Armen Keuilian

Well here's to you Mr. Robinson ... 100 NCAA wins

f everybody associated with the USC athletic department, nobody stands out more prominently than John Robinson.
Last Saturday, Robinson became just the third coach in USC history to win 100 games by coaching the Trojans to a 35-21 victory over UNLV.
In his 12th season as USC head coach, Robinson has a record of 100-32-4 for the seventh best winning percentage of active coaches in Division 1-A.
His 7-1 bowl record has led the Trojans to four Rose Bowl wins -- the latest coming in his second tenure as coach at the end of the 1995 season.
Over the years, Robinson has had some unexpected blowout wins, some that he just barely eked out, and others that were just plain forgotten.
Robinson is undefeated against Pacific 10 Conference foe Oregon State, winning all 10 games against the Beavers.
He was a perfect 8-0 against Washington State until this year's 28-21 loss.
He posts a 7-3-1 record against Notre Dame as well.
Here are some of the highlights on Robinson's road to the century mark:
Win 1: USC 53 - Oregon 0
Sept. 18, 1976
After losing his first game to Missouri at the Coliseum, 46-25, Robinson took the Trojans to face his alma mater, Oregon, at which he played and was an assistant coach. With assistance from USC's defense, which picked up five fumbles and snagged five interceptions, USC went on to defeat the Ducks, 53-0.
Tailback Ricky Bell ran for 193 yards and four touchdowns to lead an offensive barrage totaling 472 yards.
Bell scampered 63 yards for a score just 53 seconds into the game.
USC's emerging rushing star, Charles White, added a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap the win.
USC went on to win its next 15 games under Robinson, (including wins over Iowa, 55-0, Oregon State, 56-0, and Texas Christian, 51-0), finishing the 1976 season 11-1 and winning its first four games the following season.
Win 18: USC 29 - UCLA 27
Nov. 25, 1977
Despite already losing four games during the 1977 season, Robinson's crew hosted No. 17 UCLA.
UCLA led, 10-0, at the end of the first quarter, but USC quickly came back to score 26 unanswered points on three touchdown passes by Rob Hertel, two of which went to wide receiver Kevin Williams.
UCLA scored a touchdown before the break and scored 10 more points in the second half to take a 27-26 lead.
On the last USC drive, Hertel led the Trojans downfield and set up placekicker Frank Jordan with a 38-yard field goal attempt.
With just two seconds left in regulation, Jordan booted the ball through the uprights to give USC the victory over the Bruins, knocking them out of the Rose Bowl.
Win 29: USC 27 - Notre Dame 25
Nov. 25, 1978
One year after the dramatic, come-from-behind win against the Bruins at home, No. 8 Notre Dame came to Los Angeles poised to break up the No. 3 Trojans' national championship hopes.
USC took a quick lead in the first quarter with a Kevin Williams 30-yard touchdown reception, but Notre Dame responded with a field goal to make the score 7-3 after one quarter.
The Trojans added 10 more points in the second quarter on a 35-yard touchdown catch by Dan Garcia and a Jordan field goal to take a 17-3 halftime lead.
After the Fighting Irish added another field goal at the start of the second half, USC tailback Charles White dove into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to take a 24-6 lead at the end of three.
But USC was facing a Notre Dame team led by Joe Montana, who proceeded to throw two touchdown passes -- one for 57 yards -- to give the Irish a 25-24 lead.
However, with two seconds remaining on the game clock, Frank Jordan was given another chance to shine in almost identical fashion as USC marched downfield to the 20-yard line, setting up a 37-yard field goal.
And with similar ease, Jordan spoiled Montana's comeback and gave the Trojans a 27-25 victory.
Montana would eventually get his revenge with the San Francisco 49ers, beating Robinson's Los Angeles Rams in 1985 and 1989 in the NFC Championship game, never allowing Robinson to reach the Super Bowl in his nine-year NFL tenure.
