On a chilly, rain-soaked October afternoon in 1995, when the skies over South Bend mirrored the intensity of one of college football’s greatest rivalries, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football welcomed the fifth-ranked USC Trojans football to town. The Trojans arrived with the spotlight, the swagger, and the expectations—but Notre Dame had something else in mind.
There was a different energy in the air that day. You could feel it in the stands, hear it in the roar of the crowd, and see it in the way
the Irish took the field—focused, physical, and ready to prove something. This wasn’t just about rankings. It was about pride. It was about defending home turf. And it was about reminding everyone what Notre Dame football is all about.
What unfolded over the next four quarters wasn’t just a win—it was a statement. A team that had been questioned just weeks earlier rose up, dominated on both sides of the ball, and delivered one of the most complete performances of the season.
Here’s a look back at a defining performance that turned a chilly, drizzly day into a decisive and unforgettable 38–10 victory for Notre Dame . . .
The following excerpt is from the 1995 Football Review in Scholastic Magazine (Vol. 137, No. 11), written by Jake Schaller.
IRISH HORSE
The Irish snuck up on the nation’s number five team, whipping the men of Troy 38-10 in their best performance of the season.
By Jake Schaller
An Open Letter to the Notre Dame Football Team
Dear Lou and the boys:
I would like to publicly apologize. I admit it. I thought you guys would lose to the Trojans of Southern Cal.Well, as long as I’m writing this, I had better come clean. I thought you had no chance. I thought USC would wipe the rain off the field with your uniforms and then run up and down the field on you. I thought that Keyshawn would strike that Heisman pose in the end zone all day. I thought Robinson and his Men of Troy would finally end that pesky streak of non-victories in style.
And could anyone not suiting up for the Blue and Gold on that October day feel any differently? I mean this is a team that came inches away, literally, from losing to Army! And now number five USC was rolling into town? Please.
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OCTOBER 21, 1995 — NOTRE DAME, IN
In one motion, a reborn Irish squad shocked the nation, turned in their best game of the season, threw themselves into the hunt for a major bowl and eliminated a national championship contender. That very smooth motion was the USC game, a story in domination.On two October 21st possessions, the Notre Dame football team took a huge step towards becoming a great team instead of only a good one.
After a shocking first quarter in which the Irish thoroughly dominated the fifth-ranked Trojans, and less than six minutes of an equally impressive second quarter, all Notre Dame had to show for its efforts was a one-point deficit.
The Irish defense had just sent the Trojans to the sidelines without points for the third time in three tries during the game when a series of events that most watching thought would spell disaster actually brought out the character of this Irish squad.
Junior Scott Sollman caught John Stonehouse’s punt, and USC’s Jesse Davis jarred the ball loose. His teammates recovered, giving the Trojans the ball on the Irish 17-yard line. Two plays later, Keyshawn Johnson caught a pass on an out pattern, slipped out of an Allen Rossum tackle and pranced into the end zone.
A successful extra point, a feat Kevin Kopka was unable to pull off earlier, put the Trojans up 7-6.
But just as the television audience and fans at Notre Dame Stadium began to roll their eyes and think to themselves, “Here we go again,” the Irish came right back. The fumble could have sparked a Columbus-esque turnover-fest. But the Irish shrugged off the turnover just as they had the rain and the cold, which bothered the visiting Trojans all day.
An offsides and an illegal procedure penalty on the Trojans gave the Irish the ball at the USC 40. An 8-yard Autry Denson run and a 15-yard center screen to Denson got the drive going. Then a highlight reel block by fullback Marc Edwards on defensive end Israel Ifeanyi, which later appeared in Sports Illustrated, allowed Powlus to sneak out of trouble and scramble for six. Edwards and Denson then shared seven of the next eight carries, taking the Irish down the field before Edwards scored from two yards out.
Maybe even more impressive was that the eighth carry was made by Powlus. Criticized for his inability to run the option effectively, Powlus had asked Holtz to run it more in practice. “I said, ‘Coach, I don’t mind running the option if you want to run it,'” he recalled. Practice didn’t make perfect, but it made it at the very least effective, giving the Irish another weapon. “We felt we had to run a little bit of option,” Holtz said.
Edwards, who staked his claim for player of the game honors with his 82 yards, three touchdowns and tremendous blocking, also showed his athleticism on a crazy two-point conversion attempt that put the Irish up 14-7. Edwards took a pitch right, ran and then pulled up. He looked for Mayes and back to Powlus, who he thought was covered. Doing his best Fran Tarkenton imitation, the big fullback reversed his field and danced away from the defenders. He then headed for the left corner of the end zone. The man covering Powlus had to commit to Edwards, who then calmly lofted the ball to Powlus.
“The two-point conversion was a well-executed play,” Edwards said. “I got great blocking from the line and USC took the bait. Ron was wide-open in the corner of the end zone.”
