Trojans Trying to Forget What Might Have Been : College football: Pain of loss to UCLA, decline in bowl status are overshadowed by chance to end losing streak against Notre Dame today.

USC players had plenty to be angry about this week:

--They gave up 385 yards passing by a walk-on quarterback, squandered a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and failed to score on a potential winning two-point conversion attempt with 41 seconds to play in a 38-37 defeat by UCLA last Saturday.

--They finished in a tie for third place in the Pacific 10 Conference instead of earning a share of the championship, which they would have done if they had beaten UCLA.

--They were, in all probability, relegated to the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium, which, according to senior safety Stephon Pace, really doesn’t seem like much of a bowl game at all.

--They were reminded all week that it has been 10 years since they defeated Notre Dame, a string of nine consecutive losses.

It’s too late for the Trojans to do anything about John Barnes and UCLA, or about the Pac-10 standings, but they could end a decade of frustration--and possibly attract a last-minute bid to the Jan. 1 Blockbuster Bowl--by defeating fifth-ranked Notre Dame today at 5 p.m. at the Coliseum.

Although Blockbuster Bowl officials favor matching Stanford against Penn State in Miami’s Joe Robbie Stadium, they said they might change their minds if the Trojans come up with a convincing victory over Notre Dame.

“We’re still extremely interested in Stanford, but felt like we needed to at least come out and see the game and see what unravels,” said Brian Flajole, executive director of the Blockbuster Bowl.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, has already wrapped up a major bowl bid, probably to the Cotton Bowl to play Texas A&M; or to the Orange Bowl to play Nebraska.

Earlier in the week, Coach Lou Holtz laid out a scenario that would put the Irish into position to win the national championship. But that would require a rash of upsets.

Then Holtz said: “The press has to look at how well we’ve done the last six weeks and vote as though they were Catholic.”

Notre Dame (8-1-1) has won five consecutive games since Oct. 3, when it lost to Stanford, 33-16, after leading, 16-0.

Led by senior quarterback Rick Mirer, senior tailback Reggie Brooks and junior fullback Jerome Bettis, the Irish are third in the nation in total offense, rushing offense and scoring with averages of 478.9 total yards, 276 rushing yards and 37.8 points.

Mirer, fourth in the nation in passing efficiency, has been especially effective during Notre Dame’s five-game winning streak, completing 61 of 98 passes for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns, with only two interceptions.

During Notre Dame’s most recent game, a 17-16 victory over Penn State two weeks ago, Mirer passed to Brooks for a winning two-point conversion with 20 seconds to play.

“I think Rick Mirer right now is playing better than he’s ever played,” Holtz said.

Brooks, with 1,116 yards and 10 touchdowns in 148 carries, is only the fourth Notre Dame player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He is averaging 7.5 yards per carry, within reach of the school record of 8.1 set by George Gipp in 1920.

Bettis, who rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns during a 24-20 victory over USC last season at South Bend, Ind., has gained 736 yards, averaging 5.4 per carry, even though he has been bothered by an ankle injury during the last month.

The Irish defense, led by senior linebacker Demetrius DuBose, is 12th in the nation against the run and has given up an average of only 15.5 points.

“Defensively, I’ve never seen a team improve as much as we have in the last seven weeks of the season, although the results are only apparent in maybe the last three or four,” said Holtz, whose team has given up an average of 222.3 yards and 10 points in its last three games.

“Everything has improved tremendously, to the point where we’re a pretty fair defensive team.”

It’s a formidable challenge for USC, which is 6-3-1 and still smarting from its loss to UCLA.

“It’s real tough right now,” Pace said. “We’re struggling to find ourselves again.”

USC faced a similar situation 10 years ago. And, after losing to UCLA, 20-19, when the Trojans failed to score on a two-point conversion attempt after time had expired, the Trojans defeated Notre Dame in their next game, 17-13.

In less trying circumstances, USC hasn’t beaten the Irish since.

Trojan Notes

Freshman Dwight McFadden will start at tailback for USC because senior Estrus Crayton, who ran for a season-high 140 yards against UCLA last week, was late for a meeting this week. Crayton is expected to play. . . . USC offensive tackle Tony Boselli, who sat out against UCLA because of an ankle injury, is expected to start. . . . About 1,000 tickets remain.

With the exception of the World War II years of 1943-45, USC and Notre Dame have played every season since 1926, with the Irish leading the series, 36-23-4. . . . USC, 1-5 at home during a 3-8 season last year, is 4-0 at the Coliseum this season. . . . Notre Dame is 4-0 on the road.

Despite running for a season-high 197 yards against UCLA, USC is still 10th in the Pac-10 in rushing, averaging 120.9 yards. . . . USC is ninth in the Pac-10 in total defense, but sixth in the nation against the run.

Notre Dame linebacker Demetrius DuBose, suspended by the NCAA for the first two games of the season after obtaining cash and other benefits from the president of a Notre Dame booster club in his hometown of Seattle, leads the Irish with 77 tackles. He had 17 against Penn State two weeks ago.

Strong safety Jeff Burris, who leads Notre Dame with five interceptions, has scored four touchdowns for the Irish as a running back, playing in goal-line situations. . . . Free safety Bobby Taylor is expected to join the Notre Dame basketball team in January. . . . Punter-kicker Craig Hentrich is Notre Dame’s all-time leader with an average of 44.1 yards a punt.

* THE STREAK

It began after John Robinson left to coach the Rams after USC’s 17-13 victory in 1982. C6

* 20 YEARS A.D.

In 1972, Anthony Davis scored six touchdowns to help USC to a 45-23 victory and the Trojans went on to finish 12-0 and win the national championship. C7

* LOOKING FOR MORE

Notre Dame views its rivalry with USC as national, enduring--and happily one-sided for the last nine seasons. C8