COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : USC : Holtz Downplays Height Advantage

Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz seemed to be trying to bolster the confidence of 5-foot-7 Allen Rossum and 5-9 Ivory Covington, who share the right cornerback position and must cover USC’s 6-4 Keyshawn Johnson on Saturday.

“I don’t worry about height,” Holtz said Tuesday.

“We’re not playing basketball. . . . If a guy runs down the field 38 yards, the quarterback throws the ball, and your guy has a nine-inch reach advantage on our guy, you got to be a pretty accurate quarterback [to take advantage].”

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Holtz also mangled another Trojan name. He called suspended USC linebacker Israel Ifeanyi “Israel Kearny.” Sunday, he called Keyshawn Johnson “Keyshawn Jones.”