Trojans Beat the Irish, 38-3

The USC-Notre Dame rivalry is very special...the more so as I have a close friend who is a Notre Dame alum, and she now has a daughter playing in the Notre Dame marching band. Our daughter, of course, is a junior at USC.

The Notre Dame band and my friend's family all flew out for this year's game, which is also providing a great opportunity for us to have time to visit over the long weekend.

I'm happy to say that USC won again this year, and thanks to Oregon State's loss, USC now has an excellent shot at returning to the Rose Bowl.

Here are some photos my USC daughter (aka gategirl) took at tonight's game:

The USC marching band enters:


USC taking the field:


The Notre Dame marching band's halftime show:


The Olympic Torch is always lit in the 4th Quarter. Barely visible on the screen to the right is Traveler, the horse which is a USC mascot.


Final Score:


Postgame Celebration:


An L.A. Times photo gallery is here.

Fight on!

Previously: 2006 and 2007 games.

Update: Here's the as-it-happened coverage from Ed Morrissey, who attended tonight's game.