You’ve seen two of my video clips from the USC-Notre Dame game. Well, in response to popular demand, I’ve finally got the complete set online and ready for download.
A brief primer for those who are new to this site: I’m a 2003 USC grad who now goes to Notre Dame Law School. I have season tickets for ND football, and I root for the Irish in all their other games… but of course, I root for the Trojans above all else, since USC is my alma mater. So that’s why I was sitting in the Notre Dame student section, rooting for ‘SC. My fiancee Becky and our friend Adrienne were there, too, rooting for the Trojans. The Notre Dame fans sitting near us (some of whom are my friends from the law school, others of whom I don’t know personally) were amazingly tolerant of our presence, all things considered. We also toned it down considerably because of our location. For example, we didn’t engage in any anti-ND cheers, and we only celebrated for a few seconds after USC’s game-winning touchdown. We didn’t want to disrespect my fellow Domers, since we were in their section — and also, we didn’t want to get killed. :)
Anyway, here goes nothing. Enjoy the videos, and if you encounter any technical problems downloading them, please let me know in comments. I make no guarantees about how long they’ll be online, but I’ll leave them up as long as I can.
runsetupTD-timeleft.avi: 41 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (12.9 MB) | MPEG (4.3 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
Darius Walker’s 20-yard run, setting up Quinn’s go-ahead touchdown two plays later, sends the crowd into a near-frenzy. At the end of the clip, I say, “At least there’s still time left” — conceding the virtual inevitability of an Irish touchdown, but looking ahead to a possible two-minute-drill comeback by the Trojans.
quinnTD.avi: 37 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (10.9 MB) | MPEG (3.9 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
With flash bulbs popping everywhere, Brady Quinn scores the go-ahead touchdown for the Irish, and the crowd goes wild! No “near-frenzy” this time — they were completely insane. I’ve never heard anything so loud in my life; the video doesn’t do it justice.
firstdown-incompletepass.avi: 13 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (4.3 MB) | MPEG (1.5 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
USC throws an incomplete pass on first down, and the crowd cheers.
seconddown-leinartsacked.avi: 29 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (9.4 MB) | MPEG (3.2 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
Matt Leinart is sacked on second down, and the crowd goes nuts.
thirddown-bushrun.avi: 36 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (11.5 MB) | MPEG (3.7 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
Reggie Bush runs for 10 yards on third down. This time, I pointed my camera at the crowd instead of the field, wanting to capture the reaction. You’ll see and hear the crowd holding its breath, then cheering when they realize Bush’s run isn’t enough for the first down. It’s 4th and 9!
fourthdown-complete.avi: 29 seconds, 640 x 480 resolution
AVI (10.9 MB) | MPEG (3.9 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
I set the camera to a higher resolution, and again pointed it at the crowd instead of the field, fully expecting to capture the dramatic, ear-piercingly loud reaction from Irish fans as the Trojans’ undefeated streak ended on a 4th and 9 incompletion. But then Leinart completes the 61-yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett — and I completely abandon my documentary efforts, instead jumping wildly up and down and screaming, “YES!!!!! YES!!!!”
rushingthefield.avi: 1 minute 35 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (30.4 MB) | MPEG (9.7 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
I already posted this one, but here’s the downloadable version. Leinart is stopped at the distant goal line, and the clock keeps running even though it should have stopped at 0:07. I ask, “Why is the clock running?” (I didn’t see the fumble, but I also didn’t realize USC had no timeouts left.) Then the clock hits 0:00, and the Irish players and fans rush the field, celebrating Notre Dame’s apparent victory. Moments later, the public-address anouncer urgently orders everyone off the field, saying the Irish will be penalized. Several people near me in the stands echo this, screaming, “Get off the field!!!” The crowd responds amazingly quickly and the field is cleared. Seven seconds are added to the clock, and the booing begins.
