USC Vs. Notre Dame 2011: Trojans Continue Winning Ways In South Bend

Matt Barkley was one of four quarterbacks to see the field on Saturday night as the USC Trojans battled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and he was the only one to perform at a relatively competent level. As the Irish trotted out three different quarterbacks -- the third, admittedly, only threw one pass -- USC stuck with its experience starter and it paid off as the Trojans rolled to a 31-17 win.

Under the lights in South Bend, it was all USC early, with the Trojans scoring the first 17 points of the game. Notre Dame did battle back, scoring 10 points to close the first half, but it was as close as the Irish would get.

Matt Barkley threw for 224 yards and threw touchdowns on the night. Tommy Rees completed 23 of 37 passes for 190 yards, but threw no touchdowns and an interception. Dayne Crist completed four of his five attempts for 36 yards, but also fumbled the ball away at the one, allowing USC to scoop it up and take it back for the touchdown. If you haven’t seen the fumble, it’s highly-recommended.

Heading into the game, Notre Dame looked to snap a lengthy streak of USC wins in South Bend. But it was clear early-on that USC wasn’t quite ready to give up its streak. Thanks to a strong performance from Barkley and timely plays from the defense led to a 31-17 win in South Bend.