CAN U SAY CHOKE?; NOTRE DAME PULLS OUT WIN AFTER TROJANS SELF-DESTRUCT : NOTRE DAME 25 USC 24.Byline: Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Steven Wolf and Susan Enowitch, Wolf was raised in West Orange, New Jersey. He graduated in 1986 from West Orange High School. Staff Writer The endings remain the same, but it's the plot twists that keep getting harder and harder for USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. to grasp. When the Trojans leave Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and play a real opponent, they lose. It's only becoming more inexplicable to understand how it happens. And no loss this season is likely to seem stranger than Saturday's to Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame . The Trojans blew a 21-point second-half lead and lost 25-24 in front of 80,012 at Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame Stadium is the home football stadium for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. The stadium is located on the campus of the University of Notre Dame at Notre Dame, Indiana, just north of the city of South Bend, Indiana, USA. . It will go down as one of the biggest, um, choke jobs in the storied rivalry. Notre Dame had not had a comparable come-from-behind victory since trailing Houston by 22 points in the 1979 Cotton Bowl. To add insult, it happened to be the 25th anniversary of USC's 24-point comeback victory over the Irish. ``If you were an innocent bystander by·stand·er n. A person who is present at an event without participating in it. bystander Noun a person present but not involved; onlooker; spectator Noun 1. , or an observer at this football game, it was a hell of a game. I can't say that,'' USC coach Paul Hackett said. ``It's a thrill to be here, but God it's painful.'' The Trojans (3-3) played their best half of the season and built a 21-3 halftime lead before a tongue-tied Irish crowd. The advantage grew to 24-3 when David Newbury kicked a 29-yard field goal with 12:22 left in the third quarter. Then the Trojans fell apart. ``We might have gotten tight or nervous,'' free safety David Gibson
David Gibson, (March 9 1804 – January 25 1864), was a surveyor, farmer and political figure in Upper Canada. said. ``Who knows?'' Everything just changed. Every big play in the second half was Notre Dame's, and the Trojans were their usual befuddled selves trying to protect a lead. Here's an anatomy of a disaster, South Bend South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. style. Trailing 24-3, quarterback Jarious Jackson Jarious Jackson (born May 3, 1977 in Tupelo, Mississippi) is an American and Canadian football quarterback and safety. Due to injuries, Jackson is currently the starting quarterback with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL. threw a third-down screen pass to Tony Fisher, who came up 3 yards short. But USC strong safety Ife Ohalete was called for a personal foul against wide receiver Bobby Brown, and the play turned into a 23-yard gain. ``The ref said I pushed him in the face. I was pushing him back,'' Ohalete said. ``But I'll take responsibility. It turned the game around.'' The Irish scored five plays later and it was 24-10. Later in the quarter, USC quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst dropped back to pass and fumbled after being hit. Notre Dame (4-3) recovered on the USC 36. ``I didn't think it was a fumble,'' Van Raaphorst said. ``He hit me pretty hard, but I thought my arm was going forward. It probably wasn't though.'' Van Raaphorst was right the second time. It was a fumble. Notre Dame responded with a touchdown and USC led 24-16. Early in the fourth quarter, USC punted from its own 33-yard line, and Mike MacGillivray unleashed an 11-yard punt. ``To shank shank (shangk) 1. leg (1). 2. crus ( 2). shank n. The part of the human leg between the knee and ankle. the punt in the game was symptomatic of the whole second half,'' Hackett said. USC's defense, which was probably feeling like a punching bag thanks to the offense's woes, held the Irish to a field goal and the Trojans held a five-point advantage (24-19). ``Our defense was on the field too much in the second half because our offense is inept,'' Hackett said. Then came the controversy, no surprise to USC at Notre Dame Stadium. On third-and-8 from its 46, Van Raaphorst found Windrell Hayes, who caught the ball but was ruled out of bounds by the officials. Replays indicated Hayes had a foot inbounds in·bounds adj. 1. Basketball Involving putting the ball into play by passing it from out of bounds to a teammate on the court. 