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USC vs Notre Dame, 41-31: Full highlights, final score and more

By Connor Muldowney

Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Fuller (7) catches a pass for a 75 yard touchdown against the Southern California Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Fuller (7) catches a pass for a 75 yard touchdown against the Southern California Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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USC hit the road to take on Notre Dame and gave the Fighting Irish a much better game than expected.

The Steve Sarkisian mess had to have been weighing on the USC Trojans, but they played one heck of a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road. You have to give it up for these kids have have had to deal with so much adversity over the past week.

As for Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish played well in the fourth quarter when they needed to, taking a 38-31 lead with under 10 minutes left and never looking back. The crucial moment was a tipped interception by the Fighting Irish with about five minutes to play that may have put the game out of reach.

USC’s Cody Kessler had a solid game other than a couple of picks, but Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer played very well throughout, made the big plays and protected the ball.

Three Stars

C.J. Prosise had yet another solid game on the ground. He finished with 19 rushes for 143 yards and two big touchdowns.

JuJu Smith-Schuster kept the Trojans in the game — Cody Kessler deserves this spot as well — by catching six passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Will Fuller had one of the plays of the game, reeling in a 75-yard touchdown catch. He finished with just three receptions, but he had 131 yards and a score.

Highlights

"USC 7, ND 0. USC drives 71 yds for its first TD! JuJu Smith-Schuster made this clutch catch to keep the drive alive. http://t.co/fGEqdR6EO4— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) October 17, 2015"

"A 75-yard TD pass is always great to have in your playbook. #NDonNBChttp://t.co/SOM4RvRTgj— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 18, 2015"

"WATCH: @NDFootball blocks punt for another TD #NDonNBChttp://t.co/Tkhkeaxjy8— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 18, 2015"

"ND 24, USC 17. USC slices into ND’s lead with this career-long TD catch by JuJu…from Jalen Greene! (LIVE on NBC) http://t.co/Lmk4w1MDkt— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) October 18, 2015"

"USC 31, ND 24. Freshman RB Ronald Jones II broke off this electrifying 65-yd run to set up a USC TD. (LIVE on NBC). http://t.co/vwuJ6rOPuY— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) October 18, 2015"

Odds

Notre Dame came into the game as a six-point favorite and the over/under was 61.5. Luckily, if you picked the over, you were in luck, but the winner of the game wasn’t decided until late. The Fighting Irish covered the spread as well, beating the Trojans 41-31.

Next Week

USC will have the tough task of facing the No. 4 Utah Utes next week with a chance to prove itself in the Pac-12. Sure, the Trojans have lost a couple of questionable games already, but there is far too much talent on this team to just roll over after the Steve Sarkisian debacle.

Notre Dame will have a bye in week eight as the Fighting Irish will prepare for the Temple Owls on the road Saturday. The Fighting Irish will have an easier game before their schedule gets tougher heading into November.

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