DALLAS (FWAA) – Notre Dame bullied its way to a 34-24 win over USC on Saturday, rushing for a season-high 306 yards against a formidable defense and paving the way for another prospective run to the College Football Playoff. Junior guard Billy Schrauth led the way for running back Jeremiyah Love to post the most rushing yards (228) ever by a Notre Dame player at Notre Dame Stadium. For his role in a dominant performance against the Trojans, Schrauth is the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 18, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the third season for the FWAA to select an Outland Trophy National Player of the Week as part of the NCFAA's weekly national honors from 12 awards. The recipient of the 2025 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 12. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 21, 2026.
The weekly winners are added to the preseason Outland Trophy watch list going forward. Schrauth is already a member of the 2025 watch list.
Schrauth, a 6-4, 310-pound junior from Cambellsport, Wis., was a dominant factor in Notre Dame rolling up 442 total yards that included a season-high 306 rushing yards, the most then-No. 20 USC had given up all season. The Irish had 182 of those rushing yards by halftime, already ahead of the most yards USC had yielded on the ground in a game this season.
Schrauth cleared the way for Love to take his 24 carries for 228 rushing yards and a touchdown, the top rushing performance by an FBS player from the Oct. 18 weekend’s game. It is the sixth-highest single-game rushing mark in program history. Love's 134 rushing yards at intermission were the most first-half rushing yards for a Notre Dame player since 2003.
More on Schrauth and to the offensive line’s credit, another running back, Jadarian Price, ran 13 carries for 87 yards at a touchdown, adding to the Notre Dame rushing attack’s prowess. Beware upcoming opponents: that is the 11th time that both Love and Price have rushed for a touchdown in the same game, and the fifth time this season, the most by a running back duo in Notre Dame history.
Schrauth came into the fall with nine consecutive starts from the 2024 season that saw Notre Dame advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, where he played in all 63 offensive snaps. He had 12 overall starts as a sophomore last season and appeared in all 13 games as a freshman in 2023, playing primarily on the special teams placekicking units.
Notre Dame already claims three all-time Outland Trophy winners in defensive end Ross Browner (1976), guard Bill Fisher (1948) and tackle George Connor (1946). The Fighting Irish had recent finalists in offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg in 2020 and guard Quenton Nelson in 2017 and have had four finalists or semifinalists in the past 10 seasons.
The Irish are idle this weekend. Their next game is at Boston College on Sat., Nov. 1.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.
The Outland Trophy, celebrating 80 years since its founding, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since. Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.
The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. For more information about the NCFAA, visit ncfaa.org.
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The Greater Omaha Sports Committee, founded in 1977, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, consisting of more than 1,300 men and women from the City of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, and others. The Committee serves to communicate, develop, initiate and promote sports activities in the Greater Omaha sports area. In addition to the Outland Trophy Award Events and Dinner, the Greater Omaha Sports Committee promotes high school, college, and professional sports in the Greater Omaha area and the Midwest. For more information contact Bob Mancuso Jr., Chairman at bmancuso@showofficeonline.com or see showofficeonline.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.