It wasn’t just the 45-27 loss at USC or the 24-7 halftime deficit. When Notre Dame ended its 2016 debacle with a disappointment in Los Angeles, it was out-gained by only four yards, but giving up three return touchdowns and sitting a promising defensive lineman due to repeated malicious on-field acts appropriately summed up a sloppy and undisciplined 4-8 season. The Irish were lost in just about every way.
Fast-forward 11 months. The score flipped to 49-14, then No.-13 Notre Dame notching a rout against the No. 11 Trojans. The Irish out-gained USC 497 yards to 336 and never looked back from a 28-0 first-half lead.