Win 31: USC 17 - Michigan 10
Jan. 1, 1979
Just two games after defeating Notre Dame, No. 3 USC travelled to Pasadena to take on Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines, with national title ramifications riding on a Trojans victory.
USC got on the board early with a Paul McDonald 9-yard touchdown pass.
After Michigan countered with a 36-yard field goal, Trojan running back Charles White ran a 3-yard score in and Frank Jordan kicked a 35-yard field goal to put USC in control.
Down, 17-3, at halftime, the Wolverines countered well with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Rick Leach to Roosevelt Smith. Leach went on to complete 7-of-11 passes in the second half, but it proved to be too little as USC held on to win its only national championship under Robinson.
Win 53: USC 26 - Oklahoma 24
Sept. 26, 1981
In a battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2, the top-ranked Trojans hosted Oklahoma and took the game down to the wire.
The Sooners struck first, scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run.
USC running back Marcus Allen evened the score with a 27-yard touchdown run, but Oklahoma retaliated quickly with a touchdown and a field goal to go up, 17-7.
USC's John Kamana caught a 2-yard toss from quarterback John Mazur to cut the lead to three, but the Sooners struck again to take a 24-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
With time running out on USC, Marcus Allen scored a 3-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 24-20. USC's two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Trojans' hopes resting on a touchdown.
In Robinson style, with two seconds remaining in regulation, tight end Fred Cornwell caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Mazur to seal a USC victory, thus holding on to the No. 1 spot in the country.
Win 59: USC 22 - UCLA 21
Nov. 21, 1981
With No. 15 UCLA in the driver's seat for the Rose Bowl, it was time for it to face the No. 10 Trojans at the Coliseum to clinch a Pac-10 Championship, and it looked like UCLA would until the final second of play.
After USC got on the board with a Steve Jordan (brother of Frank Jordan) field goal, UCLA ran in an 11-yard score to take a 7-3 lead.
Jordan countered with another field goal and Marcus Allen added a 7-yard touchdown run to put the Trojans in control.
UCLA went on to score 13 consecutive points to take a 21-12 lead after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Jordan kicked his third field goal of the day to bring the Trojans to within six points and set up the drama that would ensue.
With 2:14 remaining in the game, Allen racked up five of his game-high 219 yards, leaping into the end zone to tie the game. Jordan would kick in the extra point and give the Trojans the lead.
UCLA would march back, however, and get to USC's 29-yard line to set up Norm Johnson for a 46-yard, game-winning field goal.
With no time left on the clock, USC nose guard George Achica broke through the Bruins line and blocked Johnson's attempt, preserving USC's win and keeping UCLA out of the Rose Bowl.
Win 98: USC 27 - Notre Dame 20
Nov. 30, 1996
With Robinson under fire all year, and the Trojans in position to have their first losing season under Robinson, USC faced Notre Dame at the Coliseum in an attempt to break its 13-game winless streak against the Irish.
With a loss, Robinson may not have been on the USC sideline for his 100th collegiate win, and it looked like it would go that way until deep into the second half.
With USC ahead, 6-0, on two Adam Abrams field goals, going into the second quarter, Notre Dame scored a touchdown in the second quarter and another in the third to take a 14-6 lead into the final quarter of regulation.
USC's Chris Miller would catch a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brad Otton to cut the Irish lead to 14-12. Down two points, Robinson elected to go for the tie with a two-point conversion.
After Otton's conversion pass failed, Notre Dame answered with a 9-yard Autry Denson touchdown run to just about put the game away with 3:52 left to play.
Otton led the Trojans downfield and set up a 15-yard touchdown run by Delon Washington to put the Trojans in position to tie with a two-point conversion.
Otton handed the ball off to Washington and he tied the game and sent it into overtime.
In overtime, Otton hit fullback Rodney Sermons with a 5-yard pass to take a seven-point lead.
Notre Dame would get the ball back, but when linebacker Mark Cusano batted down a Ron Powlus pass, the game was over and Robinson was able to salvage a season, finishing 6-6 and beating a team that USC had not beaten since 1983.