leinartTD.avi: 31 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (10.0 MB) | MPEG (3.3 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
I already posted this one, too, but again, here’s the downloadable version. As a nearby Irish fan pleads, “no, no, no, no, no,” Leinart scores the winning touchdown, causing me to scream “YESSS!!!!” and Becky to proclaim, “YEEEAHH!!! We’re #1, baby!!! WOOOO!!!! That’s so f***ing awesome!!!” while I observed, “You do realize, we just witnessed one of the most amazing moments in college football history, right?”
kickoff-gameend.avi: 1 minute 58 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (37.8 MB) | MPEG (12.3 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
USC kicks off with 3 seconds left. 14 seconds into the clip, both I and the USC sideline think it’s over, but ND keeps the ball alive until 20 seconds into the clip, at which point the USC sideline rushes the field — and again, the booing begins. The Trojan Marching Band plays “Tribute to Troy.” Becky (in an attempt at solidarity with the Domers around her) observes that Pac-10 officials are “horrid.” Then, as the Irish players walk by, the crowd applauds and begins chanting “We are! N! D!” Becky expresses the bittersweet emotions of having watched our team rip out the hearts of the Irish and our Domer friends: “I want to cry. They played such a freakin’ good game!”
These last two clips aren’t from the dramatic final minutes of the game; they’re from the halftime show. But I included them for the sake of any band junkies who may be present. :)
ghostbusters.avi: 48 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (15.5 MB) | MPEG (5.1 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
The Notre Dame band plays the “Ghostbusters” theme, and the crowd makes clear who they’re gonna call.
livinonaprayer.avi: 26 seconds, 320 x 240 resolution
AVI (8.4 MB) | MPEG (2.8 MB) | AVI mirror | MPEG mirror
The Notre Dame band plays “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and the crowd sings along.
UPDATE: ND-USC photos here.
October 20th, 2005 at 7:13:27 pm
OK, having now seen the end of game situation (i.e. post USC kickoff) the accusations of USC being classes by being on the field are just uttterly and completely ridiculous.
Less than a minute after the game ends and people expect them to just clear off? Hell I have been to games where NO one was celebrating that much and the field is still full of players and coaches a minute after the game.
Not to mention there was no where for them to go, the tunnel was filled with ND players and fans at that point. Why the band was trying to line up on the field when it was completely full is just beyond me.
Anyword on whether the game is being rebroadcast at some point or where I might find a copy of it that someone tivod? I’d love to see that last catch by SC. Heck just a video of that play would be great.
October 20th, 2005 at 7:14:54 pm
David, the video doesn’t show the part where USC was allegedly being classless. (Gathering on the 50 yard line, “taunting” the student section on their way out, etc.)
October 20th, 2005 at 8:13:40 pm
Alright then, all I had heard from the comments was that they were celebrating on the 50 and the band couldn’t take the field (i thought it was the other way around in the song…). No one mentioned any taunting of the student section.
P.S. did you get my e-mail? I need to get that hotel info from you for the wedding.
October 20th, 2005 at 9:38:18 pm
Hey Brendan,
How about the videos showing Leinart’s fumble flying out of bounds at the 5 yard line? Or how about the video showing USC’s assistant coach 15 yards past the 20 yard line, which coaches and players are not allowed to cross without drawing a 10-yard penalty?
Think Leinart would have scored if the penalty had been properly called and the ball properly placed at the 15 yard line? I think we’d have seen OT, and we should have.
A suspect win, to be sure.
October 20th, 2005 at 9:53:26 pm
And how about all the crappy calls that went ND’s way that game?
If I were you, I’d go with The Backer on this one.
October 20th, 2005 at 9:59:22 pm
Well, the chants of “overrated” as the SC team left the field not only don’t show alot of class, they really don’t support the fact that ND is a good team, being that they lost to an “overrated” team”.
Both teams were awesome and both had alot of class. Enough said!!!
October 20th, 2005 at 10:06:48 pm
Yeah, I hate “overrated” chants. I even hate them when the underdog wins, because they demean the accomplishment of the team the chanters are rooting for.
October 20th, 2005 at 10:11:59 pm
Patrick, as I have said elsewhere, if you are going to penalize USC for having a Coach out of the box, you must also penalize Charlie Weis and the Irish for being on the field before the game was over. And before you tell me that the clock had run out, he admitted himself that he knew the game wasn’t really over.
