CFB world calls out Notre Dame DL's dirty fist jab at USC player in heated rivalry game: "F**king wild"

The Notre Dame-USC rivalry took a turn for the worse during week 14 as tensions boiled over in a controversial incident. After USC’s first touchdown, Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills was caught on camera delivering a punch to USC left guard Emmanuel Pregnon’s facemask.

It all started when Pregnon appeared to tug on Mills's leg following the touchdown run. Surprisingly, officials did not flag the play. The clip of the punch went viral on social media and sparked outrage among fans.

"F**king wild. Big10 refs are a complete shit show," one X user wrote.

"It’s called a suspension," said another fan while reacting to the video.

"Genius, punch a guy in the helmet," commented one fan sarcastically.

"Gutless crap from a loser kid," another X user tweeted.

"Of course the refs didn’t see when it’s nd," a user said.

The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 5 and fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff. A loss to USC would have severely damaged their playoff hopes, especially with limited quality wins on their résumé.

On Saturday night, they put any worries about not qualifying aside and posted a 49-35 win over the USC Trojans to punch their playoff ticket.

Former USC QB lashes out at Trojans HC Lincoln Riley after Notre Dame loss

Lincoln Riley’s season ended on a poor note as the USC Trojans (6-6, 4-5, Big 10) fell 49-35 to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1). The Trojans’ struggles under Riley have reached a boiling point, prompting criticism from a USC legend.

Former Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart did not hold back on social media after USC finished 6-6, saying,

“Finish 6-6 and just really have no clue what we are? Who we are? There’s no identity.” He added, “We have good players. Need to recruit harder. As frustrated as anyone. Want to see USC back to being a contender. Don’t think we are close at the moment.”

USC started the season 3-1 but lost five of their last eight games. Riley’s men have a dismal 1-3 record against ranked opponents. The Trojans HC is now 14-11 in the last 25 games, a stat that will cause concern to a football program with high aspirations.

While Riley acknowledged the team’s fight against Notre Dame, saying, “We battled today like we have all year,” fans demanded more than effort. Riley’s hefty $90 million buyout may be one of the reasons preventing him from getting fired.