Attend a USC football game at Notre Dame

Be there in a week :)

Bought the tickets last night.. Getting closer

Should happen this October.. Fingers crossed..

Media Credit: Joel Zink | Daily Trojan
Head over heels | Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis takes down Notre Dame quarterback Evan Sharpley early in the third quarter Saturday. Ellis finished with 1.5 sacks while linebacker Rey Maualuga had two.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The route was perfect. The pass, the catch and the blocking were perfect. The ensuing 30-yard run after the catch was straight out of a video game.

Receiver Vidal Hazelton’s 48-yard touchdown from quarterback Mark Sanchez with less than 10 minutes to go in the third quarter summed up USC’s night in one play.

Behind four touchdowns from the redshirt sophomore Sanchez, the

No. 9 Trojans (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10) rolled to a 38-0 victory over Notre Dame (1-7) in front of 80,795 people at Notre Dame Stadium. It was USC’s biggest win over the Irish in the rivalry’s 79-year history.

“It was a fun day of football,” USC coach Pete Carroll said.

On third-and-7 from the USC 47-yard line with 45 seconds left in the game, Notre Dame quarterback Evan Sharpley’s pass was intercepted by safety Kevin Ellison to seal the shutout.

“[Getting a shutout] is kind of like throwing a no-hitter,” Carroll said. “The defense was really attacking today.”

The Trojans held the Irish to 165 total yards of offense. Notre Dame punter Geoff Price’s 10 punts for 450 yards totaled more than two and a half times the output of the team’s offensive unit.

USC sacked Sharpley on five occasions and applied constant pressure throughout the game.

“It’s gonna be great when we turn on the film [Sunday] and see all our accomplishments,” linebacker Thomas Williams said. “It’s a confidence builder knowing this is how good we should be.”

While the defense recorded its first shutout since USC’s 42-0 victory over Stanford in 2006, it was Sanchez who stole the show.

He finished the day 21 of 38 for 235 yards and could have had gaudier numbers if it weren’t for a few key drops by USC’s receivers.

All four of his touchdowns came before the halfway mark of the third quarter, when the Trojans started handing the ball off on nearly every play, already leading by 31 points.

“I thought [Sanchez] was really in command, really comfortable, extremely farther along than he was in his first game,” Carroll said. “He started to show it in the fourth quarter against Arizona, but today he was really on.”

Sanchez took a more moderate approach to critiquing his performance.

“That was the game plan coming in: Get the ball out of my hands and into our playmakers’ hands,” Sanchez said. “That’s what we did.”

All four of Sanchez’s touchdowns went to different receivers – he connected with eight different teammates on the day.

Hazelton’s highlight-reel touchdown sent his teammates and the USC faithful into a frenzy, as he bounced off at least three would-be tacklers before diving for the end zone.

“When I caught the ball, I saw a couple defenders in front of me, and I just had the mentality I was gonna get in the end zone,” Hazelton said. “I couldn’t really see. I was just moving. I knew if I kept moving forward, eventually I was gonna get to where I wanted to be.”

“He’s been very creative on the practice field, but that was just a sick play,” Carroll said of Hazelton. “He did every move you’ve ever heard of.”

Freshman tailback Joe McKnight capped the scoring with a 51-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

It was McKnight’s first career touchdown.

“I knew when I got through the hole I was gonna take it,” he said.

McKnight was the Trojans’ leading rusher with 68 yards on seven carries. Senior Chauncey Washington added 64 yards on 12 carries, while sophomore Stafon Johnson and redshirt freshman Stanley Havili added 47 and 31 yards, respectively.

USC’s offense rolled up 462 yards – the Trojans’ own mistakes were the only things that could stop them.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis wasn’t surprised with the opponents’ effort.

“I would say today they were definitely 38 points better,” he said.

USC opened the scoring on a 1-play drive reminiscent of last week’s go-ahead score against Arizona.

Greg Woidneck’s 35-yard punt hit Notre Dame’s Munir Prince in the back and was recovered by USC’s Vincent Joseph.

