usc notre dame

South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes as 13th-ranked Southern California routed Notre Dame, 38-0.

Sanchez went 21-for-38 with 235 yards and threw touchdown passes to four different receivers for the Trojans (6-1), who have won their last two after their loss to Stanford on October 6. Joe McKnight had seven carries for 65 yards and a score.

Evan Sharpley, named the starter earlier in the week, went 17-for-33 with 117 yards while Armando Allen had 11 carries for 58 yards for the Fighting Irish (1-7), who have dropped two straight after their lone win of the season against UCLA on October 6.

The game got off to a slow start with both teams exchanging a pair of punts, but a Notre Dame turnover led to the first points.

On a punt, the ball hit off the arm of an Irish player and Vincent Joseph jumped on the loose ball at the Notre Dame 10. On the next play, Sanchez pump- faked and then threw the ball over the head of a defender to Fred Davis, who stretched out and caught the ball one-handed in the left corner of the end zone with 3:40 left in the first quarter.

The Trojans upped their lead with a 10-play, 79-yard drive in the second quarter. Sanchez completed the drive on a eight-yard touchdown pass to Allen Bradford for a 14-0 lead with 3:55 left in the first half.

USC got the ball back with 1:22 to play in the second and managed the clock well as the team drove into field goal range and a 30-yard boot that split the uprights from David Buehler gave the team a 17-0 lead.

The Irish started the second half with the ball, but Travis Thomas fumbled as he was hit after a catch and Keith Rivers recovered it at the Notre Dame 13.

Three plays later, Sanchez found Stanley Havili in the end zone from five yards out for a 24-0 lead.

After stopping Notre Dame on its next possession, USC took a 31-0 lead when Sanchez hit Vidal Hazelton with a pass and the receiver broke several tackles on the way to a 48-yard touchdown play with 8:48 left in the third.

McKnight's 51-yard touchdown run with 10:57 to play in the game accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

USC plays in Oregon next Saturday...Notre Dame hosts Navy on November 3...Hazelton finished the game with three receptions for 80 yards...USC outgained Notre Dame, 462-165...The Trojans have won six straight against the Irish, but trail the series, 42-32-5.

Mark Sanchez will make his second start today against the Fighting Irish. Pete Carroll made the choice yesterday. John David Booty will be available as needed but with the first game jitters out of the way it will be interesting to see how Sanchez performs in a hostile environment. I obviously want to see a more consistent outing b Sanchez and a struggling ND team is the perfect opportunity to get some experience under fire.

This year's game doesn't have the same luster that other years have brought us. It's not hard to see why with Notre Dame's atrocious 1-6 record and USC's lackluster play the past few weeks that has not only knocked them from the top spot in the polls but also virtually forgotten them in the BCS chase. The way this season has gone USC isn't even the best 1-loss team out there. We have spent enough of the past two weeks discussing the whole situation so there is no reason to rehash it here. But make no mistake USC's shaky play of late has had the effect of the bloom being off the rose.

For some this game is almost an after thought.

This has been the quietest week leading into the USC-Notre Dame game in recent memory. So silent you could hear one of the Four Horsemen fall off his steed.
Last time USC ventured into Notre Dame Stadium, the Trojans and Irish played a game of the ages. Went back and forth, one-upped each other with bold, clutch plays. A night that overflowed with drama.

"You knew you had been part of something special," said Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. "It just wasn't another regular-season game. This was two teams going right to the end and them making a gutsy call at the end that ended up paying off."

That Notre Dame team went 9-2 in the 2005 regular season. USC was unbeaten and the two-time defending national champion.

That game hinted that something special could happen.

Today's game hints at a strange national disinterest.

Lack luster performances will do that especially during this time of rabid college football exposure. It may not be a game of National Implications but it is still a great rivalry. CFR noted something I saw this morning in his weekly game thread about all the great games on today, there are great all-time rivalry games on today that over the years have produced some great experiences.

USC - Notre Dame is one such game.

Over the years the USC Notre Dame game has seen some real great games. Even when Notre Dame was beating SC 11 in a row there were still some great games. ND fans have always been passionate and knowledgeable and I heard plenty of stories of the hospitality and good naturedness of ND fans, especially in South Bend, even when they were drilling us for 11 straight wins. As much as I can't stand Lou "Granny" Holtz you can't deny that he was very successful and he made Notre Dame a national power during his tenure, this after the debacle that was Gerry Faust. You can find heavy pockets of ND fans where ever you go and they are not fair weather fans and they are not nasty. They readily engage in some
Injuries: Notre Dame -- WR David Grimes (leg), OL Dan Wenger (undisclosed), questionable. USC -- RB Stafon Johnson (foot), LB Brian Cushing (ankle), QB John David Booty (finger), DE Trey Henderson (knee), questionable; CB Kristofer O'Dowd (knee), S Josh Pinkard (knee), C Nick Howell (hernia), out.

Overview: This year's meeting in South Bend is a far cry from two years ago, when USC's miracle pass and Matt Leinart's sneak kept the Trojans' national championship hopes alive with a 34-31 victory. Today, USC will likely waffle between QBs Mark Sanchez and Booty while the Irish will start Evan Sharpley (Marshall) but possibly relieve him with Jimmy Clausen.

Notre Dame remains the worst rushing team in the nation, the worst offense in the nation and is second-worst in scoring at 11.4 points per game. The Irish will wear their green jerseys, honoring the 30th anniversary of the 1977 national championship team. They have worn the green only eight times since 1977, including the 2005 loss to USC.

Central Michigan at Clemson

Matchup: Central Michigan 4-3; Clemson 4-2.

