I thought it. Everyone I was with thought it. There on Saturday afternoon in a room full of USC Trojan fans, I was celebrating because I had thought Notre Dame had defeated the National Champions 31-28 to end No. 1 USC’s 27 game-winning streak.

However, with seven seconds left, Matt Leinart and his crew proved me and the 80,795 Fighting Irish fans in South Bend wrong. With one play left, Leinart, with an extra push from Reggie Bush, shoved his way into the end zone to beat the Irish in the last second 34-31. It was the fourth consecutive year USC has defeated Notre Dame.

For USC, it was the third second-half comeback win for them this season and a hold onto the No. 1 ranking with their 6-0 record.

Saturday’s game had met the hype that the nation had been waiting for since the start of the season. Notre Dame, No. 9, was in the top 10 for the first time in three years.

Like USC, Notre Dame had a NFL-experienced coach in Charlie Weis to rival Pete Carroll. Also, the Irish offense had found a solid quarterback in Brady Quinn, who had greatly improved since last season.

On Saturday, all the pieces were in place for an unforgettable game and the two teams did not disappoint the sold-out crowd or the millions of fans across the country that tuned in. Running out wearing the green jerseys that Weis said would not be worn, the Irish were pumped for the chance of upsetting the undefeated Trojans.

Notre Dame led at the half 21-14, capitalizing on USC’s miscues and mistakes. With 2:02 left in the fourth quarter, Quinn ran for a five-yard touchdown, which gave the Irish a 31-28 lead and what appeared to the win. However, Leinart, who threw two picks and was roughed up the entire game, threw a 61-yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett on fourth and nine at USC’s own 26.

Quinn, who finished 19 for 35 with 264 yards, stood with his teammates and could only watch as the clutch USC quarterback carried out a gutsy last second play to take the ball into the end zone himself for the victory. While Leinart and Bush were left with tears of joy, Quinn and the Irish were left with the disappointing and shocking loss.

In a game whose end will forever be remembered, Bush’s play will be remembered around Heisman time. Bush, not only with the extra shove on Leinart for the winning touchdown, ran for 160 yards on 15 carries and 3 touchdowns. Bush’s teammate and quarterback, Leinart also will remain a favorite for his last-minute heroics in this game and throughout the season thus far.

With the mistakes that USC made during the game from Leinart’s picks to numerous penalties, Notre Dame looked like they were going to pull off the upset. The Irish had more first downs, more plays from scrimmage, more time of possession, more interceptions and more third-down conversions.

However, USC proved to have the luck and the guts to not even consider kicking a game-tying field goal in the last second and go in for the score. In the end, the Trojans were the victor in the epic battle.