On the next play, Sanchez pumped to throw off the Irish defense and then found tight end Fred Davis on a 10-yard touchdown pass caught one-handed in the back of the end zone.

The victory was USC’s sixth consecutive over the Irish – the longest streak in team history.

USC VS. NOTRE DAME (30-42-5)

Date    Score    Location              Attendance

1 1926 Dec L 12 – 13 LA, CA 74,378
2 1927 Nov 26 L 6 – 7 Chicago, IL 120,000
3 1928 Dec 1 W 27-14 LA, CA 72,632
4 1929 Nov 16 L 12-13 Chicago, IL 112,912
5 1930 Dec 6 L 0-27 LA, CA 73,967
6 1931 Nov 21 W 16-14 SB, IN 50,731
7 1932 Dec 10 W 13- 0 LA, CA 93,924
8 1933 Nov 25 W 19- 0 SB, IN 25,037
9 1934 Dec 8 L 0-14 LA, CA 45,568
10 1935 Nov 23 L 13-20 SB, IN 38,305
11 1936 Dec 5 T 13-13 LA, CA 71,201
12 1937 Nov 27 L 6-13 SB, IN 28,920
13 1938 Dec 3 W 13- 0 LA, CA 97,146
14 1939 Nov 25 W 20-12 SB, IN 54,799
15 1940 Dec 7 L 6-10 LA, CA 85,808
16 1941 Nov 22 L 18-20 SB, IN 54,967
17 1942 Nov 28 L 0-13 LA, CA 94,519
18 1946 Nov 30 L 6-26 SB, IN 55,298
19 1947 Dec 6 L 7-38 LA, CA 104,953
20 1948 Dec 4 T 14-14 LA, CA 100,571
21 1949 Nov 26 L 0-32 SB, IN 57,214
22 1950 Dec 2 W 9- 7 LA, CA 70,177
23 1951 Dec 1 L 12-19 LA, CA 55,783
24 1952 Nov 29 L 0- 9 SB, IN 58,394
25 1953 Nov 28 L 14-48 LA, CA 97,952
26 1954 Nov 27 L 17-23 SB, IN 56,438
27 1955 Nov 26 W 42-20 LA, CA 94,892
28 1956 Dec 1 W 28-20 LA, CA 64,538
29 1957 Nov 30 L 12-40 SB, IN 54,793
30 1958 Nov 29 L 13-20 LA, CA 66,903
30 1959 Nov 28 L 6-16 SB, IN 48,682
32 1960 Nov 26 L 0-17 LA, CA 28,297
33 1961 Oct 14 L 0-30 SB, IN 50,427
34 1962 Dec 1 W 25- 0 LA, CA 81,676
35 1963 Oct. 12 L 14-17 SB, IN 59,135
36 1964 Nov 28 W 20-17 LA, CA 83,840
37 1965 Oct 23 L 7-28 SB, IN 59,235
38 1966 Nov 26 L 0-51 LA, CA 88,520
39 1967 Oct 14 W 24- 7 SB, IN 59,075
40 1968 Nov 30 T 21-21 LA, CA 82,659
41 1969 Oct 18 T 14-14 LA, CA 59,075
42 1970 Nov 28 W 38-28 SB, IN 64,694
43 1971 Oct 23 W 28-14 LA, CA 59,075
44 1972 Dec 2 W 45-23 LA, CA 75,243
45 1973 Oct 27 L 14-23 SB, IN 59,075
46 1974 Nov 30 W 55-24 LA, CA 83,552
47 1975 Oct. 25 W 24-17 SB, IN 59,075
48 1976 Nov 27 W 17-13 LA, CA 76,561
49 1977 Oct 22 L 19-49 SB, IN 59,075
50 1978 Nov 25 W 27-25 LA, CA 84,256
51 1979 Oct 20 W 42-23 SB, IN 59,075
52 1980 Dec 6 W 20- 3 LA, CA 82,663
53 1981 Oct 24 W 14- 7 SB, IN 59,075
54 1982 Nov 27 W 17-13 LA, CA 76,459
55 1983 Oct 22 L 6-27 SB, IN 59,075
56 1984 Nov 24 L 7-19 LA, CA 66,342
57 1985 Oct 26 L 3-37 SB, IN 59,075
58 1986 Nov 29 L37-38 LA, CA 70,614
59 1987 Oct 24 L 15-26 SB, IN 59,075
60 1988 Nov 26 L 10-27 LA, CA 93,829
61 1989 Oct 21 L 24-28 SB, IN 59,075
62 1990 Nov 24 L 6-10 LA, CA 91,639
63 1991 Oct 26 L 20-24 SB, IN 59,075
64 1992 Nov 28 L 23-31 LA, CA 90,063
65 1993 Oct. 23 L 13-31 SB, IN 59,075
66 1994 Nov 26 T 17-17 LA, CA 90,217
67 1995 Oct 21 L 10-38 59,075
68 1996 Nov 30 W 27-20 (1OT) LA, CA 90,296
69 1997 Oct 18 W 20-17 SB, IN 80,225
70 1998 Nov 28 W 10- 0 LA, CA 90,096
71 1999 Oct 16 L 24-25 SB, IN 80,012
72 2000 Nov 25 L 21-38 LA, CA 81,342
73 2001 Oct 20 L 16-27 SB, IN 80,795
74 2002 No. 30 W 44-13 LA, CA 91,432
75 2003 Oct 18 W 45-14 SB, IN 80,795
76 2004 Nov 27 W 41-10 LA, CA 92,611
77 2005 Oct 14 W 34-31 SB, IN 80,795
78 2006 Nov 25 W 44-24 LA, CA 91,800
79 2007 Oct 20 W 38-0 SB, IN 80,795

