Kelly Has Indifferent Afternoon

Two days ago, Kareem Kelly talked at length about how the best players make a difference in important games. Games like USC vs. Notre Dame.

“I want to be the playmaker,” he said. “I want to be the one my team looks for.”

But against the Irish on Saturday, Kelly managed only two catches for 16 yards and was unable to come up with several potentially important receptions.

There was a second-quarter pass that was knocked out of his hands.

And a one-handed try that bounced away in the third quarter.

And another miss, on the next play, the ball squirting out of his arms as he hit the ground.

“Some balls I could have had went off my fingertips,” he said. “I just didn’t make enough big plays today.”

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After struggling with special teams last season, the Trojans vowed to make a change this fall. In some respects, they have.

Kicker David Davis made an 18-yard field goal and is now eight for 10 for the season. But Davis missed an extra point and USC continues to have problems in other areas.

Notre Dame had so much success on kick returns, running back four of them for 119 yards, that USC coaches finally resorted to having David Newbury squib the ball in the third quarter.

Punter Mike MacGillivray failed on an impromptu fake and, though he averaged 41.9 yards, he remained inconsistent.

His 28-yard punt in the fourth quarter led to a Notre Dame field goal.

“Once again this week, our kicking game was huge,” Notre Dame Coach Bob Davie said. “Our special teams played outstanding today.”

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The Trojans have made a habit of knocking opposing quarterbacks out of the game.

They did it to Washington’s Cody Pickett and Arizona State’s Jeff Krohn the past two weeks. They almost did it again Saturday.

Early in the second quarter, deep in USC territory, Notre Dame ran an option on fourth down and linebacker Mike Pollard stopped Irish quarterback Carlyle Holiday just short of the first down. Holiday had to be helped off the field with a bruised knee and was replaced by Matt LoVecchio on the next series.

Holiday was able to return later, however.

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Notre Dame tried hard to recruit USC defensive tackle Shaun Cody and, on Saturday, the freshman showed the Irish what they are missing. He had six tackles and sacked the quarterback twice.

“It was exciting to come back here and play,” he said. “But you want to win.”

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Freshman tailback Darryl Poston was expected to play a significant role in this game but never really had a chance. After carrying once for no gain and catching a 10-yard pass, he sprained his knee and could not return....Receiver Sandy Fletcher had to leave the game because of a shoulder sprain.