USC vs Notre Dame 1974: That Game, The Comeback and the End of an Ara…

I’m delighted to be able to tell you as an eyewitness and active participant what really happened that on that magical day in November 1974. This was the day that Sports Illustrated called “17 minutes that shook LA.” This was an earthquake that was very selective. Only Notre Dame was damaged by it, which I for one, think is a best practice. The only thing missing was Traveler stomping on that annoying little green leprechaun. 

Importantly, it is really helpful during this transition season to a new head football coach, to give you a clearer insight into the mindset of a Trojan championship football team. It has been far too long since experiencing one. This is the mindset that has been consistent down through the decades starting in the ’30s with a Los Angeles ticker-tape parade and currently on hold after the last Pete Carroll championship.

But as for me, I have been blessed to have played on two National Championship teams – 1972 and 1974. So I have an informed perspective and am honored as such. 

I was there that day in Los Angeles and was one of two starting inside linebackers, the other being the first 3-time consensus NCAA All American football player in USC’s history, Richard “Batman” Wood. What I am going to share with you is what should be our attitude anytime our team runs onto the field with the distinct privilege of wearing the famous Cardinal and Gold representing the only and best hope for West coast college football dominance and National Championships…period.

So now we must back up in time to 1974 and the month is November. Please note that back then November was really our month and we left no doubt. Just ask the teams we played against. The place is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Another historic, once-in-a-lifetime event was going to take place that nobody saw coming, predicted or believed was even possible…. except for one person, who I’ll get to later on. It may surprise you, but he has a name.

Many of you know of “The Game” (now known as “That Game” by USC haters and “The Comeback” by us), which took place in the Coliseum between the good guys (that’s us) and the most notorious Midwest shillelagh-kissing team of all time. It also turned out to be an end to an Ara. Ara Parseghian’s last regular-season game was about to be played to a record number of fans (no ticket sale slump) and TV audience. 

This historic game did not start out well at all. No, actually it started off as another one of Ara’s beatdowns of a Trojan football team in LA. He beat down a Trojan team some years before, going 51-0 leaving virtually all the first-teamers in that entire game so he could prove a point. He did, and Coach McKay and others never ever forgot. Coach changed his recruiting and went after tough linemen (both defense and offense) and linebackers and fullbacks all with speed and mean. He went out of state as well to get the best. But on this November late afternoon start, Ara was quite content to continue his coaching career at ND, especially as the game started and the first half progressed.

Most of you know that we got behind throughout the first half with the score 24-0 very late into the second quarter. We were embarrassing ourselves. Very little was going right for us and much was going wrong. On defense our game plan included pulling up the two inside backers (Richard Wood and me) to within 1.5 to 2.0 yards of the offensive guards with an outside shade in both B gaps. Our purpose was to keep the guards from pulling and creating C & D gap running lanes and reduce ND’s misdirection and power blocking options.

Turned out to be a lousy plan and created havoc on the inside for us as we were continually getting cut off a lot in the traffic and a few yards shallower in our pass drops. Notre Dame’s line calls were perfectly aligned to defeat our strategies. The option series combined with ND’s power misdirection plays were killing us.

Our safeties had to roll up, especially Charlie Phillips, which created open pass patterns crossing the middle and post routes by their slotbacks and WRs who were oftentimes in motion.

Cornerbacks (Danny Reece and Ronnie Bush) were playing a man-back zone coverage. Frankly, in retrospect, it was a perfect storm of intense preparation that was seriously misguided. Our misalignment cost us dearly. And ND brought their A-game and credit should be given here as Heisman candidate Clements had a great first half as did Wayne Bullock their fullback. Bullock had to leave the game late in the first half after I tackled him and he reinjured his tender sprained ankle. Some things remain unchanged and hard tackling still counts. We used to be well known for it.

The entire game was the typical uber-physical and nasty play on the field. Lots of punching, poking, grabbing and chippy-yacking after most plays. It was only the vague deep-down stirring of playing disciplined football just in case we could claw our way back into this game that prevented a fullout bar fight on the field in the first, as had happened several times in the last few years.

Fat chance, many fans were thinking. I’ll bet that there were very few press bets getting exchanged in the stands or in Las Vegas…pity that. LA fans were quiet and ND fans were obnoxiously certainly not. Even I noticed it, though I usually was able to tune out the activities and the noise in the stands.

Well, as it turned out we scored a short while later in the first half on a swing pass to Anthony Davis (easily the #1 ND killer of all time). We finished the first half trailing 24-6 as we were unable to convert the two-point conversion attempt. Coach McKay just loved two-point conversions when he needed to make things happen. He saw no great benefit in a tie game anytime or anywhere.

As it turned out this was a twenty-minute halftime due to a national TV audience watching the #4 and #5 teams play each other. So, just what the heck happened at halftime a reasonable person might ask? So let me tell you what my experience and recollections are.