The Shillelagh

A jeweled shillelagh is passed between the annual winner of the USC-Notre Dame game, perhaps the finest intersectional rivalry in college football.

A shillelagh (pronounced “shuh-LAY-lee”) is a Gaelic war club made of oak or blackthorn saplings from Ireland. Those are the only woods used because, it is said, they are the only ones tougher than an Irish skull.

The foot-long shillelagh has ruby-adorned Trojan heads with the year and game score representing USC victories, while emerald-studded shamrocks stand for Notre Dame wins. For tie games, a combined Trojan head/shamrock medallion is used. On the end of the club is engraved, “From the Emerald Isle.” The victor of the Trojan-Irish game gains year-long possession of the trophy.

Upon its initial presentation in 1952 by the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles, it was said that “this shillelagh will serve to symbolize in part the high tradition, the keen rivalry and above all the sincere respect which these two great universities have for each other.”

The original shillelagh was flown from Ireland by Howard Hughes’ pilot, according to legend. It was devised by the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles, based on a suggestion by Vern Rickard. John Groen designed it. Although the shillelagh was introduced in 1952, the medallions go back to the start of the series in 1926.

When the original shillelagh ran out of space for the Trojan heads and shamrocks after the 1989 game, it was retired and is permanently displayed at Notre Dame.

A new shillelagh – slightly longer than the original – was commissioned by Jim Gillis, a former baseball player at both USC and Notre Dame and a one-time president of the Notre Dame Club of Los Angeles, and handcrafted in 1997 in County Leitrum, Ireland. It contains medallions beginning with the 1990 game.

There are now 42 shamrocks, 30 Trojan heads and 5 combined medallions on the shillelaghs.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Tested like never before, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Southern Cal showed they have a championship jaw to go along with all that talent.

Leinart pushed and spun his way into the end zone with 3 seconds left to cap a chaotic finish and No. 1 USC escaped with its 28th straight victory, a back-and-forth 34-31 win Saturday over No. 9 Notre Dame in a game that lived up to the hype.

“You gotta believe you’re going to win the way that happened,” USC coach Pete Carroll said.

For a moment the Irish (4-2), dressed for success in kelly green jerseys, thought they had added another stunning upset to their illustrious history. Leinart scrambled from inside the 5, launched himself toward the end zone but was stopped short and the ball was sent flying out of bounds.

