Pride at Stake for USC, Notre Dame : Trojans: They will be trying to end seven-game losing streak to the Irish in today’s 5 p.m. game at the Coliseum.

Not much will be at stake today when USC plays Notre Dame at the Coliseum--at least as far as the race to the national championship is concerned.

But not much was at stake last week when USC played UCLA.

That one, though, proved to be a game for the ages. The lead changed hands four times in the last 10 minutes, and USC won, 45-42, on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Todd Marinovich to Johnnie Morton with 16 seconds left.

So, what to expect this week?

“This game promises to be another classic because we’ve got very much the same scenario,” USC Coach Larry Smith said.

Until last week, the game figured to have a direct bearing on the national championship race, but that was before the Irish were defeated by Penn State, 24-21, and lost their No. 1 ranking.

Now, only an improbable series of events could vault seventh-ranked Notre Dame (8-2) back into contention.

USC (8-2-1) would have liked nothing better than to face the Irish when they were ranked No. 1, but the Trojans won’t be wanting for motivation before a sellout crowd of more than 90,000 and a national television audience.

They haven’t beaten Notre Dame since 1982, when Michael Harper scored a controversial touchdown with 48 seconds left, fumbling as he crossed the goal line to give the Trojans a 17-13 victory at the Coliseum.

Notre Dame has since won seven consecutive games against USC, the longest streak in the history of a series that started in 1926.

Smith, who split two games against Notre Dame when he coached at Arizona, is 0-3 against the Irish as the Trojans’ coach. But when asked if he felt pressure to end the streak, Smith said that he did not. However, he added evenly: “I feel a deep desire (to win).”

Last season’s 28-24 loss at Notre Dame, in which the Trojans enjoyed a statistical advantage, left USC with a bitter taste.

The Trojans squandered a 17-7 halftime lead, regained the lead at 24-21 in the fourth quarter, then gave up the game-winning touchdown with 5:18 left. USC’s last gasp ended at Notre Dame’s seven-yard line when Marinovich threw three consecutive incomplete passes.

As if that weren’t enough to leave them angered, the Trojans were further upset that Notre Dame had incited a pregame melee by refusing to let them enter a tunnel that leads to the locker rooms.

The Irish later sent a letter of apology to the Trojans.

“I thought it was really classless,” USC linebacker Scott Ross said of the incident. “But I can’t say that I might not have done the same thing in their situation. We were thinking of doing it this year, but Coach Smith threatened that if we did, we’d be off the team.

“We’ll keep it on the field.”

The teams are similar in that they both have weak secondaries.

Last week, Tony Sacca of Penn State passed for a career-high 277 yards and three touchdowns against Notre Dame. Sacca’s previous career high of 243 yards was set against USC two months ago at the Coliseum.

That’s just about the difference between the teams’ pass defenses. Notre Dame has given up 266.5 yards a game through the air; USC has allowed 226.1, including 409 to UCLA’s Tommy Maddox.

“Defensively, they’re a lot like us,” Irish Coach Lou Holtz said of the Trojans. “They’ve given up big plays. They’re very young on defense, but I want to say this: They’re very talented on defense.”

Marinovich passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns against the Irish last season, setting school records of 33 completions and 55 attempts. USC ran for only 119 yards last season, but Smith hopes to attain a better balance this time.

The Notre Dame offense no longer features quarterback Tony Rice, who stymied the Trojans for three seasons with his option running as the Irish battered a defense that ranked among the nation’s best against the run.

Still, Notre Dame has as much offensive speed as it has had in several years, Smith said, and sophomore quarterback Rick Mirer ranks among the national leaders in passing efficiency.

Mirer has rushed for 170 yards and six touchdowns and passed for 1,694 yards and eight touchdowns, completing 55.7% of his 185 attempts with six interceptions.

Trojan Notes

Todd Marinovich will start at quarterback for USC, Coach Larry Smith said Friday. . . . Raghib (Rocket) Ismail, bothered by a deep thigh bruise, will play but won’t start for Notre Dame, Coach Lou Holtz said. The injury kept Ismail out of the second half of last week’s 24-21 loss to Penn State. . . . USC had won five consecutive games and 11 of 13 against Notre Dame before its current losing streak started in 1983, when Notre Dame won at South Bend, 27-6. . . . Notre Dame leads the series, 34-23-5.

Holtz, on the effect of last week’s loss to Penn State: “If it wasn’t Southern Cal, I’d be concerned, but we have a history of getting up to play Southern Cal, the same as they do for us.” . . . Against common opponents: USC beat Penn State, 19-14, and Stanford, 37-22; Notre Dame lost to Penn State, 24-21, and Stanford, 36-31.

After the game, USC will accept a formal invitation to play Michigan State in the John Hancock Bowl Dec. 31 at El Paso, and Notre Dame will accept an invitation to play Colorado in the Orange Bowl.