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Notre Dame football: Most exciting 21 moments from the 2021 season

By Brad Weiss

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 01: A closeup of a Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cowboys defeated the Fighting Irish 37-35. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 01: A closeup of a Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cowboys defeated the Fighting Irish 37-35. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
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Oct 23, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tyler Buchner (12) and running back Kyren Williams (23) celebrate after a touchdown run by Buchner in the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tyler Buchner (12) and running back Kyren Williams (23) celebrate after a touchdown run by Buchner in the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame football: Most exciting 21 moments from the 2021 season

No. 11: Buchner seals victory over USC

One game you can always circle on the calendar if you are an Irish fan is the USC matchup, a tradition that has gone on since the 1926 college football season. Recently, the rivalry has been all Irish, as they have lost to the Trojans since 2017, and in the 2021 matchup, a true freshman sealed the deal for Notre Dame.

For the Irish, the bye week really helped settle the season down, as they revamped the offensive line and started to play much better on the defensive side of the ball. USC was their first matchup after the break, and they were dominating the Trojans heading into the fourth quarter, getting out to a commanding 24-3 lead.

Then came the Trojans, as a rivalry game is always going to go down to the wire, and this one was no different. USC scored two unanswered touchdowns to pull within eight, before the Irish were able to put them away for good. Getting the ball back with a little less than nine minutes left in the fourth, Notre Dame went on a four-minute drive capped off by Buchner scoring from three yards out.

The touchdown by the true freshman gave the Irish an insurmountable lead, and they were able to recover a fumble on the next Trojans drive to seal the victory.

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