0 FOR IRISH : USC’s Seniors to End Careers Without a Notre Dame Win

It was hardest on the seniors, especially the fifth-year seniors.

In five years at USC, they lost five straight games to Notre Dame.

“The loss was tough to take today, because it means that the seniors will never be able to say, ‘I beat Notre Dame,’ ” quarterback Rodney Peete said after a frustrating afternoon in which he threw two interceptions in a 27-10 loss to the nation’s No. 1 team.

“It’s something we’ll have to live with the rest of our lives. We just didn’t play very well. We had our chances and didn’t capitalize on them. They got some breaks, and they capitalized on them. That was the difference.”

Erik Affholter, Peete’s favorite target, caught 5 passes for 62 yards but none for a touchdown, and he felt the same frustration.

“I can’t explain our mistakes,” said the senior split end. “We won as a team all year, and we lost as a team today. We came in feeling we were ready, but offensively, we just didn’t get the job done.

“It’s disappointing, that’s for sure. It’ll last a lifetime, but now we’ve got to regroup and start thinking about the Rose Bowl (Jan. 2 against Michigan).”

Peete and Affholter left the Coliseum dressing room displaying evidence of the physical game.

Peete had his left arm in a sling, the result of a vicious sack by 6-foot 4-inch, 237-pound defensive end Frank Stams two plays from the end of the first half. Peete landed on his shoulder, and trainers believe he suffered a strain.

“The trainers worked on it during the halftime and put some extra padding under my pads so I could play in the second half,” Peete said. The shoulder will be X-rayed today, but Peete is expected to be ready for Michigan.

Affholter walked with a limp, the result of a kick in the hip after he made a block.

“I was down on the ground and some guy running by kicked me. I don’t know who it was. It’s just a hip-pointer. I’ll be OK in a day or two,” he said.

Coach Larry Smith, who brought the Trojans within one game of a national championship in his second year as coach, couldn’t explain his team’s breakdown.

“We didn’t do anything to help ourselves,” he said. “We broke down in every department. The defense broke down for the first time this year. And the offense moved the ball up and down the field but couldn’t get it in the end zone.

“But you have to give credit for part of that to Notre Dame. They made the big plays. They took advantage of our mistakes. That’s the mark of a fine team.”

Two of the biggest mistakes were the defensive lapses that allowed Irish quarterback Tony Rice to race 65 yards for a touchdown, and the interception just before halftime that cornerback Sam Smagala returned 64 yards for another touchdown that sent the Trojans into the dressing room trailing, 20-7.

Of Rice’s option run around the left side, safety Mark Carrier said: “We had man coverage, and my assignment was Mark Green, the pitch man (on the outside), and I had to stick with him. As Rice turned the corner, I was the only one there, but I was committed to Green. Rice just made a great play and ran inside me.”

Smith said that the play was no surprise and that the coverage was the same his team used to hold Oklahoma, which runs a similar option, to 89 yards.

“We felt strongly that they’d run the option, and we’d planned for it, but they ran some (of USC’s defensive) people out of there, and Rice made a great cut. They just goes to show you, it can be feast or famine.”

Smagala’s run down the sidelines in front of the Notre Dame bench was the crusher. The Trojans had just closed to 14-7--after controlling the ball for 50 first-half plays, to only 23 for Notre Dame--when Peete’s pass was intercepted with only 41 seconds to play.

Flanker John Jackson was the intended receiver, but just as Peete threw the ball, Jackson slipped on the grass and fell.

“It was a post-corner pattern, and he was open when he cut and fell down,” Peete said. “I’m not going to stand here and blame John for it. It was my interception, but a team just can’t afford to make mistakes like that against a team like Notre Dame.

“I got hit on the play and got the wind knocked out of me, so I couldn’t chase him. It was very frustrating.”

One of the funniest sights of the day was watching 305-pound tackle Derrell Marshall trying to cut off the fleet Smagala. He had the angle, but for every step he took, Smagala gained two.

Peete’s 23-for-44 passing performance and those 2 interceptions in the nationally televised game probably did little for his Heisman trophy hopes, but it didn’t dampen Smith’s enthusiasm.

“I don’t think one game can decide the Heisman,” Smith said. “If I had a vote, I’d vote for him. He’s a great football player and a great quarterback.

“Rodney didn’t get the protection out there that we should have given him. We let him get hit way too much.

“We knew they would blitz, although they kept coming at us a little more than we expected. It’s something we’ve seen all year, but for some reason, we were in a fog out there.”