USC win could push it into title game

LOS ANGELES – USC rolled into Notre Dame Stadium last season with one of the flashiest and most prolific offenses in college football history.

The Trojans’ stars did not disappoint, quarterback Matt Leinart, running back Reggie Bush and receiver Dwayne Jarrett pulling off some of the most dramatic plays in the history of the intersectional rivalry for an epic, last-minute victory.

Tonight, when the third-ranked Trojans meet sixth-ranked Notre Dame at sold-out Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC will instead be counting on its resurgent defense to carry the load and possibly provide the game-turning plays.

“We’ve allowed them to show who they are and what they are,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “This is a very physical, tough-minded, hard-nosed group of guys.”

USC (9-1) is third in the Bowl Championship Series standings behind No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan. If the Trojans defeat the Fighting Irish for the fifth consecutive time and also defeat UCLA next week at the Rose Bowl, they could be in line for a third consecutive BCS title-game appearance.

Many college football observers thought USC was out of the chase for the national title when it lost, 33-31, at Oregon State on Oct. 28. But the Trojans climbed back into contention on the strength of a defense that only recently started to create turnovers and live up to lofty preseason predictions.

USC gave up only 19 points in victories over Stanford, Oregon and California, the defense helping the offense with several interceptions and recovered fumbles.

The Trojans are ranked 11th nationally in scoring defense (14.2 points a game), 13th in rushing defense (92 yards) and 21st in total defense (288.6 yards).

“The impact of the loss generated a sense of urgency that maybe we hadn’t touched on yet,” said Carroll, who is 19-0 at USC in November games. “So, we haven’t been the same since.

“As much as I always say I hate to learn the hard way, we did step ahead from that experience. Hopefully, we can carry it into this week.”

USC puts its 32-game home winning streak on the line against a Notre Dame team that has won eight straight since a Sept. 16 loss against Michigan.

The Fighting Irish (10-1) are led by senior quarterback Brady Quinn, a preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy, who nearly engineered a victory over the Trojans last year.

Quinn torched the Trojans’ defense during a fourth-quarter drive and scored the go-ahead touchdown with about two minutes left in the game. But Leinart’s fourth-and-9 pass to Jarrett set up Leinart’s game-winning sneak that included the now famous “Bush Push” into the end zone for a 34-31 victory.

“You know, when you watch film, you watch a little bit of the game from last year, you replay that ending a thousand different ways,” Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski said. “(It) definitely gets to you a little bit.”

Notre Dame began the season with victories over Georgia Tech and Penn State. After playing his worst game in a loss against Michigan, Quinn rebounded by leading the Fighting Irish to comeback victories over Michigan State and, a few weeks later, UCLA. He has passed for 32 touchdowns.