• We ate chilled quartered oranges (60-90 seconds)
• Most used the facilities (180-240 seconds for starters and key #2s)
• Reviewed film of the first quarter (about 180-300 seconds)
  • Discussed adjustments and I asked Coaches Levy and Lindsay to back up to 3.5 to 4.0 yards for my starting position so as to free up from the Line of Scrimmage entanglements as a result of being too far up inside the box and LOS. They said only 2.5 to 3.0 yards to prevent separation from Richard. I took the compromise after arguing for a minute. I knew Richard Wood would be able to manage the clutter on his weakside as there would be only OG or OT plus an occassional wingback to worry about. I was getting clobbered by TE, OT, OG and center. All were eventually All-Americans during their careers. They were pretty dang good.
• Danny Reece was told by Coach Fontes to play tighter on the WR on his side in almost a man cover
• We would put a concerted effort to “chuck” every receiver coming off the LOS to slow down their route and disrupt their timing and just bruise ‘em up…one of my specialties if WR crosses into my zone. My pleasure and game film confirms I had an affinity for busting up WRs and slotbacks.
• Charlie Philips was to play back a bit deeper but allowed to crash the LOS fast when he saw run.
• Assistant coaches then pulled back the dividing curtain from the offense and we meet as a total team
• Coach McKay the addressed the team
  • “Gentlemen, you know that we can play better than that. Right now there are millions of people watching this game that think you’re pretty bad. They are wrong. There is no law preventing you from blocking, tackling and running hard. We start the second half with the ball. We are going to score. We will win this game. Let’s pray.” (approximate quote)

The rest is history as Anthony Davis took the second-half opening kickoff back 102 yards behind some great wedge block by Dave Farmer, Mosi Tatupu, Ricky Bell, Clay Matthews and Mario Celotto. On our ensuing kick off, Dave Lewis totally blew up the ND returner. How he didn’t fumble is still a mystery to me. Five Notre Dame turnovers followed, including two fumble recoveries (me) and three interceptions (Charlie Phillips), one of which was a pick-six. When the 17 minutes were done, we had hung 55 straight points on Notre Dame. 

We finished the game winning 55-24 shutting out ND for the entire second half, scoring 55 straight points and 35 in the 3rd quarter alone, which is a record that stands to this day as the most points ever scored against ND in a single quarter…especially sweet as it was on national TV for millions to see. We fixed that TV audience problem too.

One irony here is that on that day we couldn’t run the ball worth a crap between the 20s, but in the red zone we were deadly. Pat Haden threw spot-on throws into windows that would make anyone proud. Special teams were, well, special. And on defense we finally got our act together. Our adjustment that I begged from Coach Levy and Coach Lindsay paid off. We just played USC championship football for the entire half. 

However, I recall vividly that after a scoring drive by ND back in the first half  and just after the ensuing kickoff, I’m on the bench with the defense trying to get our heads out of our behinds and get something going.

And here comes a highly respected former player and Heisman trophy winner stomping down the sideline yelling to each player he could find, in our faces and in particular the defensive starters that “we are going to win this game! Get your heads up and play like Trojans. We don’t quit; not ever and especially not against these guys. We are going to beat these guys…get your heads up and play Trojan football!!!”

He really meant it and believed it. He kept that up even when it was 24-0 ND. 

But who was this delusional soul? How could he be so arrogant, misguided, over-confident, awash in hubris to believe, really believe that “we are going to beat these guys!!!?” This man has the heart of a Trojan, the heart of an All-American, the heart of a team captain, the heart of a Heisman winner, the heart of a NFL All-Pro, the heart of an Athletic Director at the best university in the country. His name….you should have guessed by now, is Mike Garrett. So, put aside what you think about Mike and just remember this; he believed when no one else really did that we were going beat Notre Dame that day even when it was 24-0.

His attitude and mindset changed my life that day as I saw what happens when you believe in the impossible, give everything you have and I mean everything and don’t focus on the past mistakes, but learn. And never ever get physically beaten on the field. Not in practice or in a game. Never. This was a timeless real-life example of what Trojan football should be all about always.

So, there you have some of my recollections…but not all. There is an interesting story to tell about the after-game party my girlfriend threw (who is now my bride of 45 years, btw) with her girlfriend from Notre Dame. We had a great post-game time but more importantly, me and other USC players drank beer and talked long into the night with certain other Notre Dame players about that day and the bowl games to be played later that season by both teams. Ours was the Rose Bowl and they were going to the Orange Bowl. The deal was struck. We will beat tOSU and they would beat Alabama. We would win the National Championship and then play again next season in South Bend for the rubber match. They beat Alabama, we beat Ohio State and we won the National Championship that season.

Oh, did I mention we went to South Bend the next year and beat a Joe Montana lead ND 24-17? Yes, championship football players win championships. Fight on, Always! Especially when it is the darkest.