USC ends Notre Dame winning streak
On November 21 1931 the University of Southern California surprises Notre Dame with a last-minute game-winning field goal at the new Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.The victory won USC the national championship and was according to that years Trojan yearbook the biggest upset since Mrs.OLearys cow knocked over that lantern.The Irish then nicknamed the Ramblers hadnt lost a game since 1928 when they lost to the Trojansthat years national champsmidway through the season.
Thanks to their 26-game winning streak Notre Dame had easily captured the last two national championships and everyone expected another undefeated season.In particular no one anticipated that the Ramblers would lose at home on a field that the team had just dedicated to their late coach Knute Rockne.The home team had a characteristically commanding start They scored after a 55-yard run in the first half and again in just four plays at the beginning of the second.But then they just fell apart.
A Notre Dame interference penalty early in the fourth quarter put the ball at their 16-yard line and USC quarterback Gaius Shaver smashed through the defensive line to score.(The Ramblers had managed to block the extra point at least so the score was 6-14.) Then Shaver scored againand this time placekicker Johnny Baker didnt miss.USC had come within a single point of tying the game.What happened after that Time magazine said in its account of the game was so rapid so out of keeping with what usually happens in Notre Dame games that 52000 spectators who saw it found it hard to believe.
With a little more than a minute left to play Shaver completed two remarkable passesone for 50 yards and one for 23.There was still plenty of time to push forward for a touchdown which is what the Ramblers expected the Trojans to do.But they didnt.
Instead Baker dropped back to the 23 and made up for the earlier missed point by kicking a perfect field goal.The score was 16 to 14 Southern Cal had won the game and the championship.
