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Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
Southern Cal Trojans © |
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Played November 27, 2004 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, California |
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Teams' Belt Records
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Team |
Belt Reigns |
Overall Record |
Home Record |
Away Record |
Neutral Record |
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W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
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| Notre Dame | 3 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Southern Cal © | 9 | 55 | 10 | 3 | .831 | 24 | 3 | 2 | .862 | 24 | 6 | 1 | .790 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 |
Previous Belt Meetings
|
Southern Cal © |
14 |
11/27/1976 |
Notre Dame |
13 | 11/25/1978 |
Notre Dame |
25 | |
|
Notre Dame |
23 |
Southern Cal © |
17 |
Southern Cal © |
27 |
|
Southern Cal © |
42 |
Notre Dame |
10 |
||
|
Notre Dame |
23 |
Southern Cal © |
6 |
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
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Notre Dame |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
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Southern Cal |
3 |
14 |
10 |
14 |
41 |
The top-ranked, 10-0 Southern Cal Trojans of coach Pete Carroll welcomed the 6-4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish of coach Ty Willingham to Los Angeles for their annual battle. The Fighting Irish were 3-time Belt champions with a 10-8 record in Belt games & this would be the first Belt match-up between Notre Dame & Southern Cal since 1990 with the Trojans holding a 3-2 edge in head-to-head games. Southern Cal's Heisman Trophy winning, All-American QB Matt Leinart threw 5 touchdown passes leading the Trojans to a 41-10 rout for The Belt & the Jeweled Shillelagh. The Irish started strong with a 13-play, 92-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass from QB Brady Quinn to TE Billy Palmer. The Trojans responded with a 39-yard field goal from PK Ryan Killeen. Notre Dame's PK D.J. Fitzpatrick hit a 28-yard field goal as the Irish took a 10-3 lead but then the Southern Cal defense stiffened & the offense started hitting on all cylinders. Leinart led a 7-play, 80-yard drive connecting with WR Dwayne Jarrett on a 12-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. After a Notre Dame punt, Leinart hit Jarrett for a 57-yard touchdown pass as the Trojans took a 17-10 lead to halftime. The 2nd half was all Southern Cal with Killeen hitting a 42-yard field goal & Leinart hitting All-Pac 10 RB Reggie Bush on a 69-yard touchdown pass to finish the 3rd quarter giving Southern Cal a 27-10 lead. The 4th quarter was more of the same as Leinart hit WR Steve Smith for a 35-yard touchdown pass & WR Jason Mitchell on a 23-yard touchdown pass. Leinart finished with 400 yards passing with his 5 touchdowns & Jarrett added 6 catches for 102 yards with his 2 touchdowns. Quinn was held to 105 yards passing with a touchdown while being sacked 3 times for the Irish. Southern Cal finished the season 11-0 which does not include 2 wins that were vacated by the NCAA as Bush was ruled ineligible for the final 2 games of the season; Pac 10 Champions & National Champions while the Fighting Irish finished 6-6 in Willingham’s final season. Notre Dame would play for The Belt again in 2005.