Kickoff: Noon, Clemson Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.

TV/radio: ESPNU; WCZY-FM (104.3, Mt. Pleasant), WCHB-AM (1200, Detroit).

Line: Clemson by 16 1/2 .

Overview: The Chippewas, first-time visitors to Clemson, serve as the Tigers' homecoming opponent. History is on Clemson's side: The Tigers have lost only three homecoming games since 1971 and only two first-time visitors -- Miami (Fla.) in 2005 and Marshall in 1999 -- have won at Death Valley since 1978.

Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper has set or tied 16 school records in just five games as a starter. He has completed 61% of his passes for 1,530 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Ball State at Western Michigan

Matchup: Western Michigan 3-4, 2-1 Mid-American Conference; Ball State 4-3, 2-2.

Kickoff: 2 p.m., Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo.

TV/radio: Comcast Local; WZUU-FM (92.5, Kalamazoo).

Line: Ball State by 1.

Overview: Conference leaders in passing efficiency face each other today: Ball State's Nate Davis leads the MAC with a 145.5 rating, followed by Western Michigan's Tim Hiller (135.2). Davis has completed 141 of 245 passes for 1,928 yards, with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. Hiller has completed 159 of 244 passes for 1,713 yards, with 13 TDs and eight INTs.

Wayne State at Indianapolis

Matchup: Wayne State 2-5, 1-5 Great Lakes; Indianapolis 5-2, 4-2.

Kickoff: 6 p.m., Key Stadium, Indianapolis.

Radio: WDTK-AM (1400).

Overview: Wayne State sophomore running back Joique Bell needs one rushing touchdown to become the school's all-time leader. He shares the record of 37 with Ed Skowneski (1972-75). Bell leads the conference with 1,009 yards and 15 touchdowns, but Indianapolis leads the conference in rushing defense and in total defense. The Greyhounds have allowed 98.3 rushing yards per game and 290 total yards per game.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Southern California handed Notre Dame a beating for the ages.

Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes -- two on short drives after miscues by the Fighting Irish -- and No. 13 USC beat the Fighting Irish 38-0 Saturday, the largest margin of victory for the Trojans' in the 79-game history of the storied rivalry.

Notre Dame can still claim the most-lopsided victory in the history of the series, a 51-0 win over the Trojans in 1966.

That's surely little consolation to the Irish and their fans, as Notre Dame trudges through a horrible season.

The Irish also lost 38-0 to Michigan earlier this season. The two 38-point losses are tied for the eighth worst losses in Notre Dame history. It was the worst home loss, though, for Notre Dame since a 40-0 loss to top-ranked Oklahoma in 1956.

Sanchez threw TD passes of 10, 8, 5 and 48 yards and the Trojans won their sixth straight over the Irish, the longest streak for USC against Notre Dame. The Irish won 11 straight from 1983-93.

USC (6-1), coming off three lackluster games -- including a stunning 24-23 loss to Stanford -- started slowly, but got rolling when a punt by USC's Greg Woidneck struck Notre Dame's Munir Prince and Vincent Joseph recovered at the Irish 10 for Southern Cal. The Trojans scored on the next play on a pass from Sanchez to Fred Davis.

The Irish played as ugly as their uniforms looked in their throwback green jerseys and yellow pants, dropping to 1-7 for just the second time, matching the 1960 start.

The loss ensures Notre Dame its 13th losing season since it started playing football in 1887, and its fourth losing season since 1999. It also is the fourth straight home loss, tying a school record.

The game was competitive for a while. The Trojans, who got back many players who had been out with injuries, didn't go ahead 14-0 until Allen Bradford caught an 8-yard TD pass with 3:55 left in the second quarter. The Trojans went ahead 17-0 with 11 seconds left in the half on a 30-yard field goal by David Buehler.

USC quickly turned it into a blowout in the second half after Travis Thomas fumbled on the Notre Dame 13. Sanchez threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Stanley Havili.

Vidal Hazelton scored a 48-yard touchdown, catching the pass from Sanchez at the 30-yard line and breaking three tackles en route to the end zone. Joe McKnight scored on a 51-yard run in the fourth quarter.

The game was a stark contrast to the classic two years ago when top-ranked USC beat ninth-ranked Notre Dame 34-31 in the closing seconds as the teams traded great plays in the final minutes.

The closest Notre Dame came to scoring came in the second quarter when David Bruton caught the ball off Woidneck's foot at the USC 29. The Irish managed only 6 yards on the drive and Brandon Walker's 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Clay Matthews.

The Irish were held to 48 yards rushing on 30 carries, although those stats were slightly skewed because Evan Sharpley was sacked five times for a loss of 36 yards. The Irish have now given up a school record 39 sacks -- one more than in 2002 -- and still have four games left to play.

Sanchez, making his second start for the injured John David Booty, got off to a bit of a shaky start as he had to call timeout twice during the first four plays because of confusion. But he showed his calm even when things didn't go well and was 21-of-38 passing for 235 yards with no interceptions or sacks.

Sharpley, making his first start in place of freshman Jimmy Clausen, was 17-of-33 passing for 117 yards.

USC had 462 yards total offense compared with 165 yards for Notre Dame. The Trojans, who have been struggling with injuries, got back several key players who had missed time, including tailback Stafon Johnson, who rushed for 47 yards on eight carries.

The Irish wore green jerseys and yellow pants that were replicas of what the 1977 wore when 11th-ranked Notre Dame, with Charlie Weis in the stands as a college senior, warmed up in blue then came out for the game in the brightly colored garb and upset No. 5 USC 49-19. The Irish continued to wear the uniforms the rest of the season en route to winning the national championship.