USC to play it in key of ‘D’

USC rolled into Notre Dame Stadium last season with one of the flashiest and most prolific offenses in college football history.

The Trojans’ stars did not disappoint, quarterback Matt Leinart, running back Reggie Bush and receiver Dwayne Jarrett pulling off some of the most dramatic plays in the history of the intersectional rivalry for an epic, last-minute victory.

Tonight, when the third-ranked Trojans meet sixth-ranked Notre Dame at the sold-out Coliseum, USC instead will be counting on its resurgent defense to carry the load and possibly provide the game-turning plays.

“We’ve allowed them to show who they are and what they are,” Coach Pete Carroll said. “This is a very physical, tough-minded, hard-nosed group of guys.”

USC (9-1) is third in the Bowl Championship Series standings behind No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan. If the Trojans defeat the Fighting Irish for the fifth consecutive time and also defeat UCLA next week at the Rose Bowl, they could be in line for a third consecutive BCS title-game appearance.

Many college football observers thought USC was out of the chase for the national title when it lost, 33-31, at Oregon State on Oct. 28. But the Trojans climbed back into contention on the strength of a defense that only recently started to create turnovers and live up to lofty preseason predictions.

USC gave up only 19 points in victories over Stanford, Oregon and California, the defense helping the offense with several interceptions and recovered fumbles.

The Trojans are ranked 11th nationally in scoring defense (14.2 points a game), 13th in rushing defense (92.1 yards) and 21st in total defense (288.6 yards).

“The impact of the loss generated a sense of urgency that maybe we hadn’t touched on yet,” said Carroll, who is 19-0 at USC in November games. “So, we haven’t been the same since.

“As much as I always say I hate to learn the hard way, we did step ahead from that experience. Hopefully, we can carry it into this week.”

USC puts its 32-game home winning streak on the line against a Notre Dame team that has won eight straight since a Sept. 16 loss to Michigan.

The Fighting Irish (10-1) are led by senior quarterback Brady Quinn, the preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy, who nearly engineered a victory over the Trojans last year.

Quinn torched the USC defense during a fourth-quarter drive and scored the go-ahead touchdown with about two minutes left in the game. But Leinart’s fourth-and-nine pass to Jarrett, good for 61 yards, set up Leinart’s game-winning sneak that included the now-famous “Bush Push” into the end zone for a 34-31 victory.

“You know, when you watch film, you watch a little bit of the game from last year, you replay that ending a thousand different ways,” Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski said. “[It] definitely gets to you a little bit.”

Notre Dame began the season with victories over Georgia Tech and Penn State. After playing his worst game in a loss against Michigan, Quinn rebounded by leading the Fighting Irish to comeback victories over Michigan State and, a few weeks later, UCLA. He has passed for 32 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

Three of the interceptions came against Michigan in a 47-21 loss at South Bend. USC, therefore, will probably try to follow the Wolverines’ model and pressure Quinn so that he cannot find receivers Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight, who have scored 10 and 14 touchdowns, respectively.

“He’s a pretty strong quarterback mentally and physically; it doesn’t look like a lot of things bother him,” USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson said. “But any time a quarterback is getting hit, he has to be aware of the pass rush, so hopefully we can shake him up a bit.”

Unlike predecessors Carson Palmer and Leinart, USC quarterback John David Booty will not face the Fighting Irish at the Coliseum with a Heisman hanging in the balance. That suits the fourth-year junior, who has passed for 22 touchdowns with six interceptions.

“I just want to play the best I can and give us the best chance to win,” he said.

With junior Chauncey Washington still nursing a sprained left knee, freshman C.J Gable is expected to start at tailback for USC. Last week, the former Sylmar High star rushed for 91 yards in 19 carries against Cal.

The Trojans know a victory over Notre Dame could possibly push them past Michigan in the BCS standings and leave them one victory away from a national championship showdown with top-ranked Ohio State.

“There’s all the motivation in the world for them,” Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis said of the Trojans. “There’s absolutely zero chance of them coming in flat against us. It’s just not happening.”

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gary.klein@latimes.com