-
Bill Connelly
It wouldn’t be a stretch to declare that the Notre Dame-USC match elevated the status of collegiate gridiron. Certainly, there existed abundant intense rivalries before the two institutions commenced their contests in the mid-1920s, yet those rivals were geographically proximate. Harvard against Yale. Auburn versus Georgia. Michigan against Ohio State. Missouri against Kansas. Notre Dame-USC, conversely, initially necessitated extensive journeys via railway; it deposited squads in an entirely distinct locale, where they generally faced the challenge of overcoming one of the globe’s premier teams. It represents the quintessential intersectional rivalry (acknowledging Keith Jackson), and it held immense significance from its inception.
On the approaching Saturday evening in South Bend, the Trojans and Fighting Irish will clash for the 96th occasion. Notre Dame possesses a 52-38-5 advantage, although the upper hand has shifted dramatically throughout the years — Notre Dame achieved a 15-3-1 record from 1940-61, USC attained a 12-2-2 mark from 1967-82, Notre Dame compiled a 12-0-1 tally from 1983-95, and USC registered an 11-3 record from 1996-2009. The Irish have prevailed in nine of the most recent 12 encounters and are favored to extend that to 10 out of 13 this annum.
A sense of apprehension looms over this contest, given that no future Trojans-Irish matches are presently scheduled. The sole instances of these rivals not meeting since their inaugural game in 1926 were attributable to either armed conflict (1943-45) or a global health crisis (2020), but the series now faces jeopardy due to … well … the precise reason remains unclear.
Notre Dame’s head strategist, Marcus Freeman, has unequivocally expressed his and the institution’s desire for the series to persist, and USC’s head strategist, Lincoln Riley, articulated, “Do I aspire to partake in the game? Absolutely, I aspire to partake in the game,” during Big Ten media presentations in July before hedging. “My dedication lies with USC, and I shall exert every effort to aid USC.”
That prompted a digression regarding the imperative for conferences to secure multiple automatic bids into a freshly broadened College Football Playoff, a concept the Big Ten has championed for months. “I posit there exist a multitude of justifications for us to … embrace automatic qualification concerning the College Football Playoff,” Riley stated. “This might constitute the paramount rationale, namely, that we furnish every impetus for collegiate gridiron to safeguard nonconference contests that hold profound significance to the annals of the sport and to the adherents, alumni, and all individuals associated with it.”
Evidently, USC and/or the Big Ten perceive the continuation of the USC-Notre Dame series as contingent upon it exerting no influence on CFP selection. Should the series conclude, it would terminate for utterly mortifying motives. Simply arrange the game and perpetuate its occurrence.
For the preceding century, this has stood as one of the sport’s defining rivalries, owing to both its impact on collegiate gridiron’s equilibrium of power (notably in the 1960s and 1970s) and the remarkable junctures it has engendered.
Presented herein are 10 contests that have contributed to shaping an astounding, and alarmingly imperiled, rivalry.
1931: USC 16, Notre Dame 14
The 1920s represented the epoch during which the sport fully captivated America. The Big Ten and Ivy League maintained their supremacy, and the Rose Bowl only augmented its prestige upon the inauguration of the Rose Bowl stadium in 1922. Nevertheless, institutions from across the spectrum increasingly sought to partake in the spectacle. Alabama triumphed in the 1926 Rose Bowl, thereby demonstrating the South’s capacity to more than hold its ground, and with its 1925 Rose Bowl decimation of Pop Warner’s Stanford, Knute Rockne’s Notre Dame proclaimed its status as a national force.
USC had previously secured victory in the Rose Bowl in 1923, but the Trojans’ recognition as an ascending contender reached unprecedented levels when, having endeavored to lure Rockne away from Notre Dame in 1925, they consented to exchange annual cross-country sojourns with the Irish. Three of the initial four games in the series, alternating between colossal gatherings in Chicago and Los Angeles, culminated in one-point Notre Dame triumphs, all involving agonizing missed attempts at conversion. The nation was enthralled.