A game is not won or lost on a single call. So unless you want us to go through the game and look at all the calls that should have been called on the Irish I’d move on and hope you beat BYU.
October 20th, 2005 at 10:36:48 pm
We have to give this game a catch phrase, like “The Catch” and “The Bomb”. How about “The Push!”
;-)
October 20th, 2005 at 10:58:01 pm
Good point, David. The “coach was out of the box” thing is a really weak argument for the Irish fans to make. The only remotely legitimate point they have is the “Bush Push.” To the extent they try to bolster it with other minor alleged infractions and issues,, they only appear desperate.
October 21st, 2005 at 12:06:09 am
Well, at least you don’t refute the facts that I’ve pointed out, Brendan. USC got an advantage on two lucky no-calls, and that was the difference in the game.
However, Please identify the all the missed calls on the Irish that you speak of, because otherwise your statement is unsubstantiated. Other than the egregious misses at the end due to the confusion, I thought the refs called a fair game.
October 21st, 2005 at 12:17:39 am
“Two lucky no-calls”? Umm, I did refute one of them — the “coach was out of the box” complaint. The ENTIRE IRISH TEAM WAS ON THE FIELD a few moments later, when the game was not over yet. I would never suggest that a penalty should be called for that, because I don’t advocate deciding games on calls like that. But if you’re going to say the coach should be called for the penalty, damn straight the penalty on ND should have been called as well. You can’t have it both ways!
Personally, I think the game should be decided on the field, not by whether coaches were out of the box or not, or whether teams rushed the field prematurely. HONESTLY, Patrick… if the roles were reversed and the call had been made, and ND had lost because of a call that a coach was out of the box (at a moment when the clock shouldn’t even have been running anyway), wouldn’t you (and every other Irish fan) be crying bloody murder about “Pac-10 refs deciding the game” by making a cheap call at a crucial time? Of course you would, and you’d be right.
I remember lots of bad calls going in both directions. Pac-10 refs do indeed suck. I don’t recall the details of most of them now (personally, I don’t believe the refs decided the game, and I prefer to focus my memories on the great plays by both teams in this historic game, rather than thinking about the bad calls against both teams), but the one call that I specifically recall was an absolutely ridiculous, egregious personal foul by an ND player which was inexplicably called instead as a personal foul against USC. This was when there was a 3rd down fumble by the Irish deep in their territory (they recovered), and the scramble in the pile led to all sorts of chippy action. I don’t doubt that USC may have done something bad too, but at the very least it should have been offsetting penalties, because a Notre Dame player BLATANTLY took two extremely cheap shots at Trojan players long after the play had ended. As a result, ND got an automatic first down when the drive would have been over, and although the Irish didn’t ultimately score on that drive, they did have a long drive — several additional first downs — when it should have been over right then and there. Considering that time of possession and exhaustion on the part of USC’s defense was a key factor at the end of the game (and a big reason why Pete Carroll decided to go for it instead of kicking the FG and going to overtime), the call mattered a lot. Plus, if the Irish had been forced to punt (as they would have, if not for the bad call), USC would have gotten the ball in better field position, and who knows, maybe they score an extra TD. You never know. Both teams can make various arguments like that. It’s all “what ifs” and “maybes.” But those things didn’t decide the game; great plays by two good teams (well… one great team, and one very good team playing its heart out) decided the game.
As I said, the ONLY remotely quasi-legitimate gripe is the “Bush Push.” The fact that you are clinging to anything else, like the “coach out of the box” crap, only serves to diminish your credibility and suggest that you are just grasping at straws here. Seriously… there is absolutely no way that ANY football fan should want ANY game, especially such an amazing one, to END on a “coach out of the box” call. What a HORRIBLE way to decide a GREAT game that would have been!! I don’t care which team the call is against — football games should not by decided by cheap, nonsense calls like that! Take off your kelly green-colored glasses for two seconds, and I know you’ll agree with me. (And again… if USC’s coach should be penalized for being “out of the box,” then obviously Charlie Weis and the entire rest of the Irish team needs to be penalized for being on the freakin’ field a few seconds later, considering that both “violations” occurred when there was rightfully 0:07 on the clock.)
