Ifeanyi Will Miss Notre Dame : College football: USC apparently stumbles while trying to get a quick decision from NCAA on defensive end’s eligibility.

Israel Ifeanyi, USC’s senior defensive end, is caught in a dispute between his school and the NCAA and will not play Saturday against Notre Dame as he awaits the final outcome of his confusing eligibility case.

By trying to get the NCAA to rule quickly in Ifeanyi’s case, USC might inadvertently have eliminated any hope the linebacker had of playing Saturday against Notre Dame and infuriated NCAA officials in the process. Some NCAA officials suggested Wednesday that the school was trying to circumvent the system.

On Tuesday, the NCAA eligibility committee suspended Ifeanyi for two games for accepting money from Nigerians living in Los Angeles. In a ruling that is now in limbo, he was also ordered to repay about $3,000 by Nov. 11, the Trojans’ 10th game of the season.

In addition, Ifeanyi, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound starter, had already sat out two other games for violating NCAA rules by accepting favors from a sports agent.

USC had taken a two-pronged approach to getting Ifeanyi cleared after the initial finding early last week that he had committed a violation by accepting money from members of his Nigerian tribe, the Ibo. On Oct. 11, not in accordance with NCAA procedure, the school appealed the finding to the interpretations committee at the same time it petitioned the eligibility committee to allow him to play.

Carrie Doyle, NCAA director of eligibility, said USC misled her staff.

Robert Lane, USC general counsel, said the school was merely trying to have the appeal heard in a timely fashion.

Tuesday’s ruling by the eligibility committee, in which it operated under the assumption that USC was admitting rules were broken, would not have been issued if the NCAA body knew the school had appealed to the interpretations committee.

“We acted in good faith that the institution was acknowledging a violation and apparently they are not,” Doyle said. “We’re clearly in an awkward position.”

Ironically, Ifeanyi might have been cleared to play by a third NCAA body, the enforcement committee, if USC had not appealed to the interpretations committee. Left alone, the enforcement committee could have overturned Tuesday’s ruling before Saturday.

“An institution can’t have it both ways,” Doyle said. “They can’t appeal a staff interpretation and also appeal a staff’s eligibility restoration decision and hope that somehow the student-athlete gets eligible as early as possible.”

Now, the NCAA has set aside the eligibility committee’s ruling until the interpretations committee can rule on the appeal, probably Monday. The only certainty is that Ifeanyi will not play Saturday, officials said.

“You hung him on Saturday, now we’re having the trial on Monday,” Lane said.

Lane said the school informed the NCAA of its intention to appeal on the basis that Ifeanyi was simply following tribal customs in accepting money from Nigerians, who the player said had no connections to USC.

USC also petitioned the NCAA to restore the eligibility of linebacker Errick Herrin, who, with Ifeanyi and running back Shawn Walters, were suspended Sept. 28 for their involvement with Robert Troy Caron, an Oxnard agent.

Herrin and Ifeanyi allegedly accepted a pager, telephone credit card and a trip to Las Vegas. Ifeanyi was ordered to repay about $190. Herrin is expected to have to do the same.

Lane said he hoped a decision on Herrin could be reached before Saturday’s game; Doyle would not predict when the decision will come.

Walters’ case has not reached the NCAA yet because it is more complicated. He allegedly accepted $15,900 from the agent.