(Editor's note: USC senior lineman Travis Claridge will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season. For more information on the Trojans, visit the official USC site.)

Oct. 13, 1999

We beat Notre Dame my freshman and sophomore years, and then again last season 10-0. Obviously I want to beat them again. It'd be a great thing to go four-for-four against them. It's a pivotal game, and it'll be a bloodbath when we play on Saturday in a game that'll have two powerhouse schools playing. We're just going to line up and see who can hit who harder.

	Claridge, a preseason Student Advantage All-American, was an All-Pac-10 first team pick in '98.

It's been frustrating so far this season. I'm pissed off. I'm tired of us looking bad. I can only play hard at what I have control over: my position. Everybody else has to do the same.

Going to Notre Dame my sophomore year was special. I had wanted to walk into that stadium ever since I was five years old. Remember that movie "Rudy"? That was me. I always wanted to go to Notre Dame, but it just didn't work out.

But it was special back in 1997: we dressed in their locker room, walked down their tunnel, played on their field -- and beat them. That was special.

If the offensive line doesn't play better than it did last week, then we're going to get the tar beat out of us. I have no idea what it takes to make this offensive line play well. I'm just tired of hearing about it. There's nothing I can do about it. All I can do is play.

	THE FULL DOSE OF DIARIES
	Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton: Leader of the pack
	Miami's André King: Putting on a good show
	UCLA's Danny Farmer: Bowl-bound Bruins?
	Oregon State's Ken Simonton: All about execution
	Oregon's Reuben Droughns: Resting the ribs
	Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops: Busy bye week
	Ole Miss' Todd Wade: Ready for 'Bama
	Wyoming's Jarnagin, Demos: Bad loss in Laramie

If we play well against Notre Dame, that should springboard us well into the rest of the season. Right now we're in a lull, but I think a win will help us salvage the rest of the season.

I'm halfway through my senior year. It's time to start thinking about what I'm going to be doing after I leave here. I really want to play football in the NFL. I often joke about wrestling, but I don't want to wrestle. I want to play football. If that doesn't work out, I'll have to get a job doing something somewhere. I don't know.

I do know that college football can really be a grind. When I have kids someday, I don't want them to play football. I'd rather have them play chess or checkers or baseball.

I do have lots of good memories at USC. Beating the Irish three years running has been great. I've met a lot of cool people and made lots of friends. I'm going to miss it when I leave.