As for the “Bush Push” … although I haven’t seen any replays that conclusively show whether or not Leinart had crossed the plane of the end zone before the push (no one has really talked about that, because no one except a handful of Irish fans seems to take this issue terribly seriously… hint hint), I’ll concede for the sake of argument that he hadn’t. If so, it would seem that indeed a technical violation occurred. However, from what I understand, that is a rule that is rarely if ever enforced, and even Charlie Weis himself said he would have advised his own players to do the same thing that Bush did. The very fact that Bush admitted it indicates that it is not a rule that anybody is even really aware of, or expects to be enforced. Again — if the roles were reversed, and the call had been made, and Notre Dame had lost the game because the refs called Darius Walker for pushing Brady Quinn into the end zone, a call that is almost never made, you guys would absolutely be crying bloody murder that “the refs decided the game” by making a cheap call. And again, you’d be right.
Your decision to complain about refereeing instead of accepting the loss graciously, like The Backer and many of Notre Dame’s marvelously classy fans have done, is unfortunate.
October 21st, 2005 at 1:29:48 am
No Irish fans, players, or coaches came on the field until the clock ran out. What other indicator should they have waited for? Carroll and his son were crowding their side of the goalline long before that.
Coach Weis was classy to not be a hypocrite and say that Bush shouldn’t have pushed, because he admitted it was a tactically smart move. If one doesn’t push, one is guaranteed to lose, but if one does, his team has a chance of winning. It’s a Pascal’s wager situation. If you read again, Weis never said a referee should ignore the rule. If a referee had called it, SC would have had no legitimate complaint, as the push was flagrant. “The rules should be different” or “this rule’s never enforced” are not legitimate complaints, especially since, without an illegal assist rule, nearly every goalline situation would be impossible to defend.
These issues are typically minor, but in this case they decided the game. It is unfortunate that, despite their highly favored status, SC’s coaching staff lost its composure and that, to save the game, its Heisman trophy-winning offense was forced to resort to an illegal play that could have been better executed by Oprah Winfrey cow-tipping Delta Burke into the endzone. I was impressed by Coach Weis’ decision to withhold criticism of the players and save his comments for the coach, who should have known better. We’ll see you next year.
October 21st, 2005 at 1:41:00 am
If one doesn’t push, one is guaranteed to lose, but if one does, his team has a chance of winning.
Considering that the play wasn’t over, and Leinart wasn’t down, I don’t see how that is true. Leinart might well have gotten into the end zone without the “Bush Push,” or he might not. We’ll never know. I stand by my contention that both the “coach out of the box” call and the “Bush Push” call — especially the former — are the sort of things that, if the call(s) had been made, would have been widely criticized by any losing team’s fans (including Irish fans, if the roles were reversed), and by many commentators, as referees inappropriately “deciding the game” with a cheap call instead of letting “the players decide it on the field.”
Now, the third Vancouver “goal” in the Coyotes-Canucks game tonight, that was a bad call deciding a game.
October 21st, 2005 at 2:02:30 am
Weiss admited he knew the game wasn’t over when he went on to the field. Your argment is null and void.
October 21st, 2005 at 2:04:16 am
The lesson is simply this: if the competitors in the agon desire the kudos which belongs to the victors, they must be meticuluous in respecting the rules. Otherwise they don’t get the full measure of kudos. This is a basic fact of human nature, irrespective of who is calling the game.
October 21st, 2005 at 2:30:25 am
So then I guess those cheap shots that ND’s player took at a couple of Trojans means I shouldn’t give the Irish full kudos for playing an awesome game?
Damn, and here I was all impressed. Silly me.
October 21st, 2005 at 9:45:00 am
It was VERY clear that the USC players were taking more cheap shots and being less sportsman-like. There was one instance in which an Irish player couldnt get off a stack bc there was a USC player standing on his throat (the USC guy then contiued to kick him in the head and chest a couple times).
