No. 5 Notre Dame clinches College Football Playoff spot with 2 pick 6s in 49–28 win over USC

Christian Gray‘s 99-yard pick 6 with 3:39 remaining clinched No. 5 Notre Dame’s 49–35 win over USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. With the victory, the Fighting Irish clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Trojans were driving toward a potential game-tying touchdown after a 22-yard reception by Duce Robinson and 23-yard run from Quinten Joyner. That put USC on the Irish’s 21-yard line.

Jayden Maiava then looked for Kyron Hudson down the right sideline. But he underthrew his pass while Hudson fell and Gray picked off the throw at the 1-yard line. The sophomore returned the ball 60 yards down the sideline before moving toward the left hash and got to the end zone with four Irish teammates keeping defenders away from him.

On the following possession, USC again drove toward a potential touchdown, moving 62 yards in seven plays. But on 4th-and-6 from the Notre Dame 13-yard line, Maiava was intercepted again, this time in the end zone by safety Xavier Watts.

The senior ran his pick 6 back 100 yards with no Trojans offensive player coming close to a tackle, probably tired out by two consecutive long drives.