COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Deception Play Is a Big Part of Notre Dame’s Motivation : Irish: Players say they were fired up by Keyshawn Johnson statements. But he didn’t say anything.

Tight end Pete Chryplewicz told a standing-room-only crowd at Friday night’s pep rally that USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson had made disparaging remarks about Notre Dame. Irish fans reacted with ear-deafening jeers.

On Saturday, wide receiver Derrick Mayes remained irritated.

“Some people can do it with mouth,” he said. “We proved we can do it by action.”

Quarterback Ron Powlus said the comments had really angered him, and had inspired his teammates.

“You always worry about saying things to the media before a big game because it can be used as ammunition against you,” said Powlus after Notre Dame responded with a 38-10 victory over fifth-ranked USC Saturday. “And I don’t think Keyshawn took note of that because he was talking a lot and so were a lot of his teammates. We took offense to that.

“They said we shouldn’t be on the same field with them and they are a far superior team and it’s too bad what has happened to us this year. We heard a lot of different things, but I guess we showed them.”

To whom did Johnson make these remarks?

“Well, Coach [Lou] Holtz said Johnson made some, and you know, you just hear things,” Powlus said with a grin. “I don’t know, maybe they weren’t even true. But it worked--even if they weren’t.”

It did work--but they weren’t true. Johnson never made any of the above statements.

Whatever the motivation, the Irish not only found the end zone with Powlus taking control, but received a dominating performance from a defense that has been repeatedly hit hard.

“This game was basically about getting respect for the whole team,” said Shawn Wooden, senior cornerback.

Respect is something that has eluded Notre Dame since the first week, when it flopped against Northwestern. A later loss to Ohio State flattened Top 10 aspirations, and the naysayers have pointed to Powlus, the triggerman in Notre Dame’s attack, who appears out of place.

Holtz ran the option and Powlus threw the football and it did not appear to be a very good marriage. But last week Powlus went to Holtz and asked to not only run the option, but put in extra time practicing the scheme.

In addition, he decided it was time to take command of this team, something the critics said he had failed to do during his first 19 games as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback.

“I have heard all the things that have been said, like I’m not doing what was expected,” said Powlus, who completed 18 of 29 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception. “I would like to win more games, but I felt like I should take charge of the team a little more, and that’s what I did.

“I know people say I’m not the right guy for this system, but I’m here, we’re going to try to win the rest of these games and get a nice bowl game. It doesn’t bother me that people are saying I shouldn’t be here. I’ve heard the thing: right face, wrong place. Too bad, I’m here and we’ve got to work with it.”

Powlus not only ran the option effectively, but demonstrated a willingness to throw to someone besides Mayes. A deft fake handoff, and two-yard flip to Chryplewicz early in the fourth quarter vaulted the Irish ahead, 31-10.

“This was huge,” Powlus said. “I’m just so happy with everybody today; it’s just nice to be a big winner.”

It has been a long time coming by Notre Dame standards. For the first time since Nov. 13, 1993 when the Irish beat Florida State, 31-24, the Notre Dame student body had reason to storm the field in celebration.

Fullback Marc Edwards, who rushed for three touchdowns, while also running and throwing for two-point conversions, was hoisted to the shoulders of his classmates, while fans drenched by rain remained to hear the Notre Dame band strike up the school’s fight song for the 100th time of the day.

“I came off the field today with the same feeling as I had in that Florida State game,” said Ryan Leahy, Notre Dame offensive guard. “But that’s the USC game; it’s that big, and this shows us and everyone else that we can play with the best teams in the nation.”

A week after defeating Florida State to go 10-0 in 1993, the Irish lost to Boston College. Next up for Notre Dame: Boston College.

“This is a very good Southern Cal football team. I thought if they got by us they’d have an excellent chance of winning the national championship,” said Holtz, who is 9-0-1 against USC while at Notre Dame. “We just feel blessed to beat the men of Troy.”