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SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Ticker) -- Matt Leinart picked up where Carson Palmer left off against Notre Dame.
Leinart completed 26-of-34 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns as fourth-ranked Southern California recorded its second straight rout of the Fighting Irish with a 45-14 victory in the 75th meeting between the storied rivals.
"I've been a big fan of Notre Dame since 'Rudy' came out," Leinart said. "To play here and score a lot of points and get a win, it's awesome."
In last season's 44-13 win over Notre Dame, Palmer passed for 425 yards and four touchdowns, a performance that likely clinched him the Heisman Trophy.
USC (6-1) has a new quarterback at the controls, but the Trojans showed that the gap between the long-time rivals is still wide, rolling up 551 yards of total offense.
Leinart threw three touchdowns in the first half as USC recorded its highest point total ever at Notre Dame Stadium. In their last two games against the Fighting Irish the Trojans have amassed 1,162 yards.
"We've had an opportunity in the last two games we've played them to throw the ball a lot," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "It gave us the mix we needed."
"Everyone did their job and I was just finding the open guy," Leinart added. "They (teammates) were making ny job a little easier. It's definitely pleasing."
Notre Dame (2-4) stayed with USC early, trailing 21-14 after a wild first quarter, but the Fighting Irish could not keep up with the high-powered Trojans.
"I've been pleased with the way (the secondary) been playing up until this ballgame," Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham said. "This ballgame, we went up against a good football team that played very well. I think our guys will recover if they do the things we ask them to do."
Leinart's three-yard TD pass to Hershel Dennis with 5:32 left in the second quarter gave USC a 28-14 halftime lead before the Trojans broke it open in the second half.
Mike Williams caught nine passes for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Trojans, while Kerry Colbert had eight receptions for 120 yards and a score.
"Matt came out and played real hard," Williams said. "A lot of guys contributed today. I don't think Matt had one ball close to being intercepted. That's what we need coming down the stretch."
USC has rebounded from its triple-overtime loss at California with three straight wins and climb back into the national championship picture.
"We've been physical, we've been tough," Carroll said. "We've been able to run the football and our quarterback has been beautiful. This is no fluke now."
Notre Dame was unable to build on last week's upset of Pittsburgh and has dropped four of its last five.
"They just did some things that we just weren't ready for," Notre Dame defensive back Vontez Duff said. "We've got to be ready for those things. That's where execution comes as a defense."
Freshman Brady Quinn struggled for the Fighting Irish, completing just 15-of-34 passes for 168 yards while getting sacked four times. Julius Jones, who rushed for a school-record 262 yards against Pittsburgh, was held to 84 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
The Trojans set an early tone, marching 80 yards in eight plays on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead on Leinart's 18-yard TD pass to Colbert.
Notre Dame answered with a long drive of its own and tied the contest on Jones' 22-yard scamper with 8:34 left in the quarter. But USC needed only 41 seconds ro regain the lead on Reggie Bush's 58-yard TD run.
The offenses continued to dominate as Notre Dame made it four touchdowns in as many possessions on Quinn's two-yard TD strike to Anthony Fasano.
The Trojans came right back, grabbing a 21-14 lead on Leinart's seven-yard TD pass to Williams with 37 seconds to go in the opening quarter.
USC's defense finally settled down and the Trojans took a 28-14 halftime cushion on Leinart's seven-yard TD toss to Williams with 5:32 left in the second period.
Bush paced the Trojans on the ground with 89 yards on just six carries.
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