(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
On a day when the top BCS hopefuls Florida and Texas had to hold off their rivals, Arkansas and Oklahoma respectively, USC would prevail as well...barely.
With Florida and Texas it was touch ‘n go the entire game. However, the Trojans had a 20-point lead on Notre Dame, 34-14, when the wheels fell off.
If anything can age Pete Carroll beyond his years, it has to be the way he preaches discipline, yet it goes in one ear and out the other.
Once again, the Trojans led both teams with eight penalties for 70 yards. At least four were critical personal-foul penalties that extended Irish drives.
With 7:29 in the third quarter and USC ahead 20-7, Everson Griffen sacked Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen at the Notre Dame 22. But instead of a second-and-fifteen, Griffen pumped his arms like Popeye and got flagged.
That gave the Irish a first down at their 35. Three plays later, Clausen hit Golden Tate for a 45-yard touchdown.
If I have one complaint about All-American safety Taylor Mays, it’s that he sometimes plays the receiver when he should play the ball. If he had looked for ball, he would have had his second end-zone interception in two games or, at the very least, a deflection.
Instead, the Irish had scored the first passing touchdown of the year against the Trojans and had cut the lead to 20-14.
Nevertheless, the Trojans, led by true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley who threw for a career high 380 yards, put up two more touchdowns and were coasting 34-14 when the wheels began to fall off.
For the first three quarters, the Trojans pressured Clausen with just a four-man and sometimes only a three-man rush. But in that fourth quarter, the Trojan horses just seemed to run out of gas.
Even slowed down by a nagging turf toe, Clausen was able to avoid the rush and lead his Fighting Irish on another touchdown drive. Again, this one was aided by an unnecessary personal foul that give Notre Dame a first down at the Trojan 32.
But with USC still ahead 34-20, a Barkley pass was tipped by David Ausberry and intercepted by Gary Gray. He returned it to the USC 13.
Three plays later, Clausen hit Golden Tate for a 15-yard touchdown to narrow the score to one touchdown, 34-27. Again, the Trojan rush was non-existent, as was their previously unblemished end-zone pass defense.
Having not allowed a touchdown through the air in five games, this was the second one given up in just one half.
If their pass rush had fizzled out of gas, so had the Trojans’ rushing offense.
Instead of being able to control the ball late in the game like they usually do, the USC offense allowed the Irish to clog up their running lanes and force Matt Barkley to beat them.
He couldn’t. So that put the game squarely in Jimmy Clausen’s very capable hands. He had led game-winning drives in three straight games.
Starting on his own 22 with 4:18 remaining, Clausen and his receivers shredded the USC defense with short passes. His two longest were only for 13 yards each.
The last one to Bobby Paris at the USC 16 had another 8 yards (half the distance) tacked on for yet another personal foul.
As if that wasn’t close enough, Malik Jackson ran into Clausen after he threw an incomplete pass and gave the Irish another first and goal from the USC four.
Fortunately for USC, there were only nine seconds remaining at that point.
It was the clock and not so much the USC rush that forced Clausen to throw three incomplete passes.
His receiver, Duval Kamara, slipped in the end zone on the last attempt or it might have been four straight game-winning drives for Clausen and the Irish.
Despite the exuberant front put on by Pete Carroll, underneath he has to be extremely concerned with the way his Trojans played in the final quarter.
For the past seven years, Carroll has been extolling his teams to “finish.” Unnecessary personal fouls, sloppy tackling, poor line play on both offense and defense by the Trojans allowed Notre Dame to finish strong.
It reminded me of a boxing match where one fighter has out-pointed the other one early in the fight and then struggles to hold on, completely exhausted, in the final rounds.
But there can be no rejoicing and no rest for the weary. Mike Riley and his Oregon State Beavers had a bye week to prepare for the Trojans. They are the only team to beat USC twice since Pete Carroll began his run.
Twice in four years, knocking the Trojans out of the top spot each time, rested and with a well-balanced powerhouse offense led by the Brothers Rodgers. Need I say more?
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