Notre Dame welcomed USC to South Bend for the maiden occasion in 1931 — and for the initial instance without Rockne, who had perished in an aviation mishap the preceding March. The Irish had remained undefeated since a setback against the Trojans at the conclusion of the 1928 season, and they established a 14-0 advantage entering the fourth quarter. Gus Shaver registered a score to narrow the deficit to 14-6 early in the fourth, but the Irish thwarted the PAT, and considering the absence of 2-point conversions, it persisted as a two-score affair. Not to worry! They scored anew to reduce the margin to 14-13, and in the waning moments, Orville Mohler executed a pair of critical passes to propel USC into field goal vicinity, whereupon Johnny Baker clinched the game-winning attempt.
The Trojans arrived a few days afterward to a thronged train station teeming with over 100,000 revelers. They were paraded through the municipality. And following resounding triumphs over Washington and Georgia and a Rose Bowl conquest against Tulane, they emerged as undefeated national victors.
1947: No. 1 Notre Dame 38, No. 3 USC 7
USC savored consecutive top-10 standings in 1938-39, but upon the demise of legendary strategist Howard Jones in 1941, the Trojans encountered inconsistencies. Notre Dame, conversely, flourished both during and after the wartime period, securing four national titles between 1943-49.
In 1947, USC initiated the season with a 7-0-1 record, ascending to third nationally. Regrettably, Notre Dame fielded the preeminent squad ever, according to esteemed opinion-giver Beano Cook. USC compelled the Irish to labor for this triumph, but propelled by the orchestrations of Heisman laureate Johnny Lujack and the devastating ground game of Emil Sitko and Bob Livingstone, Notre Dame ultimately possessed an excess of firepower.
The Irish commanded a slender 10-7 lead at the intermission, but Sitko’s 76-yard touchdown extended it to 17-7, and after an interception and further exceptional defensive maneuvers from Lujack, Livingstone surged 92 yards to render the score 31-7 and usher in the reserves. Notre Dame claimed the AP national title, albeit somewhat ironically, Michigan concurrently asserted a share following a 49-0 rout of USC in the Rose Bowl. An all-time classic would have transpired had the Irish and Wolverines engaged that season, but by that juncture Michigan and a sizable cohort of other Big Ten programs were declining to schedule Notre Dame.
1964: USC 20, No. 1 Notre Dame 17
The 1950s constituted a challenging decade for numerous blue-blood programs, and neither of these institutions evaded periods of decline. USC recorded as many one-win seasons as top-10 finishes (one apiece) between 1948-61, and Notre Dame registered more two-win seasons (two) than top-10s (one) between 1956-63. Nevertheless, they identified the individuals who would propel them back to prominence when USC enlisted John McKay in 1960, and Notre Dame secured Ara Parseghian in 1964.
USC cruised to an 11-0 national title in 1962 but remained in the process of establishing consistency in 1964; the Irish, meanwhile, surged from 2-7 to the nation’s pinnacle in Parseghian’s inaugural season. They possessed a 9-0 record and stood one triumph shy of a national title when they journeyed to L.A. Before a crowd of 83,840 at the Coliseum, the Irish, two-touchdown favorites, surged to a 17-0 halftime advantage. According to Sports Illustrated, McKay remained composed, informing his squad, “Our strategy is proving effective. Persist in executing your assignments, and we shall amass points […] They’ve secured nine victories without encountering undue pressure. Should we render this encounter competitive, they might lack the capacity to react.” Guided by future Heisman victor Mike Garrett and quarterback Craig Fertig, the Trojans substantiated McKay’s assessment. They scored twice to close the gap, and as the final minute approached, they executed 84-Z, a strike over the central zone from Fertig to Rod Sherman for the decisive score.
The Irish would exact retribution imminently, humiliating USC 51-0 in Los Angeles two years hence and clinching their maiden national title under Parseghian. Nonetheless, the Trojans still compelled them to bide their time.
