Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 22, 1990

Everything you always wanted to know about USC, Notre Dame and the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football:

USC graduate Shelley Prochaska and Notre Dame alumnus Don Smail will be married Friday and then delay their honeymoon until after Saturday’s game. The couple has bought 90 Coliseum tickets for members of the wedding party and other guests. One guess as to what Mr. and Mrs. Smail will argue about first. . . .

Notre Dame leads the series, 34-23-4. The breakdown: ND leads 18-8-1 in South Bend and 2-0-0 in Chicago. USC leads 15-14-3 in the Coliseum. . . .

Dressing for success--Notre Dame’s colors are blue and gold, but the Irish switched to green jerseys after the warmups in 1977 and 1983, and won easily both times. . . .

If you want to come early, your football ticket will admit you to the USC-Chicago State basketball game at the Sports Arena at 1:30 p.m. If you want to stay late, you can hear the postgame concert by the USC band, which expands its game repertoire. . . .

Raghib (Rocket) Ismail has rushed 18 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns in fourth quarters but didn’t play in the fourth quarter of Notre Dame’s losses to Stanford and Penn State. . . .

Only time both teams went into the game unbeaten and untied was in 1988 when Notre Dame was ranked No. 1, USC No. 2, and the Trojans the favorite in the Coliseum. The Irish won, 27-10. . . .

Four Notre Dame players list actor George Wendt of “Cheers” as the most impressive person they’ve met. Wendt attended Notre Dame. On the set, they say he talks more about football than does former Kansas State student Kirstie Alley. . . .

USC is a private institution, was founded in 1880, has an enrollment of 29,657 and boasts Schools of Cinema-Television, Social Work, Public Administration and International Relations that are among the oldest and most prestigious in the country. . . .

Ninety percent of Notre Dame’s students are Catholic, although religion is not considered in the admission process. Females were first admitted as undergraduates in 1972 and make up about one-third of the student body of 7,673. Ninety-two percent of varsity athletes earn degrees. . . .

USC Athletic Director Mike McGee, the 1959 Outland Trophy winner at Duke, will be honored during pregame ceremonies for his induction into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame. . . .

Most controversial call in the series might have been one in 1978 at the Coliseum while USC was driving for the game-winning field goal. The Irish thought Trojan quarterback Paul McDonald lost the ball on a fumble, but it was ruled an incomplete pass. . . .

The two old rivals and the University of North Carolina have teamed up to form the Sports Management Institute, which trains students to become college and professional sports executives. . . .

Biggest crowd was in 1929 at Soldier Field in Chicago, an estimated 120,000, although the official paid count was a non-record 99,351. Smallest crowd was 25,037 in 1933 in Notre Dame Stadium. . . .

Four of the first six games decided the national championship. . . .

Todd Marinovich’s uncle, Trojan quarterback Craig Fertig, threw the touchdown pass to Rod Sherman that upset the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Irish in 1964. . . .

The Los Angeles attendance record for a ticker-tape parade honoring a sports team is the 300,000 who turned out to salute USC in 1931 after its 16-14 victory over Notre Dame in South Bend. . . .

Against a Notre Dame team that led the nation in defense, USC exploded for 55 points in a span of 16 minutes 55 seconds, overcame a 24-0 deficit and won, 55-24, in 1974. However, Anthony Davis didn’t score six touchdowns in that game. He got the half-dozen in 1972 when USC won, 45-23. . . .

Notre Dame’s Joe Theismann and USC’s Todd Marinovich both set school records of 33 pass completions in defeats, Theismann in 1970 and Marinovich last year. . . .

Trojan Coach Larry Smith is 1-4 against Notre Dame. He scored his only victory in 1982 when his Arizona Wildcats won, 16-13, on a field goal by Max Zendejas with no time remaining. . . .

Notre Dame’s longest winning streak in the series is seven, beginning in 1983. USC won five in a row from 1978-82 and was unbeaten in six games, including two ties, from 1967-72. . . .

Subway and overseas alumni, alike, will be able to see Saturday’s game that will be televised in the United States, Japan, and 19 European countries. . . .

Heisman Trophy winners who have played in the series include Angelo Bertelli, Johnny Lujack, Leon Hart, Johnny Lattner, Paul Hornung, John Huarte and Tim Brown of Notre Dame, and Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White and Marcus Allen of USC. . . .

Prediction: USC 27, Notre Dame 24.