Turnovers Help No. 1 Irish Beat USC, 27-10

Notre Dame retained its ranking as the nation’s No. 1 college football team by beating second-ranked USC, 27-10, Saturday at the Coliseum before a crowd of 93,829.

Big plays by the Irish coupled with four turnovers by USC were the decisive factors in the game.

Notre Dame quarterback Tony Rice ran 65 yards to a touchdown on an option play in the first quarter.

Then, late in the second quarter, Notre Dame cornerback Stan Smagala intercepted a pass thrown by USC quarterback Rodney Peete and carried it 64 yards to a touchdown, giving the Irish a 20-7 lead at halftime.

Field Goal Trimmed Lead

The Trojans cut the lead to 20-10 in the third quarter on Quin Rodriguez’s 26-yard field goal.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame drove 70 yards to a touchdown with tailback Mark Green scoring on a 1-yard run.

The victory was Notre Dame’s sixth straight over USC, the first time that either team has won that many consecutive games in a series that began in 1926.

Notre Dame (11-0) is headed for a Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl game with unbeaten West Virginia. USC (10-1) will play Michigan in the Jan. 2 Rose Bowl game.

Peete suffered an injury to his left shoulder shortly before halftime. He will be X-rayed Monday to determine the extent of the injury. It is believed to be a mild sprain.

Details in Sports.