1968: No. 2 USC 21, No. 9 Notre Dame 21
These programs have clashed as top-10 entities on 18 occasions, with half of those games transpiring between 1965-79. While this rivalry has ebbed and flowed with one institution ascending and the other descending, this era witnessed both prospering rather consistently.
In 1967, top-ranked USC overturned fifth-ranked Irish by a score of 24-7 in South Bend en route to McKay’s second title, and propelled by soon-to-be Heisman victor O.J. Simpson, the Trojans secured victories in their initial nine games of 1968 as well. However, following a pair of early setbacks, Notre Dame arrived at the Coliseum having triumphed in their preceding three contests by a combined margin of 135-27. The Irish presented the Trojans and their supporters with a surprise.
As Dan Jenkins chronicled for Sports Illustrated, “The contest unfolded in a manner wholly dissimilar to what the 82,659 spectators within the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum or the throngs viewing on television had anticipated. They had, of course, anticipated witnessing a spirited affair, with O.J. Simpson accumulating his customary 183.7 yards and registering his typical two or three touchdowns, and with the Trojans perhaps prevailing by a solitary point and reassuming the No. 1 ranking. What transpired instead was the emergence of a splendidly prepared Notre Dame contingent that neutralized Simpson defensively and retained possession for extended durations offensively.”
Sophomore quarterback Joe Theismann surmounted an early pick-six to amass 152 passing yards, haul in a touchdown pass, and steer Notre Dame to a 21-7 halftime cushion. USC once more mounted a comeback, with a short Simpson TD and an extended Sam Dickerson score evening the score with 10 minutes remaining, but the Irish forged late opportunities. Nevertheless, Scott Hempel misfired on a 47-yard field goal attempt, then faltered on a 33-yard attempt with 29 seconds remaining. Evidently, both of these rivals derived such immense gratification from this encounter that they played to a stalemate the ensuing year as well, a 14-14 draw.
1974: No. 6 USC 55, No. 5 Notre Dame 24
Ah, The Comeback.
By the 1970s, these programs were operating at peak efficiency. USC clinched the 1972 title thanks in part to a 45-23 thrashing of Notre Dame that showcased six Anthony Davis touchdowns, two via kick returns. In 1973, it was Notre Dame’s opportunity, taking down the defending titlists by a score of 23-14 and ultimately stunning top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to secure the title. In 1974, in the concluding McKay-Parseghian showdown, USC flipped the script in a manner few have replicated. And Davis once again spearheaded the charge.
Notre Dame and quarterback Tom Clements astonished the crowd of 83,552 early, amassing 257 first-half yards and bolting to a 24-0 advantage. However, Davis scored on a concise touchdown pass from Pat Haden to narrow the margin to 24-6 before the intermission, then seized the opening kick of the second half and sprinted 100 yards for another score. USC forced a punt, and Davis scored anew. Subsequently, Notre Dame fumbled, and Davis scored once more, tacking on the 2-point conversion.
Abruptly, the score stood at 27-24, and USC sustained its onslaught. Haden delivered touchdown passes to J.K. McKay (twice) and Shelton Diggs, whereupon Charles Phillips intercepted his third pass of the day and returned it for a score. In slightly under 17 minutes, USC had embarked on a 55-0 surge. 55-0! The Trojans capitalized on the momentum to orchestrate a Rose Bowl upset of Ohio State as well.
1977: No. 11 Notre Dame 49, No. 5 USC 19
Dan Devine’s tenure as Notre Dame’s head strategist commenced with a pair of three-loss seasons and an early-1977 defeat against unranked Ole Miss. Devine teetered precariously close to hot-seat status. The Irish had secured three consecutive victories when USC arrived in town, but they’d vanquished the Trojans on only one occasion in their preceding 10 attempts, and they simply weren’t exhibiting the requisite form. Consequently, they revamped their aesthetic.