2. Sports Within the designated boundaries. after making the catch. ``I thought I was in,'' Hayes said. Van Raaphorst was livid livid /liv·id/ (liv´id) discolored, as from a contusion or bruise; black and blue. liv·id adj. over the third-down pass, saying, ``That was one of the worst calls I've ever seen.'' Instead of having the ball inside the Notre Dame 35, the Trojans punted. With three minutes "Three Minutes" is the 46th episode of Lost. It is the twenty-second episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired on May 17, 2006 on ABC. left, Notre Dame reached the USC 18. Jackson, who missed last year's game with a knee injury, went back to pass and instead raced toward the end zone. Zeke Moreno Ezekiel Aaron Moreno (Born October 8, 1978 in Chula Vista, California) was an American football linebacker in the NFL. His brother, Moses Moreno, also played in the National Football League as a quarterback. and Matt Childers Matthew Wilkie "Matt" Childers (born December 3, 1978 in Douglas, GA) is an American pitcher who, as of 2007, played for the Ottawa Lynx, a Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. both had a chance at tackles but missed, and Jackson reached the 3. Cornerback Kris Richard Kris Richard (born October 28, 1978 in Carson, California) is an NFL cornerback playing for the Oakland Raiders. Professional career He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd round (85th overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for the Seahawks for three seasons. then stripped the ball from Jackson and it rolled into the end zone. Notre Dame's Jabari Holloway recovered the ball for a touchdown. USC thought it had the ball - briefly. ``I had it, but it popped and squirted loose,'' Ohalete said. ``I saw it pop out and went right to the ground but we didn't get it.'' Notre Dame led 25-24 with 2:40 left, but USC still had a time for a field goal. R. Jay Soward Rodney (R.) Jay Soward (born January 16, 1978 in Rialto, California) is a football player who most recently played for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts as a wide receiver. College career He burst onto the college football scene with a 4-TD game vs. (10 catches, 101 yards) returned the kickoff 36 yards, but was gang-tackled and, as he lost momentum, the ball was pulled loose and Notre Dame recovered. ``I was saying to myself, `Fall down R. Jay, fall down.' But something inside me was saying `Don't fall down, R. Jay, you can break out of this and go,' '' Soward said. ``I've never had someone take the ball from me like I was a 3-year-old with a lollipop and an older brother takes it and says, `Its mine.' That's what they said, `It's mine.' That's the play I'll always remember because we lost to Notre Dame.'' USC got one last shot, when linebacker Markus Steele Markus Steele (born July 24, 1979 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American football linebacker who played for the National Football League Dallas Cowboys and for the Denver Broncos. College career Steele played college football at the University of Southern California. forced a fumble and Ennis Davis recovered. But the Trojans' drive stalled when Van Raaphorst's fourth-down pass was deflected. ``We were too sloppy in the second half,'' Hackett said. ``I don't think I can say anything good about it. We had the ball numerous times in the second half and couldn't make the play. We're not a consistent football team yet.'' Especially on the road. USC vs. Notre Dame: A closer look THE HERO Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson. He made some mistakes, but he also seemed to make a big play whenever the Irish needed one. He rushed for 57 yards - if you don't include sacks - and passed for 257. THE GOAT Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson. He made some mistakes, but he also USC quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst. It's the old too-much credit or too-much blame theory. But USC lost a sure first-half touchdown when a flea-flicker pass was underthrown to a wide open R. Jay Soward; lost momentum when Anthony Denman caused him to fumble; and saw its final chance end when Anthony Weaver Anthony Weaver (born July 28, 1980 in Abilene, Texas) is an American football defensive end in the NFL for the Houston Texans. Weaver was drafted by the Ravens in the 2002 NFL Draft after four years at the University of Notre Dame, which was preceded by a four-year stint at deflected his fourth-down pass. STAT OF THE GAME USC's offense had the ball just 23 minutes, 20 seconds. Notre Dame had it for 36:40. QUOTE OF THE GAME ``To have had the three losses we've had is criminal.'' - USC coach Paul Hackett Notebook: USC inspired by visit with `The Greatest' SOUTH BEND, Ind. - USC players were stunned to get an impromptu visit from boxing legend Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali, pasha of Egypt Muhammad Ali, 1769?