Go behind the scenes during the Trojans’ 38-3 victory over Notre Dame
By Ben Malcolmson
USCRipsIt
PeteCarroll.com
Live Trojan football in this special report from the locker room and sidelines during USC’s 38-3 win over Notre Dame.
ALSO SEE:
- THE USCRIPSIT PHOTOS
- RELIVING THE GAME: IMAGES FROM JON SOOHOO
Arrival
Upon walking into the Coliseum, the Trojans stood quietly at the top of the stairs at the peristyle end before Coach Carroll broke the silence.
“One last time, one last time!” Carroll bellowed, referring to the 2008 home finale.
Then, the Trojans met on the 50-yard line, and Carroll had some words for his players.
“Eight years ago, we came together here on the 50 to say, ‘I’m in,’” he said. “Now let’s finish this tonight — everyone together, everyone as one.”
Juices flowing
Near the start of warm-ups Saturday, USC and Notre Dame players tussled where the tunnel met the field, with officials and police officers separating the two sides after a minute or so of back-and-forth shoving and shouting.
Coming from someone who was in the midst of the fracas, it was nothing more than an expression of excitement for the game from both teams; vitriol and hate were not part of the equation.
And Coach Carroll put the matter to bed in the locker room before kickoff.
“Whatever happened out there, it’s in the past,” he told the players. “I kind of like the energy but really, we can’t do that.
“Here’s the point: We’ve got to play football. We’ll send a message that’s loud and clear when we are playing our football the way we know how to play.”
Before the start
Seen and heard in the locker room before the game:
- “Get your ice bags ready!” linebacker Brian Cushing yelled, obviously in the direction of the Irish.
- “‘I’m In’ has to mean more than a tap!” linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. screamed.
- “Play like the champions we are out there,” Coach Carroll told the team. “Play right down after down after down until they can’t take it anymore!”
Special guests
The Coliseum sideline was loaded with famous people Saturday, including:
- Former USC players Keary Colbert, LenDale White, Dominique Byrd, Shaun Cody and Matt Spanos
- Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana
- Cardinal Roger Mahony, who’s the archbishop of Los Angeles
At the half
Seen and heard in the locker room at halftime, with the Trojans leading, 24-0:
- “They’re not going to stop you,” offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian told the offense.
- “Thirty more minutes — attack!” defensive coordinator Nick Holt said to the defense.
- “We’re going to have some fun in the second half!” linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. exclaimed.
- “Make them submit in the second half!” coach Pat Ruel told his offensive linemen.
- “Do you realize that we have only 30 more minutes to play at the Coliseum?” Coach Carroll asked the players. “I want this second half to be a statement of how much we love this game. They think they’ve gotten our best shot already, but they ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Perfection
Coach Carroll now has a 27-0 record with USC in November, and the fact is definitely not lost on the Trojans.
The players heartily cheered in the locker room after the game, knowing that November invincibility lives another year.
Aiming for nothing
The Trojans had three.
But they wanted four.
Already having posted a trio of shutouts in 2008, the Trojans hoped to keep Notre Dame to zero points Saturday night — and they were doing everything they could to make it become a reality.
The realization of a potential shutout usually hits the players at halftime, and the second half becomes a crusade to finish the opponent off without touching the scoreboard. The record-breaking USC defense held strong through the third quarter, but as the Irish lined up for a 41-yard field goal with 11:45 left in the game, the team-wide desire for that shutout showed its true colors.
Even though the Trojans were up, 31-0, Coach Carroll bounded up and down the sideline to get his players to encourage the field goal block unit to maintain the shutout. Players chanted the block team’s mantra, “Drive, drive, drive up!” in the seconds leading up to the kick.
That “always compete” mentality was on full display Saturday night, even with the game in hand.
The Trojan defense has now allowed 10 touchdowns in 11 games. Seven times this season a USC opponent has been held to one score or less.
Summing it up
The team’s 10th win in hand, Coach Carroll had a joyful speech that also made sure the Trojans won’t settle.
“What a great night of playing football!” he said in a euphoric locker room. “A lot of good things happened tonight, and next week, we go for seven straight years of Pac-10 championships!”
Carroll then turned the stage over to the seniors, who got to speak about the significance of playing their last game at the Coliseum, before finishing off the night by looking ahead.
“Let’s remember that we ain’t done yet,” Carroll said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. Let’s go to the next week and make sure we finish this right — because we’re not done yet!”
• Ben Malcolmson is the Director of Online Media for USCRipsIt/PeteCarroll.com. You can contact him at Ben@PeteCarroll.com.
