FOOTBALL: Holiday, Irish recover in second half
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Associate Sports Editor
With Carlyle Holiday surrounded by trainers on the sidelines and the Irish trailing by 10 points, it appeared as if USC would win its third game of the season, not Notre Dame.
But after a pair of momentum-shifting defensive stands and another solid performance from Holiday, Notre Dame rallied to defeat USC, 27-16.
"I thought our effort and tenacity were outstanding, staying in the game when you're down 10 and your quarterback looks like he's hurt," Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie said. "I am really proud of the way our guys came back to win this one."
The Irish rally started with five minutes left in the first half when the Trojans, facing fourth-and-four, attempted a fake punt from their own 28-yard line. USC punter Mike MacGillivray tried to run around the left end, but Notre Dame's Shane Walton tackled MacGillivray before he could reach the first down marker.
Four plays later, Irish tailback Terrance Howard scored his first touchdown of the season on a four-yard run to bring the Irish within three points.
"Shane came up big on the fake punt," Davie said. "I really didn't expect that play. It surprised me. I think it shocked everyone in that stadium."
"We have a play where the punter runs around the end and if it's open, can run with the ball," USC head coach Pete Carroll said. "But there was a defender there. He was supposed to punt the ball."
Notre Dame's defense also came up big on a goal-line stand early in the second half. With the ball on the Notre Dame 1-yard line, the Irish defense stopped three consecutive rushing attempts, forcing the Trojans to settle for a field goal.
It would be the last time during the game that USC would have the ball in Notre Dame territory.
"[The goal-line stand] to hold them out of the end zone was a big momentum swing for us," said Davie. "That may have been the biggest series of the game right there."
"That was huge," Notre Dame defensive end Anthony Weaver said. "We kept it within one score. If they make it two scores, that could have been the game."
After the game, Carroll defended his decision to kick a field goal instead of trying for the touchdown.
"We certainly did not feel that would be our last time down there or that would be the last time we would score," he said. "At the time, with the way the game was going, we felt we needed to make sure we put some points on the board."
On Notre Dame's next series, Holiday, who carried 18 times for 98 yards and finished 9-for-12 passing for 133 yards, scampered 35 yards into the end zone to put the Irish up for good.
The Irish put themselves in an early hole by making a pair of costly defensive errors that led to the only two USC touchdowns of the day.
Midway through the first quarter, USC quarterback Carson Palmer, who finished the game 19-for-30 for 230 yards with a pair of interceptions, narrowly escaped being sacked by Irish linebacker Tyreo Harrison and launched the ball downfield. Notre Dame cornerback Vontez Duff mistimed his jump, and the ball sailed over him and into the hands of Trojan wide receiver Chad Pierson to give the Trojans a 7-3 lead.
In the second quarter, after the Trojans recovered the first of Holiday's three fumbles on the Irish 20-yard line, the Trojans snapped the ball while the Irish were still in their defensive huddle. As Davie stood on the sideline trying to signal in the defense, Palmer threw a quick pass to Keary Colbert, putting USC up 13-3.
"That was my fault," Davie said. "We spent too much time trying to call the perfect play rather than just call a play."
But the Irish defense shut down Palmer and the rest of the USC offense in the second half, limiting it to just 98 yards and three points.
"Defensively, we played really well today," Weaver said. "Honestly, every time they scored, it was basically on us — we did it to ourselves."
While the Irish defense was shutting down the Trojans, Holiday shook off a bruised right knee that sidelined him for one series and led the Irish to 345 yards of total offense — the third consecutive game they have gained more than 300 yards on offense. While coaches agree the sophomore still has a lot to learn, players on both teams were impressed with Holiday.
"I thought Carlyle did a great job scrambling and finding the open guy," said Notre Dame split end Javin Hunter, who hauled in Holiday's — and Notre Dame's — longest pass of the year, a 42-yard completion. "He has grown 100 percent since the first game he started. He's more vocal and he's much more confident. He's there to make a play."
"They should probably put him at tailback," USC safety Troy Polamalu said. "He's a great runner and hard to bring down."
The Irish scored their final touchdown of the game after Notre Dame safety Abe Elam forced Palmer to fumble and Irish safety Donald Dykes fell on the loose ball with 1:52 left in the game.
Six plays later, Julius Jones, who finished with 95 yards on 16 carries, scored from five yards away to seal the Irish victory.
Notre Dame kicker Nicholas Setta added field goals of 29 and 38 yards.
Harrison led the Irish with 11 tackles. Defensive end Ryan Roberts had nine tackles and three of Notre Dame's five sacks. Elam and Duff both recorded interceptions.
"This is a big win for this football team," Davie said. "I think they were extended emotionally and physically. We're glad to be through midterms. If we can eliminate the turnovers, stop doing some silly things on defense, I think we have a chance to be a very good football team."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 30, 2001