That said, I dont hold it against them. It was a very emotional and hard-fought game - stuff happens. Improper behavior was possible from any given player at any given time. It just so happened that the Irish players were more composed and sportsman-like.
BUT, I have to say, that I would much rather be the rude and crude winning team than the nice and proper losing team. but thats just me…
October 21st, 2005 at 11:57:04 am
Its also VERY clear that ND was doing the same thing when it comes ot cheap shots.
From what I have seen of the game, neither side was squeaky clean, but its football so they aren’t exactly supposed to be. It was an emotionally charged game and there were some cheap shots from both sides. Quit acting all high and mighty about it, cause you haven’t got the ground to stand on
October 21st, 2005 at 12:48:21 pm
It kinda boils down to a matter of stereotypes; and those USC players that did committ unsportsmanlike acts only furthered and strengthened the belief that the Trojans are mostly thugs. Whereas a similar stereotype about the Irish is not as common.
All I know is, the coverage of the game on my tv clearly showed more USC cheap shots than ND. Now, is that bc the game was NBC, which is not exactly neutral? Perhaps.
And, David, as for your comment about ND “hope[ing]” to beat BYU, pull your head out. This is not another year in which ND’s obvious superiority over a lowly team like BYU can be questioned. Ty is gone; unpredictability is gone. There is no hoping to be done.
October 21st, 2005 at 2:22:11 pm
alphadog
Careful, your arrogance is showing. There is a reason that they play football games. Because anything can happen. Time and time again a team has taken a supposedly weaker opponent for granted. Upsets happen all the time, sometimes dramatic ones.
Is it likely that a strong ND will beat a weak BYU, but that doesn’t mean its a given. If you win, great, if you lose though, I will be laughing my butt off.
October 21st, 2005 at 3:00:30 pm
I agree that my feelings may be somewhat arrogant, but I have to say that the real reason I believe and say such things is quite logical: as a loyal ND fan I have spent YEARS suffering through the mediocrity, waiting for a team/coach that I can count on. now that I believe they are here, I may sometimes act like a spoiled brat child. my apologies, but thats the way it is…
October 21st, 2005 at 8:54:45 pm
Great footage!!!
For those watching on TV this is a special treat to hear the reactions of the fans as close as possible to the real thing. I can’t imagine what it must have been like actually sitting there as an SC fan absorbing the greatest drive in SC history. WOW!
Epic is the only word to describe. It. Thanks for the videos. Keep em coming.
October 22nd, 2005 at 1:32:07 am
The score is 28-24, USC, if the Irish don’t use blocks in the back to set up their third touchdown on the return. Stuff happens. I think it is safe to say USC wasn’t trying to cheat, or else Reggie Bush would have been smart enough not to boast about pushing Leinart with “all 200 pounds” of himself. Officials don’t see everything. And all in all, this game was decided on the field, not in the officials’ reviewing of coaches’ sideline conduct or rarely called push plays.
October 22nd, 2005 at 2:02:57 am
Amen.
October 22nd, 2005 at 1:44:08 pm
“…it is not a rule that anybody is even really aware of, or expects to be enforced.”
Brendan,
If this rule is unknown and/or largely unenforced, wouldn’t we see teams exploit that fact on a far more regular and blatant basis?
If there was little or no risk to “pushing” generally, wouldn’t teammates, including tailbacks, boldly assist on virtually every QB sneak? Why dont half the Division 1 coaches replace their back with a 300 lb tackle on every short plunge, if it’s widely established that hardly anybody knows or “cares”? No, what prevents such escalated silliness is the fact that EVERY coach, including Carroll, knows it’s an infraction with real consequences, applied with reasonable consistency.
Here, Pete shrewdly assessed his unusually precarious situation; the unpalatable consequence of not pushing(we could lose!!) vs the still very real consequence of getting flagged(we might still lose, but maybe they’ll miss the call,chicken out,etc), and boldly decided that pushing the QB - and the clearly established rule! - was preferable to not doing so.
