USC vs. Notre Dame
November 25, 2006 | Football
Nov. 25, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
USC Coach Pete Carroll
"Well, nice little ballgame tonight. What a great opportunity it was for us tonight. Two great schools, coming in with great records. They've got some great players over there, so we are very proud of our ability to take this opportunity and ride it all the way through. It was a lot of fun. We really felt in command the whole game. Defensively we felt we did a really good job. They really only had a few long plays, but they are a great team and they are going to get theirs. Samardzija is one heck of a player. Booty was just ripping it and Jarrett was just on fire. He was doing all the great things that great players do. Everyone forgets what an athlete Cushing is and it was awesome to see him get his chance."
(on looking back to the past five years)
"I can't help but to look back. It's a great feeling knowing that our seniors are going out having beat them the last five years. What a great accomplishment. Our seniors have set the bar high for the future."
(on looking back on Jarrett's homesickness)
"I mean he was really hurting back then. He was just about as homesick as you can get. We tried everything we could to get him comfortable, but really it was our older players that got him to stick it through and his mom was just awesome. His mom wouldn't let him come home at all. It is a great story now looking back and is something we use now with other kids."
(on Booty's play tonight)
"He was really rolling tonight the whole game, especially in the second half. He really only had one ill-advised throw, the one to Stevie (Smith). He just continues to grow and get better. He really came of age against Arkansas and his only struggles this season were when his receivers were banged up. I can't say enough great things about the kid. In the end, his numbers will be right up there with Leinart's."
(on why he plays such a tough schedule)
"We've played a heck of a schedule and really to come out with only one loss is a pretty good achievement...you can't win them all, but our schedule has served us perfectly. It gives us a chance to get up for every week. We need those challenges and those matchups. To have a finish to a season like we have is just awesome. It has been a playoff run for us. That's just how we think and prepare."
USC quarterback John David Booty
(on the play of Jarrett)
"He was just being Dwayne Jarrett tonight. That one-handed grab was just something he does everyday in practice, but it seems that he always plays his best when we are playing on the biggest stage."
(on looking back on the growth of the team)
"A lot of our struggles this season and our loss were really just a matter of us hurting ourselves. We had a lot of young guys, including me who were still growing into their roles. It never really felt like another team was shutting us down, it was just us hurting ourselves. We've really grown up the past few weeks and taken the next step."
USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett
(on his one-handed grab)
"It was just a great ball, thrown outside away from the defender by (John David) Booty so only I could make a play on it. I just stuck my hand out and snagged it. It is something we do everyday at practice. I was really excited when I came down with it. I even gave a little shimmy while I was lying down on the ground."
(on what tonight's game showed the media and the nation)
"I think we showed them just how much heart we have. Early on this season not many people gave us much of a chance and really questioned us, but we always believed in ourselves no matter what the media said. We definitely belong with the best. We have worked hard for it every single day."
USC linebacker Dallas Sartz
(on tonight's game)
"That last one is always a tough one. Our last game for the seniors in front of 90,000 fans is just something we are never going to see again, but it is really cool having our seniors going out on top."
(on the play of the defense)
"We wanted to go out there and frustrate Quinn. I thought we had a great effort by the defense. We did what we wanted to do out there."
(on the emergence of the defense the past few weeks)
"Really, we're the same exact defense we've always been, but a month ago is when we finally realized it, what we are capable of...but we are not done yet."
Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis
(on the loss)
"It was a combination of all three facets. We didn't win special teams, offense or defense. Stats are for losers. The bottom line is we moved the ball but didn't put it in the end zone. We were fighting uphill, battling most of the night and were not very productive.
"USC is a complete team. We tried to counter their speed with draws and play action. We had some success moving the ball. Two of the first three drives, we moved the ball into plus territory, but didn't get the ball in the end zone.
"I thought we'd have to jam their receivers and get safeties to help over top and knew we'd be vulnerable inside and that's what happened.
"I felt frustrated in the first quarter, but remember, you can't panic when things go bad or the game is over early. To be within two scores when they scored 14 (so fast), I thought it was fairly a good situation.
"They called an aggressive game. An aggressive game plan comes to a positive light when they make plays. Jarrett has three scores and that makes an aggressive game plan look good.
"We have no excuses. We lost to a better team. They did a great job of preparation and a good job of coaching and a good job on offense, defense and special teams. They made more plays than we did."
(On Brady Quinn)
"That wasn't the easiest game. He did get much help, a bunch of balls went off hands. He was far from perfect, but join the club. I was far from perfect."
DL Chris Frome (who is from Southern California)
"This being the last game, playing in Southern California, five straight losses vs. USC, it's pretty disappointing. But we have one game left to prove ourselves as a team and to win a bowl game, which we haven't done here in over a decade.
"We weren't getting off the field. We weren't making the critical third down plays and they were. We were forcing third downs, but weren't making the one extra play to get off the field. The wide receivers were making catches and the quarterback was making good throws."
WR Jeff Samardzija
"We kept battling. We knew we had an offense capable of making plays if we kept it close. We had a couple plays early on that we didn't make and a couple drives that didn't come through."
QB Brady Quinn
(On the failure to score touchdowns after turnovers)
"We had a lot of missed opportunities aside from just that. All day we were inconsistent with our production and didn't make plays when we needed to."
(On never beating USC)
"When it comes down to it, the biggest disappointment is really losing your last game your senior year."