The Irish emerged clad in all green for the inaugural occasion — a ghastly shade of green, to be candid (veracity remains paramount) — and entered the field trailing a colossal Trojan horse. USC never stood a chance. A rickety Notre Dame offense discovered its rhythm, with quarterback Joe Montana completing eight passes to the imposing Ken McAfee and scoring on a pair of quarterback sneaks, and while USC’s Charles White rushed for 135 yards, the Trojans consistently self-destructed within Irish territory. Even with four lost fumbles, Notre Dame triumphed by 30.
The enchantment of the green jerseys persisted even upon reverting to the conventional kits. They secured victories in their final seven contests by an average margin of 45-11, encompassing a 38-10 rout of top-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and Devine, Montana & Co. emerged as surprise national victors.
1988: No. 1 Notre Dame 27, No. 2 USC 10
Overall, the 1980s proved underwhelming for both programs. Head strategist John Robinson succeeded McKay in the NFL, and USC faltered under Ted Tollner, while Notre Dame executed either one of the most audacious or the most conceited and imprudent hirings of all time following Dan Devine’s retirement: High school coaching luminary Gerry Faust assumed command and posted a mere 30-26-1 record over five years.
USC rebounded under Larry Smith, however, and Notre Dame surged under Lou Holtz. And in 1988, the series witnessed a momentous first: a No. 1 versus No. 2 battle to conclude the regular season.
Notre Dame had previously vanquished top-ranked Miami in a contest warranting 30 for 30 status, and even absent a pair of pivotal players — running back Tony Brooks and receiver Ricky Watters were both suspended — it rapidly became apparent that the Fighting Irish represented the superior contingent. Quarterback Tony Rice surged 65 yards for an early touchdown, Stan Smagala scored on a 64-yard pick six, Mark Green registered two short touchdowns, and the Irish devoted the majority of the second half to clock management. They amassed a mere eight first downs for the game, but it proved more than adequate to secure a sixth consecutive triumph in the series. And approximately five weeks hence, they thrashed WVU in the Fiesta Bowl to clinch their maiden national title in 11 years (and their most recent to date).
1995: No. 17 Notre Dame 38, No. 5 USC 10
While Notre Dame remained elite for several years into the 1990s, USC experienced a diminution in its competitive edge. Between 1991-2001, the Trojans only registered a solitary top-five showing, culminating ignominiously in South Bend.
Notre Dame entered this fray having gone a mere 6-5-1 the preceding year and endured a pair of early-1995 setbacks, encompassing an all-time shocker against Rose Bowl-bound Northwestern. Holtz had recently undergone spinal surgery and coached from the press enclosure, and despite a 12-year unbeaten streak in the rivalry, the Irish were deemed underdogs against the No. 5 Trojans. But USC performed like a desperate squad that hadn’t vanquished its rival in 12 years.
USC’s Keyshawn Johnson snagged an early touchdown pass to grant the Trojans a 7-6 advantage — he amassed six catches for 122 yards on the day — but four turnovers, countless red zone miscues, an 10-for-11 start for the Irish on third down, and two Marc Edwards touchdowns furnished Notre Dame with a 21-7 halftime cushion. The score stood at a mere 21-10 entering the fourth quarter, but Kory Minor sacked USC’s Kyle Wachholtz for a safety, Ron Powlus located Pete Chryplewicz for a short score, and a third Edwards touchdown sealed the outcome. The Irish only outgained the Trojans by a yard (380-379), but they garnered all of the critical yards.
USC would ultimately reclaim control of the rivalry the ensuing year, securing three consecutive victories against first Holtz and then Bob Davie.
2005: No. 1 USC 35, No. 9 Notre Dame 31
I employ this analogy far too liberally, but USC, for all intents and purposes, resembles a high-performance muscle car: It proves too unwieldy for the majority of drivers to manage, but with the requisite hands on the steering wheel, it can obliterate everything in its path. USC struggled to procure that pair of hands for a protracted duration. Tollner, Smith, Robinson (during a second stint), and Paul Hackett collectively registered zero top-five finishes and a mere four nine-win seasons across 18 years, and by 2001, when athletic director Mike Garrett was supplanting Hackett following a moribund three-year tenure, he encountered difficulty in identifying any prospective candidates.
