New QB, but it's more of the same on offense
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Three starting quarterbacks, eight games played, still no answers for the Notre Dame offense.
Junior Evan Sharpley's turn at the controls went much like those of his predecessors Jimmy Clausen and Demetrius Jones. Sharpley had provided a second-half spark in several games this season, but his first career start went south.
He completed 17 of 33 passes for 117 yards with an interception. USC racked up 5 sacks, the most gruesome coming in the third quarter when defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis mauled Sharpley.
"He was under duress," coach Charlie Weis said. "We were gap protecting, which should have given us a better shot. … When he had an opportunity to step and throw, the kid made some decent throws."
Weis expects Sharpley to start Nov. 3 against Navy.
"When I go back and watch the tape, I don't think I'm going to find enough evidence that he's the sole responsibility for us spitting the bit on offense," Weis said. "I'm not big on sacrificial lambs."
Despite conservative play-calling, Sharpley completed just 9 of 19 passes in the first half. His most effective stretch came just before halftime, when he completed passes of 8, 11 and 22 yards.
"They were also playing some prevent defense," Sharpley noted. "The plays presented themselves."
Building block: Notre Dame trailed by only 7 points in the first quarter when junior safety David Bruton broke through USC's line and blocked a punt. Bruton actually caught the ball on its decent to Greg Woidneck's foot, then absorbed the blow from Woidneck.
It marked Notre Dame's first blocked punt since Steve Quinn had one against USC last season.
"He kicked it while it was still in my hand," Bruton said. "I thought I was going to be able to run. It felt like that was a momentum shifter."
Bruton sustained a right hamstring injury while serving on Notre Dame's punt coverage team later in the quarter. He called the injury "day to day."
Review session: As Notre Dame players walked into the tunnel, Charlie Weis stopped Jimmy Clausen and talked with the freshman for several moments. Clausen didn't play for the first time in his college career.
"He's been playing every snap his whole life," Weis said. "When you're standing on the sideline, the game slows down tremendously.
"I said to him, 'If you ever want to be a good quarterback, how much it slows down when you're on the sideline, that's how slow it's got to be when you're playing.' "
He said it: USC coach Pete Carroll, on the team's traumatic plane ride Thursday night in a lightning storm: "For the guys sitting in the back, it kicked their butt. It was just one enormous bump. It was like Whack-A-Mole with all the heads popping up."
Inches to go: Irish leading rusher James Aldridge (ankle) didn't dress for the game. … Nose tackle Pat Kuntz registered 2 more pass breakups, bringing his team-leading total to 9. … USC has won six straight against Notre Dame for the first time in the 79-year rivalry.