October 18, 1997
Notre Dame Southern Cal Final Stats
By Chris Hamilton, The Scholastic 1997 Football Review
USC versus Notre Dame. Though the two schools are bitter rivals, they have much in common. Both football programs are loaded with tradition, both have distinguished marching bands and both have fans who expect nothing but the best. And this season, both programs were struggling to recapture their winning ways of old.
USC and Notre Dame, one of the best intersectional rivalries in college football, met for the 69th time on October 18. Yet this game didn’t have the same feel of typical Irish-Trojan contests as the two teams entered the game unranked for only the second time in this storied rivalry.
The Irish, 2-4 on the season, came into the game riding high after a 45-21 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Panthers the week before. This game marked the return home for Notre Dame after three consecutive games on the road. The Trojans, with a record of 2-3, entered the contest on the heels of an embarrassing 28-point loss to unranked Arizona State. They also came into South Bend knowing they hadn’t beaten the Irish in Notre Dame Stadium since 1981.
Last season, USC broke Notre Dame’s 13-game unbeaten streak over the Trojans. This year they marched into Notre Dame and ended another streak, beating the Irish 20-17 on a last-minute field goal in a sloppy, mistake-filled game. And for the first time since 1981, the men of Troy earned the bragging rights of a winning streak against the Irish – something most Irish followers are unaccustomed to.
“That’s a tough, tough loss,” said Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie. “I feel bad for our football team. What I told the players after the game, what they have right now, what’s in it for them, is a coaching staff that isn’t going to quit, that isn’t going to point fingers.”
The game started well for the Irish. They won the coin toss and decided to receive the ball. Senior cornerback Allen Rossum fielded the kickoff, broke two tackles and scampered 56 yards to the USC 40-yard line. It took the Irish five plays to go the remaining 40 yards, with junior tailback Autry Denson carrying the ball on all five plays. His 2-yard touchdown run capped off the drive and gave Notre Dame an early 7-0 lead.
USC answered on its first possession of the game, mimicking Notre Dame’s open ing drive and establishing their running game. The tailback tandem of Delon Washington and Malaefou MacKenzie combined for the first 27 yards of the drive. Quarter back John Fox then took over, completing three passes, including a 22-yarder to tight end Antoine Harris on third-and-17. A reverse to wide receiver R. Jay Soward picked up 17 yards to the Notre Dame 5. From there, Washington carried twice, his second for 3 yards and a tying touchdown.
Notre Dame looked just as impressive on its second possession as it had on its first. This time the Irish mixed up their play calling, with quarterback Ron Powlus completing three passes for 49 yards and Denson picking up 27 yards on the ground. Freshman tailback Tony Driver completed the drive by diving into the end zone from the USC 1-yard line, giving Notre Dame its second touchdown in as many drives.
On their ensuing possession, the Trojans refused to bow to the Irish. On second-and-six from the Notre Dame 40, Soward took advantage of a breakdown in Notre Dame’s defense turning a 4-yard pass from Fox into a 31-yard gain. The USC receiver tied the game once again with an 8-yard touch down grab three plays later. Notre Dame was unable to capitalize on its next two possessions as both drives ended in missed field goals by sophomore kicker Jim Sanson. His first attempt, a 45-yarder, sailed wide left, then he missed his 34-yard attempt wide right. On the other side of the ball, the Irish defense didn’t allow USC a single first down on their final three drives of the half. “Offensively, we played well early in the game,” Davie said. “Defensively, we didn’t play well, and then we settled down.”
Sanson got a chance to redeem himself right before halftime. His 27-yard attempt with 37 seconds left in the half split the uprights, capping a nine play, 54-yard drive. Though the Irish outplayed USC in almost every respect during the first two quarters, outgaining them 221 to 165 and collecting seven more first downs, they went into the locker room leading by only three.
Sanson’s field goal were the last points Notre Dame would score all afternoon, as the Irish offense was shut out in the third quarter for the sixth time in seven games. Denson, who rushed for 106 yards in the first half, was held to a mere 27 in the second half.
The Trojans set the tone for a sloppy second half on the opening kickoff as they were penalized 10 yards for a clip on the return. In the half, USC was penalized nine times, setting them back a whopping 106 yards while Notre Dame was flagged six times for 65 yards. “It seemed like there were 140 penalties and 130 field-goal attempts,” USC coach John Robinson said.
Though both offenses struggled early in the period, USC showed signs of life, driving 56 yards on its second possession of the half, helped by a late hit out-of-bounds that moved the ball to the Notre Dame 25. That’s where the Irish defense stiffened and kicker Adam Abrams came in and nailed a 42-yard field goal for the Trojans, evening the score once again.
The fourth quarter began with USC’s punter Jim Wren hitting a 48-yard punt that drove the Irish back to their own 20. With 80 yards to cover, Notre Dame put together their first sustained drive of the half, aided by some timely USC penalties. A pass interference call on cornerback Chris McCutcheon on third-and-eight gave Notre Dame its initial first down of the drive. The drive was eventually stopped at the USC 16, where Sanson lined up to attempt a 33-yard field goal. As a freshman, the kicker received death threats after missing a pivotal extra point in Notre Dame’s 27-20 overtime loss to the Trojans. Luck wasn’t on his side this year either, as his attempt to put the Irish ahead sailed wide right.
Notre Dame got another chance after its defense held USC. The Irish began what looked to be a promising drive on their own 23 with five minutes left in the game. Again, USC tried to help by committing another penalty, this one a late hit on a first-and-32 play. As the Irish pushed toward midfield, Powlus dropped back and threw in the direction of wide receiver Bobby Brown. The pass was tipped and intercepted by USC linebacker Mark Cusano and returned to the Notre Dame 29. Three plays later, with 1:05 on the clock, Abrams drilled a 37-yard field goal to put the Trojans ahead.
The Irish got the ball back on their own 25 with exactly 1:00 minute to go in regulation, but they were unable to come back. Powlus couldn’t find any receivers downfield and dumped the ball underneath the coverage. Following one last incompletion, the quarterback was greeted with a chorus of boos as he left the field, his 16th loss in 40 career starts.
“It was a strange football game,” Davie said. “The game started out like it was going to be high-scoring. Both defenses settled down. Obviously, missing the three field goals was critical, and they made their two field goals. At the end of the game, we had a chance to go in and take the lead. But the ball was tipped, and they made the interception.”
Besides not being impressed with his team’s performance, Davie also wasn’t pleased with the fans’ reaction. “One thing that is critical is that when you play at home, you would like to have some momentum from your home crowd,” he said. “Late in the football game, you need the crowd to help you win it in these kind of games.”
While the lack of crowd support bothered the coach, he knew where the blame be longed. “The bottom line is USC stepped up and made plays,” Davie continued. “They made two field goals and we didn’t. They had the turnover and ran it back. Their kids stepped up. We had ourselves in a position to win the game and we didn’t. That’s the bottom line.”
The bottom line for the Irish at that point read 2-5. And after yet another disappointing performance, it didn’t show any signs that it would improve.