No. 21 Notre Dame Harasses Caleb Williams Handing No. 10 USC First Loss 48–20

Xavier Watts (0) of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish stiffs arms Austin Jones (6) of the USC Trojans after intercepting a pass from Caleb Williams (not pictured) during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 14, 2023. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

SOUTH BEND—Xavier Watts intercepted Caleb Williams twice and returned a fumble for a touchdown as No. 21 Notre Dame harassed the Heisman Trophy winner and handed No. 10 Southern California its first loss in a 48–20 victory on Saturday night, Oct. 14.

Having lost twice in the three games, the Fighting Irish (6–2) bounced back against their longtime rivals in a big way. Watts had two of Notre Dame’s three first-half picks against Williams and then a 15-yard scoop-and-score with 3:27 left to add an exclamation point.