–1849, pasha of Egypt after 1805. He was a common soldier who rose to leadership by his military skill and political acumen. on Friday night. Ali spent more than three hours at the team hotel, where he performed magic tricks This page contains a list of magic tricks. In magic literature, tricks are often called effects. Based strictly upon published literature and marketed effects, there are hundreds of millions of effects; a short performance routine by a single magician may contain dozens of , told jokes and signed autographs. Ali also viewed the Oscar-winning documentary ``When We Were Kings'' with the team, which focused on his mid-70's title fight with George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. He is the oldest man ever to win the heavyweight title, and also has been named one of the 25 greatest fighters of all time by Ring magazine. in Africa. Ali lives on a farm formerly owned by gangster Al Capone near Michigan City Michigan City, city (1990 pop. 33,822), La Porte co., NW Ind., on Lake Michigan; inc. 1836. Michigan City produces machinery, consumer articles, kitchen and transportation equipment, concrete and wire products, chemicals, apparel, and cast iron boilers. , Ind., which is where the Trojans stayed and is about 30 minutes from South Bend. The Ali visit was set up by USC security chief Xavier Suazo, who is friends with the police chief in Michigan City, who is a friend of Ali. ``It was incredible. It was really inspirational,'' USC free safety David Gibson said. ``We need to play and have fun. Kind of what Ali did.'' While USC met ``The Greatest,'' Notre Dame was addressed by ``The Great One,'' former hockey star Wayne Gretzky, at its pregame rally Friday night. Strong as Steele: Overshadowed by the loss was a terrific performance from USC linebacker Markus Steele, who had 12 tackles, a sack, a fumble and two tackles-for-loss. ``It's just a normal typical game. I was just trying to be around the ball,'' Steele said. ``You never know what's going to happen.'' Injury report: USC offensive linemen Donta Kendrick (ankle), Eric Denmon (knee) and Matt Welch (shoulder) all re-aggravated nagging injuries. Denmon started before being hurt on the first possession of the second half. Another injured starter, Brent McCaffrey (ankle) played behind Trevor Roberts at left tackle. Record receptions: USC wide receiver R. Jay Soward caught 10 passes for 101 yards and set a Notre Dame-opponent record with 23 career catches. The previous record of 22 receptions was shared by former USC receiver John Jackson. Soward finished his career with 296 yards receiving against the Irish. Fast starters: With its 24-3 halftime lead, USC has outscored opponents 122-37 in the first half this season. But the Trojans have been outscored 109-79 in the second half and 71-41 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Shutout span: When Notre Dame kicked a field goal with 1:17 remaining in the first half, it ended a seven-plus quarter scoreless streak against the Trojans. Notre Dame had not scored in 119 minutes, 20 seconds. USC shut out the Irish in the final two quarters in 1997 and in all four quarters last season. Good hands: USC recovered its 12th and 13th fumbles of the season, which leads the nation. USC vs. NOTRE DAME Notre Dame's 25-24 victory Saturday ended USC's three-game winning streak against the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame finished 6-3-1 against USC in the '90s. Here's how the decade played out: Year Result 1990 Notre Dame 10, USC 6 1991 Notre Dame 24, USC 20 1992 Notre Dame 31, USC 23 1993 Notre Dame 31, USC 13 1994 Notre Dame 17, USC 17 1995 Notre Dame 38, USC 10 1996 USC 27, Notre Dame 20 1997 USC 20, Notre Dame 17 1998 USC 10, Notre Dame 0 1999 Notre Dame 25, USC 24 CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 2 boxes PHOTO (1 -- color) Notre Dame had plenty to scream about after its come-from-behind victory over USC in South Bend. Joe Raymond/Associated Press (2) Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson was a handful for USC, rushing for 20 yards and throwing for 257 more in the Irish's 25-24 win. Frank Polich/Associated Press (3) Notre Dame's Joey Getherall is sandwiched between USC linebacker Zeke Moreno, right, and David Gibson on Saturday. Joe Raymond/Associated Press BOX: (1) USC vs. Notre Dame: A closer look (see text) (2) USC vs. Notre Dame (see text) |
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