It Could Have Been Worse....Couldn't it?

By Joe Villinski

LOS ANGELES --Maybe Notre Dame's 27-20 loss to USC Saturday night wouldn't seem so bad if it wasn't the last regular season game of the year.

If a major Alliance Bowl bid wasn't on the line.

If it wasn't head coach Lou Holtz's last game at Notre Dame.

If the Irish didn't precede to fumble the game away and render the season null and void.

But the loss was bad. Real bad.

The Irish were on course to end the year with a five-game winning streak, a probable bid to the Fiesta Bowl, and a proper farewell for Holtz. But just like those fumbles, it all slipped through their hands. Holtz was asked his thoughts on what suddenly turned out to be his swan song at the Irish helm.

"It's like life," he said. "It's one you'll remember, one game you'll carry with you for a long time."

If that's the case, it may explain why Holtz appeared to be in total despair as the USC sideline exploded in victory. The game will not overshadow his career, but as Holtz admits, it will be a stigma.

The realization that he had just seen his last Notre Dame game as head coach appeared to be setting in at the post-game press conference. "My guts feel like someone cut out my complete insides," Holtz said. "I never felt this low."

It seemed as if that was the consensus feeling.

"To have the streak broken with me being a senior is the worst possible feeling I could ever feel," linebacker Bert Berry said in reference to the Trojans ending their 13-game winless string against the Irish.

Berry and the rest of the defense were put in bad situations the entire game due to four costly fumbles. By game's end, logging constant minutes on the field had taken it's toll on the defense.

"Any time you have a turnover, it hurts the team," Berry added. "There's never a good time to have one. A lot of the time we were able to bounce back, but you can only bounce back so many times."

Receiver Malcolm Johnson's fumble en route to a score that would have put the Irish ahead two touchdowns may have been the biggest miscue. After hauling in a 33-yard pass from quarterback Ron Powlus, Trojan linebacker Sammy Friday jarred the ball loose and recovered it at the goal line. "I lost my concentration," Johnson said.

Next up was return man Allen Rossum, already having coughed it up once, when he bobbled another punt at his own 12 in an attempt to make a fair catch. Four plays later, the Trojans closed the gap to 14-12.

"I just lost concentration once I called for the fair catch," Rossum said. No concentration means no win.

"We should have won the game," Rossum added. "We were an inferior team that made too many mistakes. I made two myself."

The Irish could have sealed the victory had freshman Jim Sanson converted an extra point, potentially putting the Irish ahead by two scores with 4:29 left. With Powlus holding, the laces were turned out and Sanson missed wide left.

"I know I let the fifth-year seniors down," Sanson said. "I need to grow up."

"I got the snap, put it down, and the laces were facing sideways," Powlus said. "Snap was fine. I think the kicker was fine."

Notre Dame will be less than fine now that it appears no bowl game is on the horizon. Irish players said after the game that the loss marked the end of their season. With no expectations on the part of athletic administration to accept a bid to a second-tier bowl, the Irish most likely will be out of the post-season for the first time since 1986.

"It's a sad way to go out for me and the rest of the seniors, but it's over and the sun's going to come up tomorrow," Berry concluded. Of course, that sun might not be as bright.

Especially for Holtz.

"We made far too many mistakes," Holtz said. "I don't know why." Now, he has plenty of time to locate the reasons.