USC vs. Notre Dame: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

With 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, the No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish overcame a one-touchdown deficit to defeat the USC Trojans 41-31 on Saturday night to improve to 6-1.

Led by quarterback DeShone Kizer's arm and C.J. Prosise's 143 rushing yards, Notre Dame spoiled the debut of interim head coach Clay Helton, who took over for Steve Sarkisian after he was dismissed last week. Kizer and Prosise each recorded two touchdowns Saturday.

It looked like things would be a walk in the park early for Notre Dame, who overcame an early touchdown from USC quarterback Cody Kessler to score 24 of the next 27 points. 

The Irish didn't wait long to come up with a reply for Kessler's touchdown, either, as Kizer hit wide receiver Will Fuller for a 75-yard pass just 15 seconds after USC took the lead. 

Watch ND had the replay of Kizer's bomb to one of the best wide receivers in the nation:

Fuller beat the coverage of USC cornerback Adoree' Jackson, who is one of the best in the nation at his position. Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman was impressed:

The wide receiver made the most of his catches, piling up 131 yards on just three receptions.

Prosise followed up a USC field goal with a 25-yard touchdown rush.

A minute later, Amir Carlisle scooped up a blocked punt by Equanimeous St. Brown deep in USC territory and returned it for a touchdown, helping give the Irish an 11-point lead. 

It was a sweet moment for Carlisle, who scored against the school he transferred from after his freshman year. NBC Sports shared the replay:

Jackson did manage to make a big play on defense, halting a Notre Dame drive on the USC 9-yard line by stripping Torii Hunter Jr. and getting the Trojans the ball back.

ESPN's Matt Fortuna saw that play as a turning point in the game:

It helped gain some momentum for USC, who managed to find an answer. Down two touchdowns with 5:59 left in the first half, the Trojans rattled off 14 points in a little over two minutes to tie the game at 24-24 going into the locker room.

They came on two consecutive huge plays as well. 

First, a trick play sprang JuJu Smith-Schuster open for a 75-yard touchdown reception off a pass from wide receiver Jalen Greene. The Pac-12 Networks shared the replay:

Notre Dame's coverage might have been lacking, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller pointed out:

But Jackson, who was burned by Fuller on defense, might be one of the fastest players on the field. He showed it off on the touchdown that helped the Trojans tie the game, which started as a harmless screen pass.

The Pac-12 Networks showed off his speed, which topped out at around 23 miles per hour, per the Los Angeles Times' Lindsey Thiry:

In the third quarter, the Trojans picked up where they left off, scoring on a five-play, 80-yard drive to grab a 31-24 lead. A 65-yard rush from Ronald Jones II set up a four-yard Taylor McNamara touchdown reception.

Rushing for 73 yards on six carries, Jones is already drawing comparisons to some of the NFL's best running backs. Here's what NBC Dallas Fort Worth's Pat Doney pointed out:

Notre Dame was giving up yards at will, according to Feldman:

USC did plenty to get the Irish back in the game, committing a pair of pass-interference penalties that gifted Notre Dame 30 yards and put the team in the red zone. The drive was capped off by Prosise's second touchdown of the game, a six-yard rush.

The Irish took the lead on their next drive, when Kizer hit Corey Robinson for a 10-yard touchdown. It was their second straight drive in which they went 90 or more yards in less than four minutes. 

Kessler proceeded to give the ball and game away as he saw two of his next three passes picked off by KeiVarae Russell and Max Redfield. Notre Dame was able to get only three points from the turnovers, though, putting it up by 10.

RedditCFB showed Russell's athletic interception:

That was more than enough, as USC could not muster a reply. It was an anticlimactic debut for Helton as the Trojans slumped to 3-3 on the season. As unappealing as it sounds to some, USC should focus on getting experience for its future cornerstones while finding the right head coach and not worry about the team's record. 

Notre Dame survived again and will move up in the standings this week after losses from No. 12 Michigan and No. 13 Ole Miss. A balanced offense with plenty of playmakers is showing that it can play its way back into College Football Playoff contention.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.