Southern Cal Tuesday

Friends, 

here is our objective for Saturday:

 

Now that I have your attention, we move on to the Southern Cal football team itself. 

 Please forgive any poor writing on my part.  See, I am not a Dean's List student in journalism at Southern Cal.  Unlike Mr Evan Budrovich, who currently writes for Southern Cal's SBNation blog, Conquest Chronicles.  I will intersperse bits and pieces of his writing here so we can bask in the excellence of Southern Cal's journalism school.

Despite not receiving the greatest calling of support in their home opener, players understand the aches and pains their fans suffer but also want to avoid all the distractions.

What light shines at the end of the tunnel on the inside? First and foremost, the physicality and toughness in practice has vastly translated over to the field on both sides of the ball. Last season, the Trojans were considered by many fans and opposing teams specifically, to be a rather finesse team that would get pushed around each and every snap.

Moving forward, the margin for error will continue to shorten each and every week especially playing in front of the "road-like" atmosphere players and coaches recognized from their vividly upset crowd. 

Link 
Perhaps he wrote the copy for this famous advertisement featuring Muppet Coach Kelly

  Despite the recent unpleasantness, better known as Notre Dame winning only two games against Southern Cal since 2001, Notre Dame still holds the upper hand in the overall series, with a 44-34-5 record against the Trojans.  And realistically, the record should be better.  Consider for example 2005, where Notre Dame led by three with five seconds to go, when the infamous Bush Push occurred:

 

Yes, I'm still mad.

 

  Two months later, ESPN rated said Southern Cal Trojans the one of the two best football teams of all time, with the possible exception of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.  Many disputed this praise, including Vince Young and the 2005 Texas Longhorns

 

Best team ever my ass - V. Young

 

Once your rage over the Bush Push has subsided, flashback farther to 1978, when Notre Dame took on Southern Cal in the Coliseum.  Joe Montana led a last minute comeback drive against the #3 Trojans, but left them with about two minutes left on the clock.  Southern Cal began driving the other way, until their quarterback fumbled the ball on a sack.  Except that the referee, a Southern Cal alumnus, ruled it was not a fumble.  Southern Cal continued its drive and went on to win the game, as described at the link.

http://www.conquestchronicles.com/2007/10/20/92547/912

   Southern Cal went on to the Rose Bowl that year against Michigan, where that same Southern Cal alumnus referee ruled the below play a touchdown.  Now normally I want Michigan to fail at everything forever.  However, in the interests of justice and pointing out blatant cheating, I will make an exception here.  Note in the photograph that the Southern Cal player has fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line.  Southern Cal won the '78 title on the strength of this touchdown. 

 

Fumble, SC!  Oops, I mean 'Touchdown, SC!'

 

Many reacted to this screw-job thusly: 

 

Michigan fans take to the streets after the 1978 Rose Bowl

 

  And then, there's 1964.  Grrrrrr.  In 1964, Notre Dame went west for the last game of the year, undefeated and ranked #1 in the country.  A win against a middling Southern Cal team was the only thing between Notre Dame and a National Championship in Ara Parseghian's first year of coaching. 

Not quite man of the year, but he
wasn't complaining

 Notre Dame jumped out to a 17-0 lead, as thousands of Trojan fans and referees from the Pac-8 Conference looked on.  Then back came Southern Cal, scoring again and again and again to take a 20-17 lead.  Notre Dame came back for a game-winning drive, and scored a final touchdown.  But a referee called a holding call on a Notre Dame lineman from THIRTY-FIVE YARDS AWAY on the game-winning play.  A national title screwjob. 

 

  So lets pay them back by blasting them off the face of the earth on Saturday, eh? 

 

  -Go Irish

 

  P.S.  The expected low temperature for Saturday night remains 38 degrees Fahrenheit.