LOS ANGELES -- Once safety Harrison Smith slipped, Notre Dame's last line of defense was hope and prayer as USC wide receiver Ronald Johnson waited all alone at the Irish 15-yard line for a long pass from quarterback Mitch Mustain.That's when fate moved its huge hand and paved the way for a long-awaited victory Saturday night. Johnson somehow dropped a can of corn that should have been a touchdown, and Smith redeemed himself four plays later with an interception that clinched Notre Dame's 20-16 victory before 85,417 soggy fans at Memorial Coliseum. 'It's about time we got a break,'' Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said after the Irish ended an eight-game losing streak against USC.
''We had the luck of the Irish and God on our side on that one,'' wide receiver Michael Floyd said. ''That was good luck on our part.''
After USC's Joe Houston kicked a 37-yard field goal to give the Trojans a 16-13 lead with 6:25 to play, Notre Dame's Robert Hughes scored on a five-yard run to cap a seven-play, 77-yard drive for the winning touchdown with 2:23 left.
Hughes rushed for 69 yards on 11 carries, including 36 yards on four carries on the winning drive as Notre Dame (7-5) won its third consecutive game, setting the Irish up for a likely berth in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28 in Orlando, Fla.
Read More: Irish appear headed for Champs Sports Bowl
