The No. 3 USC Trojans (9-1, 7-1 Pacific-10 Conference) host No. 6 Notre Dame (10-1) on Saturday in a rivalry game that has national title implications for the second straight season. While USC has their 31st Rose Bowl bid guaranteed, both the Trojans and the Irish still have a shot at meeting Ohio State in the national championship in Glendale, Ariz. on Jan. 8, making this a monumental game from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The annual rivalry game for the Jeweled Shillelagh has provided some classics, including last year’s game in Notre Dame, when a Matt Leinart-led last-minute touchdown drive capped a wild
34-31 game in South Bend, Ind. With the stakes just as high this season, expect a shootout, especially from the passing game – Notre Dame’s senior quarterback Brady Quinn currently sits eighth in the nation in passing yards and USC’s John David Booty, the Pacific-10 Conference’s top-rated passer, will look to hit dangerous wide receivers Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett.
USC’s tough defense may be a factor in the game as well, allowing an average of only 14.2 points per game, top in the Pac-10 and 11th in the nation.
USC, with its 23-9 victory over Cal last Saturday night, have locked up their fifth-consecutive Pac-10 conference title. While the Trojans hope for a national championship bid, coach Pete Carroll takes no issue with their performance so far, saying after the game that “it’s a statement of what we’re all about, who we are, and it really makes you feel good.”
Notre Dame has won eight consecutive games this season after a 47-21 home loss to No. 3 Michigan on Sept. 16. Second- year coach Charlie Weis has led the Irish to their fifth 10-1 season in school history, including two wins over Pac-10 teams, Stanford and UCLA.
Arizona State at Arizona
Arizona State (6-5, 3-5) heads to Tucson to play a surging Arizona (6-5, 4-4) team riding a wave of confidence after three consecutive Pac-10 victories. With a victory in the duel in the desert, the Wildcats could climb higher up the conference ladder and even knock Oregon into a lower bowl game.
The late-season push by Arizona comes with the development of sophomore quarterback Willie Tuitama into a passing threat. After sitting out games against Stanford and Oregon State with a concussion, Tuitama has led his team in the last three victories by throwing for more than 100 yards in each, including a 202-yard game against Cal on Nov. 11. While that statistic may not light up the national standings, considering that the Wildcats have not given up more than 20 points in a game since a 27-7 loss to UCLA on Oct. 7 and lead the Pac-10 with a plus-7 turnover ratio, the offensive production has been enough to help Arizona climb into what is going to be a hectic bowl shuffle.
For the Sun Devils, this is a chance to validate their season after starting Pac-10 play with three losses. Sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter sits third in the conference for pass efficiency, and junior running back Ryan Torain has had a breakout year, collecting 930 yards and nine touchdowns in helping Arizona State become the second-best rushing team in the conference, sitting only behind Oregon in yards per game.
If both Oregon and UCLA lose in their final games of the season, the Wildcats could jump into the fourth spot in the Pac-10, which would lead to the Las Vegas or Emerald Bowl. Arizona State has a much tougher road to climb to fight for a bowl berth, but it did become bowl-eligible with its 47-14 home victory over Washington State on Nov. 11.
Wildcats coach Mike Stoops is confident his team can continue their play into December and bowl season.
“Sometimes it’s just your time, and we feel that it is ours. We feel good about the way we are playing now,” Stoops said last
Saturday after Arizona’s win over the Ducks.
Junior tailback Chris Henry was also named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week for his 212-yard, three-touchdown day Saturday against the Ducks.
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