USC–Notre Dame: The Rivalry Is Back...As Well As the Irish!

It was drama at its highest. Nine seconds left in the game. The score was 34-27. A USC penalty gave Notre Dame the ball at the USC four yard line.  

Jimmy Clausen, the No. 1 rated passer in the nation, took the snap, ran to his right to try to avoid the pressure and threw a fade to the front corner of the end zone.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph leaned back and reached up over Kevin Thomas to snare the ball with one hand. But Rudolph came down out of bounds.

Now there were four seconds left. Again Clausen took the snap. This time he turned to his left and fired a low laser. Cornerback Josh Pinkard deflected the pass and the game was over.

Or was it?

Amidst the Trojan celebration, the officials gathered and decided to check the replay. After chasing the Trojans back to the sidelines, they discovered that one second remained.

So, the Irish and Trojans would have to do it again. The teams lined up. Clausen took the snap, turned to his left again and fired. This time Pinkard slipped. But so did the Irish receiver, Duval Kamara, and the ball skidded harmlessly on the turf.

Jimmy Clausen, who had led the Irish to three straight comeback wins, had just thrown three straight incomplete passes to end the Irish hopes of a major signature win.

For a few very long seconds, it almost seemed like déjà vu.  

The 2005 game all over again. Only this time in reverse with Notre Dame mounting a comeback, and USC desperately trying to hold them off.

But in the end, Notre Dame lost its eighth consecutive game to USC. For Charlie Weis, it would be his fifth straight defeat at the hands of Pete Carroll’s Trojans. For his courageous quarterback, Jimmy Clausen who stood his ground in the face of a vicious Trojan rush despite suffering from turf toe, it was his third straight loss to USC.

But for college football fans across America it was a huge win.

All of college football is better off when teams like Michigan, Iowa, and Miami are competitive. Today, Notre Dame proved it could be competitive with just about any top-ranked team.

Their quarterback Jimmy Clausen showed that he deserves to be included with Heisman hopefuls like Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow.

Charlie Weis and his wide-open offensive strategy put the rivalry back in the USC–Notre Dame game. And both Notre Dame and USC football fans alike should be glad he did.