Notre Dame rolls, ready for rematch with Southern Cal

The Irish need a win over USC to get a chance at the national championship.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Bring on USC.
A few minutes after leading Notre Dame to a 41-9 rout of Army on Saturday quarterback Brady Quinn went over to the student section to join in the cheers:
"Beat SC! Beat SC!" Quinn shouted, pumping his arm to keep the fans' rhythm.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis agreed with the message, but added, 'They could have been louder."
It was a big day for the sixth-ranked Fighting Irish (10-1), who won their eighth straight to set up next weekend's showdown at No. 4 Southern Cal, where a win would give Notre Dame a chance of playing Ohio State in the BCS national title game on Jan. 8.
Road trip next
The win over Army (3-8) was the last home game for Quinn and the rest of the Notre Dame seniors.
"This was a special moment," Quinn said after throwing for three touchdowns. "We don't have too many opportunities to play your last game in Notre Dame Stadium. I did my best today to just take it all in."
Weis doesn't usually admit looking ahead, but he's already watched every offensive and defensive play USC has run this year. He even said that two-thirds of the plays the Irish practiced the past week were to prepare for the Trojans. He didn't let the players know that.
"You can never look past one opponent and get yourself caught short," he said.
To make sure the Irish weren't focusing on anything else, Weis ordered that the Michigan-Ohio State score not be announced during the game.
Motivation
Despite being heavy favorites, the Irish came out wearing green uniforms for motivation. The rare appearance of the jerseys didn't do much at first as Notre Dame came out flat.
Quinn threw his first interception in seven games on Notre Dame's first possession, and the Irish trailed 3-0 late in the first quarter. But Notre Dame scored on its next five possessions and cruised to the victory.
Darius Walker ran for 162 yards and two scores for the Irish.
Weis said Notre Dame was ready to throw deep, but Army was ready. So he called the offense together for a chat.
"We are going to nickel and dime them because that's what they have been dictating for you to do," he told them.
The Black Knights have lost five straight heading into their season-finale against Navy on Dec. 2. Coach Bobby Ross said the Irish were too good.
"Notre Dame is a better team than we are. We all know that," he said.
Green streak ends
The victory ended a four-game losing streak for the green jerseys. The Irish lost 34-31 to top-ranked USC last October; 14-7 to Boston College in 2002; 35-28 to Georgia Tech in the 1999 Gator Bowl; and 41-24 to Colorado in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl.
"At least I got that stigma out of the way," Weis said.
Weis said Thursday night his 13-year-old son, Charlie Jr., suggested wearing the green. Weis resisted at first, telling his son Notre Dame has an unwritten rule that the jerseys are saved for highly ranked opponents.
"He goes, 'Dad you tell me how special this senior class is. It just doesn't seem right that they don't get an opportunity to be honored as seniors going out," he said.
Weis agreed, so he asked his captains what they thought. Weis said Quinn hesitated.
"I called him a wimp and he said, 'OK, I want to wear them," Weis said.
Asked what he thought about Quinn climbing up into the student section, Weis joked that Quinn has been watching too many Green Bay Packers games, where Quinn's brother-in-law, linebacker A.J. Hawk, plays.
"I think he wanted to share that moment with the fans, especially the student body at the end," Weis said. "He's really a special person."
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