To the extent that coaches teach “pushing”, I imagine it is taught similar to holding or pass interference; to stay under the radar as much as possible. Or, perhaps, if a situation is so dire that you feel like pushing the envelope with a more blatant infraction is warranted.
My view is that the touchdown was invalid but the game’s outcome clearly was not. Games are rife with such apparent contradictions. But they are not contradictions, as you and others have outlined so well.
October 28th, 2005 at 2:48:57 pm
Absolutely incredible videos and photos. Thanks much for posting these. It was one hell of a game that will likely overshadow anything else this season and for many to come. In fact, the rest of the season - no matter where USC ends up - will be a footnote to this game.
Gary
USC ‘69
Boise Idaho
November 3rd, 2005 at 4:38:14 pm
Brendan - would you have any meteorological insight into the possibility of earthquake in Los Angeles?
November 3rd, 2005 at 5:19:49 pm
Earthquakes are geological, not meteological… but L.A. is very earthquake-prone. If you mean predicting earthquakes on particular days, no, I don’t have any insight into that, and neither does anyone… earthquake science hasn’t come that far yet.
March 28th, 2006 at 9:11:22 pm
Dude did you not have the USC marching band playing “FIGHT ON”
I know all of it…
GO TROJANS!
May 9th, 2006 at 4:11:36 am
You’re a Loser LEINART SCORED BECAUSE BUSH PUSHED HIM INTO THE ENDZONE THAT IS A PENALTY!!! That TD should not have counted.
Please don’t cheer for ND we don’t need Losers like you cheering for our team KEEP CHEERING FOR UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CHEATERS
May 14th, 2006 at 8:27:56 pm
I am just glad to know that the football trend will now turn to a real school with real academics, even the biggest USC fan in the world goes there now.
May 14th, 2006 at 9:20:51 pm
So I guess the reason my USC undergraduate education was sufficient to get me into Notre Dame Law School was… what… affirmation action for Trojans?
Or maybe USC is, in fact, “a real school with real academics,” and you’re just a jerk.
May 16th, 2006 at 7:19:49 pm
Notre Dame was cheated because college football wanted usc and texas and they got it. Reggir bush pushed lienart in like a mother Fer and it wasnt called. But if you like college football it was a dream game.
June 9th, 2006 at 7:08:03 am
Could these Domers whine more? Unbelievable.
June 11th, 2006 at 10:19:00 am
I agree. Irish fans, be at peace. USC lost the championship game and ND lost two other times. The game, as great as it was, did not ultimately decide either of our seaons.
ND will probably be heavy favorites at USC next year, will be interesting to see if the game quality repeats itself.
August 18th, 2006 at 7:46:16 am
First of all just wanted to say I’m happy that I stumbled across your blogspace. I also wanted to congratulate you all on having (mostly) civil, but still passionate, and intelligent arguments. ND-USC 05 was a game to be remembered and told to our grandkids (hmm… well better find a GF first)… I’m moving from Chicago to LA this week so if ANY of you know good ND bars in the area (OC or LA) please let me know. Also, did anyone ever find a video of the broadcast??? I’d love to get a copy!
October 5th, 2006 at 1:00:26 pm
ND sucks cock
November 2nd, 2006 at 10:35:14 pm
http://ef32dweg.info
November 10th, 2006 at 7:29:09 am
http://34wvq32.com
December 16th, 2006 at 11:17:27 am
Brady Quinn has made mistakes in many games however he always seems to have a good comeback. Even though the Notre Dame vs. USC game was not his best game he still tried his hardest and put his heart and soul into the game. I Know that Brady Quinn has lead the irish to a great season and will be greatly missed by all of Notre Dame including Coach Weis. He is a great student and I have faith that he will lead the irish to a victory over LSU!!!!
GO IRISH BEAT LSU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 6th, 2007 at 9:53:41 pm
he is good
August 30th, 2007 at 1:05:55 pm
sooooooooooooooooooooooo happy to have found this website…purely by mistake….. thank you & Becky toooo