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 On Location: South Bend, Ind.
October 18, 2005
By Ira Schoffel for MCSPOLL.com
Southern Cal might be the most talented college football team in the country. But people who believe that the Trojans are winning games on talent alone are missing the bigger picture, according to Master Coach John Robinson.
Robinson, who was On Location for this past Saturday's super showdown between USC and the Fighting Irish, said he was more impressed by the Trojans' competitive spirit than their offensive firepower.
"People will dismiss them and say, 'Oh, they're just so much better than everyone else,'" Robinson said. "But they've shown the heart of a champion. I think they proved they have the heart of a champion."
The Trojans have displayed that heart on more than one occasion this season, launching second-half rallies to beat Oregon, Arizona State, and now the Fighting Irish. And this victory over Notre Dame was one for the ages.
Facing a fourth-and-nine at their own 26-yard line with just over 90 seconds remaining, Trojans receiver Dwayne Jarrett somehow raced behind the Notre Dame secondary, and Matt Leinart delivered a perfect pass that would go for 61 yards.
Five plays later, Leinart scored on a second-effort quarterback sneak to give the Trojans a 34-31 victory.
As much as anything else, Robinson said that last touchdown symbolized what has made the Trojans' program special in recent years. Instead of taking the safe route and kicking what would have been a game-tying field goal, Carroll laid it all on the line and went for the win.
There was no room for error. If Leinart had been stuffed, the Trojans would have lost.
Robinson said decisions like that can energize and embolden college football players.
"This is one of the underlying geniuses of Pete Carroll," Robinson said. "It seems like it's the kids' game."
Robinson said Carroll fosters that positive spirit in other ways as well. He and his staff are exceptional recruiters, and Robinson said they are able to stockpile talent because they have a proven track record of getting many different skill players involved in every game.
"Coach Carroll deserves credit for going after that kind of (elite) athlete," Robinson said. "And then convincing that athlete that he's going to play, and then giving him a chance to play."
But that's not all. With the Trojans riding a 28-game win streak, USC football is one of the biggest attractions in all of sports. And that just gives the Southern Cal players more confidence and more incentive to continue playing at a high level.
"When things are going good and when a program is rolling along, like SC's is right now, all of the extras are there," Robinson said. "Marcus Allen and Ronnie Lott are standing on the sideline. Everyplace you go is sold out. You're on the front page all the time. So you have all of these things driving you on this line of great expectations."
But as impressive as the Trojans' character and passion have been this season, Robinson said that all these close games have also shown that this USC team has weaknesses.
Notre Dame racked up 417 yards of offense and held a commanding 17-minute edge in time of possession.
"There should be great credit for SC in that they're playing like champions -- that they are champions," Robinson said. "But everybody should realize now that this is not a team that is invincible. They do have flaws. And it's going to be a challenge for Coach Carroll and his kids to improve. Their special teams are off a little. I think they're playing hard on defense, I just don't know that they're that great. They probably also have to improve their offensive consistency and be more efficient as well."
Switching gears to Notre Dame, Robinson said this game also showed the talents of first-year Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis.
"I thought they played an absolutely fabulous game," Robinson said. "It was almost error-free -- not totally, but almost. He (Charlie Weis) had two weeks to plan, and I'm sure he did everything he wanted to do. He kept the ball. He ran it pretty good -- he couldn't run it in the second half, but he ran it in the first half -- and he threw some key passes and made big plays."
And just like the Trojans, Robinson said the Fighting Irish earned his respect for their championship spirit.
"The thing about them is they never blinked once in that game," Robinson said. "If somebody had come and said, 'Let's play another quarter.' Boy, they'd have scored again. Overtime would have been a toss-up. Heck, they'd still be playing."
About the scene
Robinson had coached at Notre Dame before, but Saturday's visit was his first opportunity to see the South Bend, Ind., campus from a regular person's perspective.
Color him impressed.
"It couldn't have been better," Robinson said. "You couldn't be in a better environment anywhere. The Notre Dame people are really classy. They treat SC people well. We walked around the campus and went in the chapel and went and listened to the Notre Dame band. And SC people were mingling in and they fit right it. There are strong feelings there, but it was no enemy territory or anything."
"I'm sure there are other games in other places that are equal. But that was as good as it could ever be."
NEXT WEEK....
 On Location with LaVell Edwards - BYU at Notre Dame
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