Notre Dame Week 2008 - Game Day! USC Notre Dame Game Notes

I'm ready to go. Kickoff can't come soon enough. ESPN is in the house. ABC, CBS and NBC are not. Last time USC and Notre Dame played a game in L.A. that was not on broadcast TV, it was the biggest blowout in the history of the series. USC was on the short end of that one, but I'm not expecting such a disaster tonight. The parking lot hedgehogs are drawing $100 per car. I'm ready for some football. I have some extra tickets because of a last second problem with one of my cohorts, so if you know me, and you know how to reach me, you can work a deal for ducats if you want to go. Whether you are going to the game, watching it at home or listening to it from outside the Coliseum, here are a few more fun details about the game that might make it more fun to watch:

• USC is 9-1, 7-1 in conference play.
• Notre Dame is 6-5
• USC is in first place in the Pac-10, tied with Oregon State
• USC is ranked #5 in every major poll.
• Notre Dame is unranked.
• Broadcast: Nationally on ESPN
• Weather forecast: sunny and clear, overnight low of 52F°, down from a high of 75F°. Winds light.
• Kickoff: 5:11 p.m. PST
• The place where USC fans kick the flagpoles is called Pardee Plaza.
• USC’s roster does not have a player from Indiana.
• Notre Dame has ten players from California
• Charlie Weis spent 15 years coaching in the NFL, including the Jets and finally the Patriots (offensive coordinator).
• Pete Carroll spent 16 years coaching in the NFL, including the Jets and Patriots (head coach).
• Neither coached with the other during that time.
• Several players from USC and Notre Dame attended the same high school, including Anthony Vernaglia and Aaron Corp(Orange Lutheran H.S.), John Ryan and Billy O'Malley (St. Ignatius H.S.), Jimmy Clausen and Marc Tyler and Marshall Jones (Oaks Christian H.S.) and QBs Dayne Crist and Garrett Green (Notre Dame HS)
• The Irish haven't beaten a top 10 opponent since No. 3 Michigan in 2005
• USC won the last three games in Los Angeles
• USC’s current six-game winning streak over the Irish is their longest ever.
• Next longest: the five straight they won from 1978 to 1982.
• Michigan's longest streak against the Irish was 8 games 
• Michigan State has taken 9 in a row from the Irish.
• Notre Dame has won eight Associated Press national titles while USC has won five.
• The Irish have been selected as a national champion by at least one legitimate poll in 19 seasons
• USC lists 16 such campaigns.
• The largest margin of victory in the rivalry was 51 points, registered by Notre Dame in a 1966 shutout over the Trojans.
• USC's largest margin of victory is 38, which was set last year in South Bend.
• David Buehler is a fullback who can kick 50 yard field goals. His last name does not sound like Ferris Bueller's last name. It rhymes with "Steeler."
• Notre Dame is one of just five NCAA Division I-A programs that has never faced a non-Division IA opponent since the current division setup was established in 1978 (the division’s names have undergone a change this year, but the setup is still the same). The four remaining schools that have yet to play a non-Division I-A opponent since the advent of the current format are Michigan State, USC, UCLA and Washington.
• Notre Dame's all-time winning percentage of .738 is second-highest in college football history.
• Among Notre Dame’s six wins this season, half were against teams they lost to last season.
• Notre Dame has played in front of sellout crowds in 212 of its previous 243 games
• Average weight of the offensive and defensive lines:
  ND OL 6’ 5 2/5” 309.2 lbs. vs. USC DL 6’ 4” 271.3 lbs.
  ND DL 6’ 2 1/3” 282.7 lbs. vs. USC OL 6’ 4 4/5” 292.0 lbs.
• Average height of the receivers and the secondaries:
  ND WR/TE 6’ 3 1/4” 220.3 lbs.vs. USC DB 6’ 1 1/2” 205 lbs.
  ND DB 6’ 0 1/2” 200.0 lbs. vs. USC WR/TE 6’ 3 1/3” 221.7 lbs
• Notre Dame and USC will be meeting for the 80th time.
• The Irish lead the all-time series 42-32-5
• The Trojans own a 20-17-4 advantage in Los Angeles
• Notre Dame's 42 wins over USC are the most for any Trojan opponent.
• USC's 32 wins over Notre Dame are the most for any Irish opponent.
• Notre Dame is 1-4 in its last five games against USC in Los Angeles.
• The Irish are 10-12-2 all-time in L.A.against ranked USC teams
• USC is 17-10-3 when it is ranked ahead of the Irish
• USC's Carson Palmer (425 yards passing) holds the Notre Dame opponent record
• USC's Matt Leinart (five touchdown passes) holds the Notre Dame opponent record 
• Notre Dame began the season 2nd on the all-time winning percentage and victories lists.
• USC was eighth and 10th place, respectively.
• Notre Dame has played nine previous games on November 29.
• The Irish are 8-1 all-time on this date.
• The Irish have recorded three shutouts on this date.
• Notre Dame's Rushing Offense is 91st in the nation
• Notre Dame's Passing Offense is 28nd  in the nation
• Notre Dame's Total Offense is 57th in the nation
• Notre Dame's Scoring Offense is 71st in the nation
• Notre Dame's Rushing Defense is 55th in the nation
• Notre Dame's Pass Efficiency Defense is 14th in the nation
• USC is first
• Notre Dame's Total Defense is 28th in the nation
• Notre Dame's Scoring Defense is 31st in the nation
• USC is first
• Notre Dame's Pass Defense is 22nd in the nation
• USC is first
• Notre Dame's Passing Efficiency is 55th
• All-time, Notre Dame is 39-53-5 against top five teams
• On the road against the top five, the Irish are 11-22-1
• Charlie Weis is 4-9 against ranked teams
• Charlie Weis is 11-6 in November games
• Pete Carroll is 26-0 in November games
• Unranked Notre Dame squads are 11-9-1 all-time against USC.
• Unranked Notre Dame squads are 5-6-1 all-time against the Trojans in Los Angeles.
• Unranked Notre Dame against ranked USC is 5-7-1
• In L.A., they are 3-5-1
• ND WR Golden Tate has 8 TD receptions this season, and 888 receiving yards
• That's the 8th best of all-time for the Irish
• Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen has never lost a game in California
• He went 42-0 in high school
• He's 4-0 against California teams in college (Evan Sharpley started against USC last year)
• USC has won its last 6 games against the Fighting Irish.
• USC has won 27 home night games in row
• USC has won 10 straight non-conference games
• In the second half in 2008, USC has outscore the competition 171-19
• That's 80-7 in the third quarter and 91-12 in the fourth quarter
• The winner gets year-long possession of the Shillelagh.
• This is the 89th straight game that USC has been in the AP Top 25.
• USC has blocked 3 field goals in 2008.
• Four USC tailbacks have rushed for more than 100 yards in a game this season.
• The four are Broderick Green, Stafon Johnson, CJ Gable and Joe McKnight
• Green left the team this week and will transfer.
• The Trojans have 6 consecutive seasons of 11 wins, Top 4 rankings, BCS bowls & Pac-10 titles.
• In that time, Georgia is the only other team to finish in the Top 10 each year
• USC has surrendered just 10 touchdowns in 2008.
• Last game between the teams: 2007, USC 38 Notre Dame 0
• Last game in Los Angeles: 2006, USC 44 Notre Dame 24
• After byes, USC is 89-44-4 in all regular season games it has played following byes.
• USC is 5-2 against unranked Irish teams when the Trojans are ranked 10 or higher

Fight On! Beat the Irish!