With the clock ticking down to 0:00, Notre Dame’s fans rushed the field and coach Charlie Weis raised his hands in victory. But USC coach Pete Carroll sprinted down the sideline to plead his case. The officials huddled, then put 7 seconds back on the clock and the ball inside the 1.

The Heisman Trophy winner had the option to spike the ball to regroup his team or go with what he had. He chose the latter, took it in himself over the left side and got a little help moving the pile from Bush.

“I used all 200 pounds of my body to push Matt in,” said Bush, who ran for 160 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns.

Carroll said USC (6-0) never even considered settling for a field goal attempt to send it to overtime.

Irish quarterback Brady Quinn had given Notre Dame a 31-28 lead with 2:02 left, dashing around right end for a 5-yard touchdown, extending his right arm across the goal line with the ball.

But Leinart wasn’t done. He completed a 61-yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett on a fourth-and-9 at his own 26 and a few plays later called his own number for the winner.

“I just saw it, I thought it was there and I just wanted to get in,” Leinart said. “I didn’t want to spike the ball so I made the choice and they were looking down from up above and we got in. That was all that mattered.”

He sat on the bench after his score, helmet still on, looking exhausted and waiting for a final kickoff that Notre Dame couldn’t turn into a miracle.

Bush ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns for the two-time defending champions.

Weis tapped into the Fighting Irish’s storied past and even in defeat etched a spot in it for himself and his team. He broke out all the stops, bringing in “Rudy” and Joe Montana to fire up his team and the fans in Friday night’s pep rally, then sent the Irish off in good-luck green after warm-ups on Saturday.

The Trojans trailed at the half for the third time this season, this time by 21-14 after Tom Zbikowski’s 60-yard punt return early in the second quarter gave the Irish their first lead.

But Bush tied the game with a 45-yard scoring gallop early in the third. His second long TD of the game put him over 100 yards rushing for the fifth straight game.

Notre Dame got the lead back with a field goal, then D.J. Fitzpatrick missed from 34 yards when the Irish could have gone up by six.

Bush struck again, going around the corner from 9 yards out with about five minutes left to make it 28-24.

Then it was Quinn’s turn to have a Heisman moment.

He guided the Irish on an 87-yard drive, completing all three of his passes and finally putting Notre Dame up with 2:02 left.

Quinn finished 19-for-35 for 264 yards.

USC came in averaging 51 points per game, but the Irish put pressure on Leinart and intercepted him twice, the first time since the final game of the 2003 regular season he tossed two picks.

The dynamic backfield of LenDale White and Bush was turned into a solo act, as Bush kept USC in it until Leinart made the plays of the game.

He threw a prefect fade over a defensive back to Jarrett on the huge fourth-down conversion and finished with 301 yards passing.

For a while though, Notre Dame looked ready to add the Trojans to its list of historic streak stopping upsets.

It was Notre Dame that stopped the longest winning streak in NCAA history when the Irish beat Oklahoma and ended its 47-game romp in 1957.

In ‘46, Army had won 25 straight when Notre Dame tied the Black Knights, and Texas had won 30 in a row before losing to the Irish in 1971.

Two years later, USC had a 23-game winning streak end in the shadows of Notre Dame’s Golden Dome.

On Saturday, USC was too tough, too resilient, to let it happen, and the Trojans are still on track to three-peat.

On a cloudless, windy, sweatshirt kind of day, USC struck first in familiar fashion – turning a takeaway into points.

Keith Rivers picked off Quinn’s tipped pass and two plays later Bush burst through the line and hurdled a tackler on the way to a 36-yard touchdown.

Notre Dame responded with a long drive aided by consecutive 15-yard penalties by USC, and Travis Thomas finished it with a 16-yard touchdown.

Another quick-strike drive by USC resulted in White’s 3-yard TD run, but Notre Dame controlled the rest of the half and had everyone believing the Fighting Irish could again beat the behemoth and reshape the national title race.

USC had other plans.

As a USC alumus, I hope my eyes see this most beautiful sight.