FOOTBALL

2005 Rewind: USC-Notre Dame

I’ve been highlighting some games from the 2005 season this week and it’s time to discuss the thrilling victory over Notre Dame.

You already know the key points, of course. And I’ve talked before about how I thought the atmosphere was even more intense than the USC-Texas game because it had a lopsided crowd rooting for Notre Dame.

So three observations:

1.) I remember in the locker room a USC intern moved to tears, unable to work, because of the magnituse of the game.

2.) There was locker room damage caused by an emotional USC team after it finished celebrating on the field. It wasn’t the first time. USC also damaged the locker room celebrating the 1997 victory, which was another emotional roller coaster.

3.) Long after the locker room emptied, I spoke to Pete Carroll alone before he walked outside to get on the team bus. We didn’t talk much about the game itself. Instead, the conversation was more light-hearted and focused on his budding rivalry with Charlie Weis. The game saved USC’s season but Carroll drew great satisfaction in beating Weis. For the next few years, Carroll enjoyed needling or hearing comments regarding Weis, who seemed to rub him the wrong way.

33 thoughts on “2005 Rewind: USC-Notre Dame”

    1. Yes. Much like Holtz…. except Holtz knew how to coach.
      [btw, before the game, Weiss talked about “having Pete’s number” while he was in the NFL —I’m sure that helped focus Pete real good]…….

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      2. Michael, I remember Arbogast saying that the grass was so high that there was a real chance of someone getting their cleats caught up in it and turning an ankle.

        Ironically, the guy they wanted to slow down ended up winning the game.

        #BushPush

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      2. I wonder how Weiss felt about ruining that kid’s career? Pete designed a play for him when he came back the following year to play against Notre Dame — and Desmond broke free but he didn’t have the speed anymore to score.

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      3. I hope they have plans of being roommates next year in Los Angeles and the timing of all this is all going according as they planned.

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      4. Ziaire Williams has already told the coaches he’s going to Stanford. That’s disappointing. I’m going back to sleep.

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  2. When you cross a certain threshold in terms of body weight, you “rub” everyone the wrong way.

    #LosingToNDIsAlwaysALowPoint;ButToHaveHadLostToACharlieWeisCoachedNDTeamWouldHaveBeenTheLowestPointOfAll

    #WeisV.USC=0-5Record

    #HadWeisBeatenUSCEvenOnce,IBelieveHeWouldHaveBeenJustAsArrogantAsJimHarbaughWasToUSC

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  4. All hardcore Trojan fans will remember one of the most critical plays in all of USC football history by simply stating down and distance:
    FOURTH AND NINE

    You don’t need to say:
    Leinart to Jarrett
    Or Jarrett has a detached retina
    Or this is to save the Drive/game/season
    Etc etc etc

    The best part of the game ( which was NOT captured on television) was watching the Notre Dame fans after storming the field when mistaking a win slowly walk back to their seats BC fii I r the final play…pure Trojan heaven!!!! Truly, the walk back was better than watching the final play touchdown. I’ve only been to South Bend for two games but that one was for the ages.

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    1. Yeah —What a wonderful 20 seconds that was for Weiss. His 350 pound body soared 1 inch off the ground in a giant leap. He’d won! Only he hadn’t. Ball got spotted on the one. We scored. It all turned to ashes……
      #TheBriefTasteOfVictoryMadeDefeatSoMuchWorse….
      #…..ItWasAllSoPerfect

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      1. Yep Mike, if he could run he would’ve ran to the Notre Dame locker room. He had a look on his face as if he was the winning coach and the refs were gonna let him sneak home with one. Haaa!

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  5. Yes, those were the days. There is a book out called “What it Means to Be a Trojan”.
    Southern Cal’s greatest players. Should be required reading for Bohn and Folt.

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      3. Michael, that is the post of the year! Scottie should put you on the payroll.

        The tarzan yell did me in….

        Happy Easter, Brother.

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      4. 67 — I think “it” (the Tarzan yell) may have already happened: During the closed-door meeting with Clay….
        #….YouKnow,TheDayClayGotExtended

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      8. gotroy 22,

        I think Bohn is trying to get the department starightned out. He has hired some good coaches. At the basketball games he would come up and say thank you fore attending. Put this way, already he is 100,000,000 percent better than Swan. Im backing Bohn. he gets that SC drives the PAC 12 bus.

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  8. That was a Big Win in two ways for SC. The 2nd was it got Weis a 10 year contract. He was bragging that he “Owned Pete Carroll”. Turned out he only had him on layaway.

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  9. I was at South Bend back in 2005. I sat in the south endzone where SC scored. I looked through the binoculars and the grass was so high. That was bush league. Most people forget this, bu nd lost a defensive tackle due to a knee blowout. It might or might not been because of the grass, but Reed’s was. I saw it in the binoculars. That could have been avoided. Reed should have sued the ncaa and nd for allowing that to happen and not trying to preventing injury

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