Irish show little fight in 38-3 drubbing by USC

In the spirit of rivalry, the Irish came into the Coliseum fighting. Unfortunately for the Domers, pre-game skirmishes aren’t recorded and don’t appear on stat sheets. Though Notre Dame appeared pumped and fearless in an early scuffle that led to the two teams being separated before the game ever kicked off, they had no punches to throw on the negative side of a 38-3 Trojans rout.

From the first series of the game, and carrying to the end, Charlie Weis proved there’s no “genius” in his coaching or offense. For four quarters the Trojan domination made the visitors appear no better than the two Pac 10 programs playing in the state of Washington. The Irish may have come in at 6-5, playing the 107th ranked strength of schedule in the country, but Pete Carroll gave them a better measure of their so called improvement from last season, by revealing that nothing has changed. Clear the smoke from their schedule and you see Notre Dame outscored in the last two meeting 76-3 by their biggest rival. That isn’t South Bend progression. That’s a program idle in futility.

To put their misery in perspective, the Irish failed to achieve a single first down in the first 30 minutes of play, and 45 minutes passed before they established one. Their offense totaled just 9 first half yards, 11 passing and -2 rushing. They finished the game with 91 total yards, 4 first downs, and 3 points on the scoreboard. The field goal appeared as an act of desperation, with Weis refusing to be shutout by USC in consecutive years, and for the 4th time versus Irish opponents in the past two seasons.

It was a homecoming for Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who lost his first game in the state of California, after going 46-0 at Oaks Christian High School. The former Parade All-American went just 11 of 22 for 41 yards and 2 interceptions. Meanwhile, his counterpart, Mark Sanchez, also a former high school All-American, connected 21 times on 32 attempts for 267 yards and two scores. Sanchez threw an interception on the Trojans’ first series of the game, and another in the end zone in the second half, on a first and goal play that would have increased the swelling of the Irish’s black eye.

USC rushed for 175 yards, including a 55 yard first half burst for a touchdown by Joe Mcknight. 8 different Trojans caught passes in the blowout, with Damian Williams’ 8 receptions for 76 yards and a score leading the way. Carroll cleared his bench in the fourth quarter, and the determined Weis left his starters on the field for further embarrassment. Be it starters or reserves, the Irish hit a Trojan wall of defense, and have now gone 8 consecutive quarters without a touchdown against Southern Cal. The victory is the 7th straight for USC in the series.

With Oregon defeating Oregon State in Corvallis, The Trojans now lead the Pac 10 and can earn a Rose Bowl birth and automatic BCS bowl bid with a victory over UCLA in next week’s season finale.

Lane Kiffin headed to the SEC

ESPN.com is reporting that former USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has accepted a deal in principle to become the new head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. The 33 year old Kiffin left Southern California in 2007 to coach the Oakland Raiders. He was terminated on September 30, 2008, after less than two years in a Raiders organization that made him the youngest coach in their history. Lane is the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

Phillip Fulmer coached the Tennessee Volunteers for 16 seasons, winning one National Championship. In the midst of poor team performances in the ’08 campaign, and one of the worst seasons in Tennessee’s history, he was forced to resign, and will step down at the end of the season. Kiffin’s knowledge of recruiting hotbeds, having worked as recruiting coordinator at USC, may have proved the difference in his selection over other candidates.

Lendale White rumbles over hapless Lions

Lendale White doesn’t fear a microphone or hesitate to voice is displeasures. But of course, we already knew that, from his days at USC. As any other poster boy for disgruntled players would be, White was vocal in last weekend’s post-game interview that followed a 34-13 loss to the Jets, a game that gave the once perfect Titans their only blemish on the season. He was frustrated in carrying the ball just 3 times in 4 quarters of play, and alerted listeners and his coaching staff of his feelings. By midweek, most wondered if White had allowed his mouth to stuff him into Jeff Fisher’s doghouse, since it’s never a good idea to air dissensions between player’s and a coaching staff. Instead, Fisher said the topic had been discussed and there were no ill feelings between himself and White. And if anyone had speculations that Fisher’s statements were an attempt to cover up an incident possibly boiling in the Tennessee locker room, that was all squashed on Thursday, as both White and the Titans went back to the formula for success, drubbing the Lions 47-10.

