SOUTH BEND Even in defeat, Irish played like champs

Coach Charlie Weis has managed to restore some of Notre Dame's tradition.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Even in defeat, Notre Dame played like a champion against top-ranked Southern California.
More so than the Fighting Irish did during an 8-0 start under Tyrone Willingham three years ago. More so than when they lost in overtime to No. 1 Nebraska in 2000 on their way to the Fiesta Bowl. More like a champion than any time since beating No. 1 Florida State in 1993.
Charlie Weis couldn't pull out the victory against the Trojans Saturday, losing 34-31, but he pulled out all the stops in waking the echoes. He managed the clock, he managed the crowd and, even in losing, he managed to restore the glory that's been missing from Notre Dame for 12 years.
USC coach lauds Irish
"They're going to be a real problem for everybody," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "I don't see any way that they're not going to be a really good program."
The Irish (4-2) shined as brightly on a sunny autumn afternoon as the school's Golden Dome, freshly gilded with 23.9-karat gold leaf this summer for the first time since 1988 -- the school's last national championship season.
The tarnish of recent years suddenly disappeared. Two straight non-winning seasons seemed as far away as Willingham in Washington. The days of Lou Holtz, Dan Devine and Ara Parseghian suddenly seem more fresh in the memory.
How impressive were the Irish? Despite the loss, they stayed at No. 9 in the poll. Sure, the Irish were ranked higher three years ago after beating No. 11 Florida State, moving up to No. 4 after improving to 8-0. But that squad seemed to win with smoke and mirrors. In two of those wins the offense failed to score a touchdown, and the Irish finished the season with the nation's 10th-worst offense.
This year's team is 12th in the nation in total offense, and that's against the toughest part of its schedule.
Weis making believers
More importantly, Weis is making believers of people. Irish players always say they expect to win. But heading into the game against USC, it was clear they believed it. Tailback Darius Walker talked about hoping for a blowout -- this from a team that lost three straight to USC by 31. Tight end Anthony Fasano talked about "when" the Irish beat USC.
Weis also has made believers out of fans. Five years ago, when Nebraska came to town, about a third of the stadium appeared to be wearing red and the Nebraska fans chanted "Husker home game!" It was easy to spot the Trojans fans in the stands Saturday, but the raucous crowd was clearly behind the Irish and Weis, flooding the field at the end when they thought the Irish had won.
Weis worked the crowd into a frenzy all week. He encouraged fans, not-so-subtly, to be at Notre Dame Stadium Friday to harass the Trojans at their walk-through, and hundreds of them obliged. He moved the pep rally to the stadium so 45,000 people could attend, then brought Joe Montana, Tim Brown, Chris Zorich and Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger back to stir them.
Famed green jerseys
Then he pulled out the famed green jerseys, the same way Dan Devine did in inspiring the Irish to a 49-19 victory over USC on Notre Dame's way to the national championship in 1977.
About the only thing Weis didn't pull out to try to win was Knute Rockne's "Win one for the Gipper" speech.
The loss probably cost the Irish a shot at a national championship, but it kept a lot of other hopes alive.
Notre Dame still has a chance for a Bowl Championship Series berth. If the Irish win the rest of their games, and they likely will be favored in those games -- probably heavily favored against everyone except No. 17 Tennessee -- they likely will play in a BCS game.