The second series in which the Irish grew up came just before halftime. Denson had just given the Irish a 21-7 lead with a 4-yard touchdown run off of a delay. But the Trojans wanted to notch another touchdown before the last 41 seconds of the first half evaporated. Good field position and two long strikes gave USC the ball at the Notre Dame 5-yard line with only 19 seconds to go. Shades of the Ohio State game, in which the Buckeyes tabbed a momentum-changing touchdown just before half, danced through the heads of Irish faithful.
Quarterback Kyle Wachholtz tried unsuccessfully to hit Johnson on corner patterns three times, but an interference penalty on the first of the three tries had given the Trojans the ball on the Notre Dame 2-yard line. On third and goal from the two, Wachholtz tried to go over the middle. Inside linebacker Lyron Cobbins batted the ball and USC running back Rodney Sermons collected it, but was swarmed short of paydirt as time expired. Momentum saved. “That was tremendous,” Edwards said of the stand. “That was a huge boost.” Powlus agreed: “The defense, they won the game.”
Notre Dame continued to slosh through the soaked Trojans in the second half of play. But tenacity and a little Fighting Irish luck kept the Trojans at arm’s length.
The defense had to step up first. Powlus, perhaps because of the wind, underthrew Mayes to start the second half, and the ball was intercepted. Backed up to their own thirty, the Irish defense allowed the Trojans to advance to the six but then slammed the door. USC settled for a field goal.
Later in the third quarter, the Trojans’ Larry Parker took a Hunter Smith punt at his own 41. He ran straight up the middle before breaking to the right sideline. Enter Irish luck. His jaunt, which ended in the end zone, would have been a game-breaking play, save for a little yellow hanky. An illegal block on USC brought the ball back.
The defense stepped up again later in the third quarter, after Kopka missed a chance to put the game away with a 29-yard field goal. This miss, however, provided one of the most striking visual images of the season. Intercepting Kopka as he made his way back to the sideline, Mayes grabbed the freshman to ensure eye contact, and spoke to him for over a minute.
In the fourth quarter, the Irish iced the game. Kory Minor crumpled Wachholtz in the end zone for a safety, Powlus threw a touchdown pass, and Edwards notched his third touchdown of the game.
The spectacular plays, however, could not overshadow what was without a doubt the best, most complete win of the Irish season. After the game, USC coach John Robinson couldn’t even point to a single play as the turning point. “There’s really not much to say,” he said. “We played bad, Notre Dame played good. It was a matter of their ability to run at us and our inability to make plays on third down. They had a good plan, they executed it, and they overwhelmed us.”
The Trojans seemed upset by the cold, rainy weather, while the Irish fed off of it. The offensive line pushed the Trojan defense out of the way, and Irish backs exploited it for 216 rushing yards. “[Edwards] was a real tough runner, and he was running behind a great offensive line,” senior linebacker Scott Fields said. “They were easily the best offensive line we have faced this year. Not only are they big, but they are athletic and they were able to execute today.”
The line also gave Powlus plenty of time to turn in a solid performance. Not flashy, with huge numbers, but effective, the way Holtz likes it. The junior completed 18 passes in 29 tries for 189 yards and a nifty 2-yard flip to tight end Pete Chryplewicz.
After Notre Dame struggled against Army’s option wizardry, questions abounded before the USC game. But starting with Tatum’s mammoth hit, the Irish forced three turnovers and put the game away with a safety. Cobbins, who in two years had no interceptions, picked off two, returning one 37 yards. “We worked on pass drops during practice all week,” he explained. “We played our best to get the big plays we needed to produce a win.” Bert Berry contributed a drive-killing tackle, and Kory Minor a safety in a fine all-around effort by Notre Dame’s standout linebacking core.
Of all those certain of a USC victory, the Trojans themselves might have been the most cocksure. Pregame comments from the “Men of Troy” incited Irish fury. “Some people can do it with their mouth, and we proved that we could do it by action,” said Mayes.
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So please accept my apology. I promise to stop talking about that Army game. I guess it was midterm week. Thanking you in advance, Doubting Schaller
P.S. Lou, loved the tight end screen, the middle screens and the whole defensive plan. The play calling was as good as it has been in the past three years—great job. Which reminds me, no offense, but you being in the press box isn’t so bad after all.
On a cold and rainy day in South Bend, the Irish didn’t just beat a top-five opponent—they rediscovered who they were. Tough. Physical. Unshaken. They played with a grit and determination that couldn’t be measured by rankings or statistics, only felt in every hit, every drive, and every stand.
This was a team that had been questioned, tested, and pushed to the edge just weeks before—but instead of breaking, they responded. They answered with effort, execution, and a belief in one another that showed up from the opening snap to the final whistle.
It was more than a win over USC. It was a statement. A reminder that when Notre Dame football leans into its identity—when it plays with heart, discipline, and purpose—anything is possible.
And on that gray October afternoon in 1995, the Irish didn’t just rise to the moment… they owned it.
Cheers & GO IRISH!
