Big numbers on this stage aren’t Heisman guarantee

There’s a popular notion that the USC-Notre Dame game is a stage where Heisman Trophy winners are made. That belief dates back a few years, to when USC’s Carson Palmer threw four touchdown passes against Notre Dame and pretty much secured his bid for the 2002 Heisman.

Two years later, Matt Leinart grabbed the trophy with a five-touchdown effort against the Irish. Then Reggie Bush won last season after contributing three touchdowns, 160 yards rushing and a helpful shove in a last-minute victory at South Bend, Ind.

With USC and Notre Dame accounting for seven Heisman winners each, some regard their annual game as a direct ticket to the Downtown Athletic Club ceremony.

But a glance back at the historic rivalry offers conflicting evidence. Players have won because of and despite their performances, and, in some cases, the award was announced before the big game.

1943: Quarterback Angelo Bertelli wins Notre Dame’s first Heisman without facing USC. World War II travel restrictions put the game on hold.

1953: Notre Dame halfback John Lattner wins after scoring four touchdowns in a 48-14 victory at the Coliseum.

1964: USC plays spoiler to the undefeated, top-ranked Irish with a 20-17 upset at the Coliseum, but Notre Dame quarterback John Huarte had already received the Heisman.

1965: Tailback Mike Garrett becomes USC’s first winner despite a 28-7 loss to Notre Dame. Three years later, O.J. Simpson won several days before tying the Irish.

1970: Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann throws for 526 yards in the rain, but his team loses to USC and he had already finished second to Stanford’s Jim Plunkett in the Heisman balloting.

1974: Anthony Davis opens the second half by returning a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown, sparking a 55-24 victory that ranks among the biggest comebacks in college football history. But he finishes second in the balloting to Ohio State’s Archie Griffin.

1987: Receiver Tim Brown acts mostly as a decoy until scoring on a five-yard run to help Notre Dame win, 26-15. He receives the Heisman but three years later, after contributing similarly to a victory over USC, Irish receiver Raghib Ismail finishes second.

After Ismail, the USC-Notre Dame-Heisman connection went on hiatus for more than a decade, only Notre Dame’s Reggie Brooks and USC’s Keyshawn Johnson finishing in the top 10 until Palmer’s big night.

david.wharton@latimes.com

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Unrivaled moments

Not all the old stories about the USC-Notre Dame football game involve touchdown passes or last-second field goals. As the Trojans and Fighting Irish renew their rivalry on Saturday, former players offered memories of a more personal nature -- some touching, some funny, others embarrassing -- in interviews with Times staff writer David Wharton.

Blame Jeter

Ross Browner grew up in Ohio watching USC on television, cheering for Mike Garrett and O.J. Simpson. When the time came to choose a college in 1973, his mind was made up.

“I was going to USC,” he said.

But the week before his recruiting visit, his buddy and fellow Ohioan Gary Jeter toured the USC campus and Browner got a phone call.

“They told me he took the last scholarship,” Browner said. “So I asked them, ‘Who do you guys play?’ ”

The USC coaches mentioned Notre Dame. “OK, guess what?” he replied. “Look me up on Notre Dame’s roster next year.”

At South Bend, Browner became one of the most decorated defensive linemen in college football history, winning the Outland, Lombardi and Maxwell trophies. He has Jeter to thank.

“I still tease him,” he said. “Gary, if you didn’t take the last scholarship, I would have ended up out there.”

Liberal thinking

In the fall of 1979, USC was coming off a national championship and primed to repeat, blowing through the early part of the schedule. Then came a stunning 21-21 tie at home against Stanford.

Quarterback Paul McDonald came away from that game livid, believing his coaches had played too conservatively by sticking to the run.

In a heated conversation with Paul Hackett, a USC assistant then, McDonald recalled saying: “This is ridiculous. We’ve got all these weapons, let’s use them.”

The next week, USC traveled to South Bend.

“Early in the game, we’re on our own three- or four-yard line,” McDonald said. “It’s third down, and 99.9% of the time, the play coming in from the sideline would be a run. Be conservative, punt the ball.”

This time, Hackett called for a pass. Not a short pass, a down-the-field throw.

“I’m thinking, wow, I guess our conversation had an effect,” McDonald said. “My next thought was, I’d better convert this.”

He completed the throw to Dan Garcia for a first down and the Trojans were on the way to a 42-23 victory. They finished the season 11-0-1, defeating Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.