HALFTIME MALADJUSTMENTS

Just before the last play of the half, I skirted from my seat and made some nice cutbacks in order to beat my counterparts to the men's bathrooms. There are only two urinals here (things they don't teach you in journalism school...which is why I never went...which may be painfully obvious to you) so I used my 2-minute drill skills and was in there first. By the time I zipped up, a fellow scribe, at least five or six deep in line, spotted me and simply said, "That's a pro move right there."

Okay, so it's 21-10 at the half and there's nobody here who thinks that the Irish have more talent or speed or size than the Trojans. But that's no surprise. Considering how inconsistently the Irish offense has looked, Notre Dame is lucky to be down 11.

Quinn, for example, is 8 of 23 for 109 yards. Part of that is USC's fantastic secondary, led by safeties Kevin Ellison and Taylor Mays. Quinn wisely has tucked it and ran--he's got a great burst of initial speed, though he's prone to tire after the first 50 yards, as we saw--four separate times, which is why he's ND's leading rusher with 79 yards.

Notre Dame followers should take heart: the passing game cannot look much worse.

The second half holds great interest besides the obvious reason. USC is a devastating second half team, usually. On the other hand, Notre Dame has survived the inital onslaught, has adjusted to SoCal's speed, and is gaining confidence as the game goes along. If I had to choose which pattern will hold, though, it's USC's 2nd half dominance.

A few things that I'll be curious to see in the 2nd half:

1. Will Weis--who on the game's 2nd offensive series used Konrad Reuland, James Aldridge and Chase Anastasio at various points-- give Travis Thomas a few carries in the wake of Darius Walker's ineffectiveness since getting injured after his fumble?

2. The Irish basically had three turnovers, if you include the punt block, in the 2nd quarter but only converted 7 points out of it. The Irish will need their defense to keep making the big plays.

3. Quinn's feet have been Notre Dame's most potent weapon thus far. Weis will need to get McKnight and Samardzija more involved in the 2nd half.

I know, I know. Genius insights.

USC is doing a halftime promo for Wells Fargo where, if a student can kick a 50-yard field goal he wins $10,000. Way to go out on a limb, Wells Fargo. And for that they get signage. I'm not a bank, but I'm happy to put up 20G if Carl Gioia kicks a 50-yard field goal tonight.