No. 5 Notre Dame secures its College Football Playoff berth with 2 pick-6s in a 49-35 win over USC

Christian Gray’s 99-yard pick-6 with 3:39 left secured No. 5 Notre Dame’s 49-35 victory over USC on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With the win, the Fighting Irish secured a spot in the College Football Playoff.

After a 22-yard reception by Duce Robinson and a 23-yard run by Quinten Joyner, the Trojans headed for a potential game-winning touchdown. That put USC at the Irish 21-yard line.

Jayden Maiava then looked for Kyron Hudson down the right sideline. But he underthrew his pass while Hudson fell and Gray deflected the throw at the 1-yard line. The second-grader returned the ball 60 yards down the sideline before moving to the left side and running into the end zone while four Irish teammates kept defenders away from him.

On the following possession, USC once again drove toward a possible touchdown, moving 62 yards in seven plays. But on a fourth-and-6 from the Notre Dame 13-yard line, Maiava was intercepted again, this time in the end zone by safety Xavier Watts.

The senior rushed for 100 yards on his pick-6 without a Trojans offensive player coming close to a tackle.

What looked like a USC rally began with Ja’Kobi Lane’s touchdown catch with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter. This score cut the Irish’s lead to 35-28. The Trojans’ defense then forced Notre Dame to punt on its next possession, aided by a penalty and a sack by Jamil Muhammad.

A 60-yard punt by James Rendell pushed USC back to its 16-yard line. However, the Trojans drove 63 yards in five plays before Gray’s fateful interception ended any chances of a comeback.

Notre Dame’s chances of securing a spot in the College Football Playoff appeared uncertain after its surprising loss to Northern Illinois in the second game of the season. But the Irish won their next 10 games, including top-25 wins over Louisville, Navy and Army. And Notre Dame opened its season with a win against Texas A&M, one of the SEC’s top teams.

The Irish finished fifth in the last edition of the CFP rankings and will likely move up following Ohio State’s loss to Michigan. In any case, with the win they essentially completed a home playoff game (they can’t get a bye since they’re an independent club).