SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Matt Leinart launched himself toward the end zone with Southern Cal’s winning streak and its No. 1 ranking hanging in the balance.

Swarmed by Notre Dame just short, the ball went shooting out of bounds and the clock ticked down to 0:00.

On the sideline, Charlie Weis raised his arms in what he thought was victory, sending the Fighting Irish and their joyous fans pouring onto the field.

Sorry, Charlie. The Trojans weren’t done.

After USC coach Pete Carroll sprinted down the field to plead his case, officials put 7 seconds back on the clock and the ball inside the 1.

With another chance, Leinart pushed and spun his way into the end zone with 3 seconds left to cap a thrilling but chaotic finish as USC escaped with its 28th straight victory, a back-and-forth 34-31 win Saturday over No. 9 Notre Dame.

“You gotta believe you’re going to win the way that happened,” Carroll said.

The Irish (4-2), dressed for success in kelly green jerseys, tested the two-time defending champs as the Trojans had never been during their 2½ season run of excellence. But in the end, Notre Dame couldn’t come up with one last stop.

“The reaction of the fans being on the field and then seeing how you kind of want it to come out, then seeing the exact opposite all in a matter of minutes,” Irish quarterback Brady Quinn said. “People were pretty shocked and devastated.”

Leinart had the option to spike the ball on the goal line play to regroup his team or go with what he had. He chose the latter, took it in himself over the left side and got a little help moving the pile from star tailback Reggie Bush.

“I used all 200 pounds of my body to push Matt in,” said Bush, who ran for 160 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns.

No. 1 USC 34, No. 9 Notre Dame 31 Leinart, Bush lead USC in thriller Commentary: A magic year for Trojans Dynamic duo too much for Fighting Irish Weis not interested in moral victories Ventre: USC offense may be best of all-time Interactive: Three-peat failures in history Notre Dame Central: Full coverage of the Irish

Carroll said USC (6-0) never considered settling for a field goal attempt to send it to overtime.

“We’ll be happy to leave South Bend,” he said.

Quinn had given Notre Dame a 31-28 lead with 2:02 left, dashing around right end for a 5-yard touchdown, extending his right arm across the goal line with the ball.

But Leinart answered when it looked most bleak for USC, completing a 61-yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett on a fourth-and-9 at his own 26.

“You just have to throw it up and hope he gets it,” Leinart said. “I’ll take my chances with (Jarrett) against anyone in the country. He made a play.”

Then Leinart called his own number for the winner.

“I just saw it, I thought it was there and I just wanted to get in,” Leinart said. “I didn’t want to spike the ball so I made the choice and they were looking down from up above and we got in. That was all that mattered.”

Michael Conroy / AP USC tailback Reggie Bush (5) outruns defenders for a 45-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Bush finished with 160 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

He sat on the bench after his score, helmet still on, looking exhausted and waiting for a final kickoff that Notre Dame couldn’t turn into a miracle.

“I had no doubt,” Bush said. “We never gave up and kept fighting. That’s why we’re the No. 1 team in the country.”

Thanks to the bizarre ending, sports fans saw an it’s-over-no-it’s-not game on national TV for the second time in a week. The other was Game 2 of the ALCS.

Weis tapped into the Fighting Irish’s past and even in defeat etched a spot in it for himself and his team. He broke out all the stops, bringing in “Rudy” and Joe Montana to fire up his team and the fans in Friday night’s pep rally, then sent the Irish off in good-luck green after warm-ups on Saturday.

“They worked so hard preparing for this game,” Weis said. “I thought I’d give them something back.”

The Trojans trailed at the half for the third time this season, this time by 21-14 after Tom Zbikowski’s 60-yard punt return early in the second quarter gave the Irish their first lead.

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