Notre Dame Embarrasses USC In First True Test For Trojans, While Caleb Williams Has A Night To Forget. Pac-12 Is Wide Open

Notre Dame had a brutal three week stretch leading up to its game against USC, but the Fighting Irish didn't let the loss last week affect them tonight. In what felt like the first true test for Caleb Williams and the Trojans, they suffered their first loss of the season, 48-20.

This was the sixth straight loss for USC in South Bend, while Notre Dame faced its fourth straight ranked opponent.

Questions surrounding USC have been running rampant since barely surviving against Arizona last week, and Sam Hartman, along with the Notre Dame defense answered them tonight. In dramatic fashion, the Irish controlled the game from start to finish, putting a damper on the Caleb Williams Heisman run.

What would USC look like if Williams found himself having a poor night? It would look a lot like what the Notre Dame defense did to the Trojans in South Bend. Three interceptions from Caleb Williams, along with a defense that struggled to prevent big plays by the Irish led to the humbling loss.

After losing to Louisville last weekend, along with the previous home loss to Ohio State, Notre Dame didn't look like a team that felt written off. No, Marcus Freeman had his team prepared to get after Lincoln Riley's Trojans on the big stage. If anything, Notre Dame was the team that responded to adversity, while USC is now looking for answers on defense, which has been a consistent worry within the program.

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 14: Audric Estime #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball against the USC Trojans during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium on October 14, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Notre Dame Defense Wreaks Havoc On Caleb Williams

Heading into this showdown, all eyes were on Caleb Williams and how he would perform against a defense that had the talent to cause problems. The answer for the USC quarterback was throwing three interceptions, while spending a lot of time running for his life in the backfield.

Credit to the Fighting Irish for presenting multiple looks on defense, giving the USC offensive line problems all evening, keeping him in the pocket. Heading into this matchup as one of the Heisman favorites, going forward will be a challenge.

In-terms of the Heisman Trophy race, there are two other quarterbacks in the Pac-12 that should now be the front-runners, with Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix. Sure, Williams could respond to tonight's horrible performance and make another run towards New York City, but it won't be easy.

What Lies Ahead For Trojans, Notre Dame?

The Trojans have a massive problem on their hands, with one of the toughest stretches in college football coming up. USC will host Utah next week, then finish the season with California, Washington, Oregon and UCLA. Lincoln Riley's group will go on the road to Berkley and Oregon, but this schedule presents at least two more losses if they play like they did against Notre Dame.

As for the Fighting Irish, the schedule actually lines up pretty nice for a run towards a New Year's Six bowl game. Sam Hartman will lead the Irish against Pittsburgh, Clemson, Wake Forest and Stanford to end the 2023 regular season. The Irish will be favorites in each game, and could end this season on a high note. A lot of fans will be thinking about that loss to Louisville last week, but most would admit the Irish were spent.

Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium on October 14, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

One thing is very clear coming out of tonight's game, and it surrounds USC. If Lincoln Riley doesn't figure out a way to get his defense playing better, this season could go up in smoke, quickly. The Trojans have tested the football gods a few times already, but they ran into a buzzsaw in South Bend.

It's pretty clear that USC has a lot of problems to fix, without a lot of time to do so. For Notre Dame, they once again took a step forward under Marcus Freeman in their march towards turning the program into a powerhouse once again.