Hail, hail, Notre Dame's feel-good loss of the year

Join the Doc's game day live blog, covering every game, all day long. USC 34, Notre Dame 27. The parallels between the end of this game and the end of the epic "Bush Push" game in 2005 are unavoidable, only with most of the roles from the classic game reversed: This time it was Notre Dame driving the field in search of the winning/tying points in the final minutes, converting a crucial 4th-and-10 to keep the drive alive and getting extra time for another shot from the goal line after watching the other bench empty in triumph as the clock hit zero. The only part of the mirror that wasn't reversed: USC still won. The Trojans converted their final shot then, and the Irish couldn't put their last-gasp opportunity in the end zone today. The other parallel: As in 2005, Notre Dame's reputation probably improved with a loss, just by the fact that it wasn't another blowout in a series that's been so thoroughly dominated by the Trojans since 2002, winning six...