Against the Lions, White ran for 106 yards on 23 carries, with a long of 25. He also contributed 2 touchdowns to tie Atlanta’s Michael Turner’s league leading 13. White had been the league leader in the category, until the lack of opportunities last weekend shut him out. Rookie Chris Johnson added another 125 yards on the ground against the hapless and helpless Lions, giving evidence of the franchise in Detroit being the NFL’s biggest turkey on Thanksgiving, and likely the worst team I’ve witnessed on a professional field. How bad are the Detroit Lions? Even Vince Young completed a 57 yard pass in this game, entering in relief of Kerry Collins.

Last week, Woody Paige of ESPN's "Around the horn" called White "another Denver loud mouth". He also said his mouth is the reason he fell in the NFL draft. I'd have to disagree with the latter. It was a question of work ethics that caused the slide. If it was about being a loud mouth, players like Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Chad Johnson wouldn't be worth much in a free agent market, and obviously they are. Lendale White may not be in the best shape, but there's no denying his production on the football field, something the teams picking before the Titans failed to foresee.

Preview | Notre Dame at (5) USC

Depending on the articles read and lists compiled, several rivalries will appear as the “greatest”. Be it the bias of the author and his or her loyalties holding weight, difference of opinion will bring about a different order. But without a doubt, USC and Notre Dame is the greatest intersectional rivalry in the nation, because of the simple fact that they share no conference and exist in separate regions of the country. Even so, the Trojans and Fighting Irish will collide on a football field for the 8oth time, in a series only discontinued by world war, and never because one program or the other declined in prowess.

We can all give our opinions of great rivalries, and even my own bias will surface. But I challenge anyone, and everyone, to give me another college football rivalry where the programs combine for greater history and achievements on a football field. The Irish and Trojans have amassed 23 national championships and 14 Heisman Trophy winners. The rivalry produced more All-Americans and NFL draft selections than any other. These college gridiron greats have gone on to excel on professional fields, yielding more Pro-Bowl selections and members of the NFL Hall of Fame than any other rivalry can boast. The names are as legendary as the coaches, and each visitor will grasp that legend by touring the opponent’s trophy halls, before ever taking the field. Today’s players are an extension of yesterday, preparing to gallop with ghosts on a modern surface. They are new faces aligned with old, each looking to carve their names aside rivalry greats. They are young men hauling the pride of generations past, existing beneath the Golden Dome and behind the Walls of Troy. It's more than just one game in a college football season. It is college football. It's USC and Notre Dame.

FIGHTING IRISH (6-5)
Last Week: L-Syracuse

Notre Dame enters the 80th meeting as a program in trouble. Even with high expectations, the Irish have struggled. They’ve defeated just one program with a winning record (Navy), and faced the embarrassment last week of losing to an 8-loss team (Syracuse) for the first time in their long history. Charlie Weis promised 9 wins in 2008 and he’s currently stuck on 6, with only their greatest rival remaining. It’s a promise he couldn’t keep, and even more unpredictable was that the Irish would be pelted with snowballs in their own stadium, and by their own fans. We have a coach and a program desperate for a quality win to legitimize the season and possibly save a job.

TROJANS (9-1)
Last week: Bye

Southern California will be the best team Notre Dame has faced on the '08 slate. And to make it more difficult for the Domers, it’s a hungry bunch, still hoping for pieces to fall that would launch them into the National Championship game. If there were ever a game for style points, a nationally televised prime time affair with a storied program is it. Some say there’s that “rivalry” factor, where the underdog will excel and shock the world. But though the Trojans are known for sleeping on teams that are average or worse, they’re always fully awake for Notre Dame. This is a USC farewell to seniors playing their last home game in the Los Angeles Coliseum. It’s a senior class that has never lost to the Irish, and looking to continue the trend. Notre Dame was shutout 38-0 in South Bend last year, and will face an improved Trojans defense on Saturday night.

Analysis: It's no secret that each team that somehow managed to slow the Trojans were either equipped with a productive rushing attack or defensively found a way to limit the USC stable of backs from consistently chewing chunks of yardage. Notre Dame provides neither, as the Domers rank 91st in the country running the ball, and 58th defending it. Unless there is that "luck of the Irish", it can get ugly, as in previous games played in this series and venue. In the last 3 trips to the Coliseum, the Irish have been outscored 129-47.

All Time Series: Irish lead 42-32-5
Streak: Trojans won 6