Garrett pursued a range of individuals, from Oregon’s Mike Bellotti to Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez, and came up empty. He ultimately secured former New England Patriots strategist Pete Carroll, whose résumé bore excessive resemblance to Hackett’s for the liking of the majority of supporters. He had also refrained from coaching at the collegiate level for nearly 20 years, but he should have — as it transpired, virtually no one in the 21st century proved a more natural or successful recruiter. Carroll accumulated both blue-chip prospects and bright young assistants such as Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin, and after commencing his tenure with a mere 9-8 record, his Trojans erupted, triumphing in 45 of 46 contests, encompassing a streak of 34 consecutively. They shared the national title with Nick Saban’s LSU in 2003 and secured it outright in 2004.
That winning streak arguably should have reached its conclusion in South Bend.
While USC was surging, Notre Dame was receding into irrelevance. Throughout eight years under Davie and Tyrone Willingham, the Irish alternated between sub-.500 disappointments and seasons just successful enough to culminate in bowl blowouts — 27-9 against pre-Saban LSU in the Independence Bowl, 28-6 against NC State in the Gator Bowl, 41-9 against Erickson’s Oregon State in the Fiesta Bowl. But it seemed Notre Dame had identified its own Carroll in former New England offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. His Irish defeated three ranked adversaries within his initial five contests, encompassing No. 3 Michigan on the road, and they had reclaimed a position within the top 10 when USC arrived for a visit. ESPN’s “College GameDay” was situated in town, and Notre Dame’s Friday night pep rally was broadcast on ESPNews. Notre Dame even resurrected the green jerseys. They were pulling out all the stops.
Despite a brilliant 195 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns from soon-to-be Heisman victor Reggie Bush, USC simply couldn’t shake loose from the Irish. A 32-yard Brady Quinn-to-Jeff Samardzija touchdown pass and a 60-yard Tom Zbikowski punt return furnished Notre Dame with a 21-14 halftime advantage, and Quinn’s 5-yard touchdown bestowed the Irish with a 31-28 lead with a mere 2:04 remaining. But you likely already possess knowledge of the subsequent events.
Bush shoved Matt Leinart into the end zone on a make-or-break play with four seconds remaining — an action that would be deemed legal under contemporary regulations, but not in 2005 — and somehow USC survived.
2018: No. 3 Notre Dame 24, USC 17
Notwithstanding the greatness and significance this rivalry has imparted upon collegiate gridiron, it has encountered a lull in recent years. Such ebbs and flows are commonplace. Although the Weis years flamed out spectacularly, Notre Dame has sustained its relevance, registering four top-five finishes and two national title game appearances under Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman. But USC’s Carroll era concluded with NCAA sanctions, and under four distinct strategists — Kiffin, Sarkisian, Clay Helton, and currently Lincoln Riley — the Trojans have savored a mere solitary top-five showing since 2008. Notre Dame has prevailed in nine of the preceding 12 encounters in the series, and only three of those 12 contests were determined by a single score.
The 2018 game proved quite enjoyable, at least. USC, mired within a dismal 8-11 stretch following a hot commencement under Helton, was endeavoring to both salvage bowl eligibility and dismantle Notre Dame’s unblemished record and playoff credentials immediately prior to CFP selection. The Trojans commanded a 10-7 advantage entering the intermission courtesy of an early Vavae Malepeai touchdown, but a 52-yard dash by Dexter Williams and a 52-yard Ian Book-to-Tony Jones Jr. connection propelled the Irish into a 14-point lead. JT Daniels located Tyler Vaughns for a USC touchdown in the final minute, but Notre Dame recovered the ensuing onside kick, thereby sealing the outcome.
We’re due a USC-Notre Dame classic on Saturday. A protracted interval has elapsed, and unless sanity prevails, a considerable duration may ensue before we secure another opportunity.
