Los Angeles — For one quarter, Notre Dame was better than No. 1 Southern California.
Then the Trojans got serious, and the Fighting Irish had no chance.
Matt Leinart made a big pitch for the Heisman Trophy, passing for a career-high 400 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns, and the Trojans overcame a sluggish start to beat Notre Dame, 41-10, on Saturday night.
The Fighting Irish gained 165 yards and scored 10 points on their first two possessions. They were blanked and picked up only 135 yards after that.
"They came out and punched us in the mouth," USC defensive lineman Shaun Cody said. "Give them credit. Everyone stepped up, made a little adjustment on defense. It was nothing big, we just played more physically against them."
And Leinart began finding his receivers with regularity, throwing for 335 yards after the opening period.
"Matt played great tonight," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "He had great vision, the protection was really there for him. He had an opportunity to freewheel. He made some real good decisions."
The win was USC's 20th straight and 21st in a row at the Los Angeles Coliseum -- a new school record. The Trojans haven't lost at home since being beaten by Stanford, 21-16, on Sept. 29, 2001. That Cardinal team was coached by current Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham.
"They found ways to make the big plays and we didn't," was Willingham's appraisal of this game. "That's what makes USC such an explosive team -- the ability to generate big plays. They are No. 1 for a reason. The game was right there to be had -- we just couldn't grab it."
Southern California's Dwayne Jarrett reacts as he scores his second touchdown against Notre Dame. The Trojans beat the Fighting Irish, 41-10, Saturday in Los Angeles.
The victory gave the Trojans (11-0, 7-0 Pac-10) their best start since 1972, when they won the national championship with a 12-0 record.
More importantly, USC's 34th win in 37 games since the start of the 2002 season kept its current national title hopes alive.
Should the Trojans beat UCLA (6-4) next weekend in their regular-season finale, they almost surely will secure a spot in the Orange Bowl for the Bowl Championship Series title.
Notre Dame (6-5) leads the series 42-29-5 and had a 15-3-1 record against the Trojans from 1983-2001. But USC has dominated the Irish the last three games, winning each by 31 points.
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