Notre Dame-USC Week Countdown: Part V
This weekend’s Notre Dame-USC showdown will be the 89th between the two schools, dating back to 1926, with the Fighting Irish holding a 46-37-5 advantage.
It will be the 72nd consecutive meeting since 1946 between the No. 11-ranked Trojans and No. 13 Fighting Irish — and the first since 2006 in which both teams are ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll.
There has been no rivalry in college football history where a meeting between two programs has had the national title on the line with such frequency, and this year’s meeting is a Playoff elimination contest.
The peak of the Notre Dame-USC series was from 1964-80, when one or both programs were legitimately in the hunt for the national title at the time of the game virtually every year. In those 17 seasons, those two programs won outright or had a share of the national title nine times (five for USC, four for Notre Dame).
Our five-part series this week reviews Notre Dame top-5 most memorable or watershed victories in The Game. There is no “right answer” regarding these contests, and they also are based more on personal memory.
At No. 1 is the 1973 showdown.
Oct. 27, 1973: Ending The Curse
Entering this contest, USC was the defending national champ, boasted a 23-game unbeaten string and possessed the nation’s most lethal offensive arsenal with quarterback Pat Haden, tailback Anthony Davis — who scored six touchdowns the previous year against the Irish, two on kickoff returns — and wide receiver Lynn Swann.
Above all, head coach Ara Parseghian’s Irish had not defeated the Trojans the previous six years, and pundits mocked him as the coach who “can’t win the big one.” The previous three years were especially painful:
• In 1970, the 9-0 Irish already had a national title matchup set in the Cotton Bowl versus No. 1 Texas — except fell behind 38-14 in a monsoon to a USC team that was whipped 45-20 the week before by UCLA. Despite Joe Theismann’s 526 yards passing for the Irish, USC held on for the 38-28 win, and Notre Dame would finish No. 2 after defeating Texas.
• In 1971 the 5-0 Irish sought vengeance at home versus 2-4 USC — but were down 28-7 by halftime before losing 28-14. The Trojans would not lose again in their next 23 games.
• In 1972, USC won its third national title under head coach John McKay, most notably handing Parseghian his worst defeat at the time with a 45-23 decision in the regular season finale.
In 1973, the Irish began 5-0 again, but popular opinion nationally was USC would return them to reality — again.
During one of the most electrifying weeks of preparation on the Notre Dame campus, impromptu pep rallies were held nightly, hundreds of Davis photos dancing on his knees in the end zone against Notre Dame in 1972 were taped to the campus sidewalks, and bed sheet banners were hung from dorm rooms throughout the campus.
For sheer intensity toward one regular season game, only the 1966 showdown with Michigan State and the 1988 arrival of No. 1 Miami rivaled this one. On the day preceding the game, nearly the entire edition of the campus student newspaper The Observer was devoted to school pride and the overwhelming need and desire to defeat USC.
On USC’s opening series, Irish freshman sensations Ross Browner and Luther Bradley set the tone, with Bradley dislodging the helmet from Swann on an incomplete quick out on the first play and Browner nearly sacking Haden in the end zone for a safety before the QB got away with intentional grounding.
In the final minute of the first half, Notre Dame quarterback Tom Clements dove in for a touchdown and a 13-7 Irish halftime lead.
Then on the initial Irish play from scrimmage in the third quarter, halfback Eric Penick on a ‘70s version of a jet sweep sprinted 85 yards for a touchdown and 20-7 cushion in what is considered in many circles the most electrifying run from scrimmage in Notre Dame Stadium annals.
Notre Dame’s 23-14 victory earned it the cover of Sports Illustrated thanks to limiting Davis to 55 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Bob Thomas’ third field goal of the game provided another crucial two-score edge, and the ball repeatedly bounced in Notre Dame’s favor during the fourth quarter while USC turned it over three times in Irish territory on a rainy day. Linebacker Greg Collins earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors as well, while Bradley intercepted two passes while also providing outstanding coverage on the back end.
The euphoria so overcame the fandom in Notre Dame Stadium, the student body tore down the north goal post after the contest, an event seldom seen. In fact, an old “H” goal post/ crossbar had to be installed from the practice field for the rest of the season in its place.
Just like in 1977 in the famous Green Jersey Game, the victory propelled Notre Dame to the national title — the ultimate Big One — later that season.
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