passive. You cannot play a three-man rush and let him go out there and be the Heisman Trophy winner he is. You have to attack and no matter what happened -- there were plenty of plays that he continued to extend plays with his legs.”

Williams had just 10 interceptions in 877 career pass attempts prior to throwing three against the Irish. It’s the second time this season that Notre Dame has intercepted three passes in a game.

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