Looking back (October 17) | USC Trojans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Trailing 34-27 in the closing seconds of Saturday's battle between two of the country's best squads, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had three chances from the five-yard line to put the ball into the end zone against their rivals from Southern California. Up until that point, quarterback Jimmy Clausen was enjoying a day to remember, having completed 24-of-40 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. The pieces all seemed to align to give the Irish their first win against the Trojans since 2002.
But, as they've done so many times before under the reins of Charlie Weis, Notre Dame fell just short. Clausen threw three incomplete passes, and USC held on to get the victory.
To their credit, the Irish rallied back from a 34-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to get it to 34-27. But they froze when it counted the most against the BCS-ranked No. 7 team.
Clausen finished the day 24-of-43 for 260 with two touchdowns and no interceptions, but he was outmatched by USC's freshman and rising star Matt Barkley, who completed 19-of-29 attempts for an astonishing 380 yards with two touchdowns and one pick.
Charlie Weis said after the game that he thinks "anyone that doesn't realize the fight that's in the Fighting Irish is missing the boat." Sorry, Charlie, but fight doesn't really matter much if you can't put the ball in the end zone when you have multiple opportunities during crunch time.
Looking ahead (October 24) | Soccer at Williams
The Tufts women's soccer team travels to Williams this Saturday to square off against the Ephs, who are a perfect 11-0-0 on the season and 7-0-0 against NESCAC opponents. Williams has not lost a game since the NCAA Tournament semifinals against Wheaton (Ill.) last year and will provide the toughest test of the year for the Jumbos.
Last year, Tufts was able to give the Ephs a competitive contest, outshooting Williams 13-6. But the Jumbos could not find the back of the net in that game, losing 1-0 despite a strong overall effort against the then-No. 1 ranked squad.
The Jumbos (6-4-1 overall, 4-2-1 in NESCAC play) know they will have their hands full again this year, but last year's experience should be helpful in showing that they can play with the Ephs, who are the top-ranked team in New England and No. 2 in the nation. Williams enters the game with a potent offense, having scored at least four goals seven times.
Tufts is 2-0-1 in its past three conference games and is coming off a 2-0 non-conference victory over Salem State. The Jumbos have allowed just one goal in their last three games, but the undefeated Ephs have surrendered only three goals all season.
A positive result on Saturday will firmly entrench the Jumbos as one of the elite teams in the conference, potentially putting them in prime position to overtake the third spot in the conference standings.
