Notre Dame expected to host first round playoff game after win at USC

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The Notre Dame football team has its sights set on the postseason after closing the book its regular season this past Saturday.

It was the ideal result for the Fighting Irish, who went out to Los Angeles and beat rival USC 49-35. It’s Notre Dame’s seventh straight double-digit win as the Irish have cruised through the back part of their schedule.

In the win on Saturday, the Irish ran all over the Trojans, rushing for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Jadarian Price, Jeremiyah Love, and Riley Leonard all reached the end zone on the ground.

On defense, they had two pick sixes. Christian Gray returned a 99-yard interception for a touchdown, only to be outdone a couple of minutes later by Xavier Watts, who tied the program record with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown of his own.

So overall, it was just another day that Notre Dame looked better than their opponent here down the final stretch of the season.

“Proud of this group. It’s an honor to be a part of this football program with these guys, with this coaching staff,” said Irish head coach Marcus Freeman after the game. “To see where we were 84 days ago to where we’re at now, it’s a testament to the decisions that those guys in the locker room and that coaching staff and everybody that helps have made. This is what it’s all about, man, it’s the journey. It’s a journey, and you can’t let the highest of highs and the lowest of lows deter you from what you need to do to reach your goals. So, it’s awesome.”

It was Notre Dame’s 10th straight win and completes an 11-1 regular season at 11-1, which is a complete turnaround from when the Irish lost at home to Northern Illinois the second week of the season.

“I’ve known from the start of training camp that we had a chance to have a special program. But it’s a process. You have to build it,” Freeman said. “We had to go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in the first two weeks of the season. But they continued to prepare and they chose to put the work in and not feel bad about themselves and they believed in themselves, too. So, I’ve known this team has been a really good team. I told you guys earlier that this is the most talented roster that I’ve had since I’ve been here. We had to become a good team. Roster is one thing. We had to develop to a good team, and it’s because of their hard work.”

After being ranked fifth in the playoff selection committee’s rankings last week, Notre Dame has all but secured a home first round playoff game on either Dec. 20 or Dec. 21. We’ll know for sure on Selection Sunday this week.