[45], The NCAA found that Bush had received gifts from sports agents Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels from at least December 2004 in violation of NCAA rules of amateurism. "But because of our accomplishments the past two seasons, we know we'll be challenged to the max each game now. Email. USC then hosts Colorado State and travels to BYU and Stanford before having a trio of home games (California, Arizona and Washington) followed by a pair of road contests (Washington State and Oregon State). But, in my. "I truly believe we have put together an elite group of coaches that will help build this football program back to national prominence. [6], The Trojans prevailed over the Beavers in a tight game in heavy fog at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. Offensively, Troy has scored at least 20 points in the past 26 outings, with stretches of 11 consecutive 30-point games and 7 straight 40-point performances, and last year scored a Pac-10 record 534 points. 2004 USC Coaching Staff Head Coach: Pete Carroll (13-0) Offensive Coordinator: Norm Chow Defensive Coordinator: Other Assistant Coaches: Lane Kiffin (WR Coach) Ed Oregeron (AHC/DL/RC) Best Players on the 2004 USC Football Team QB Matt Leinart QB Matt Cassel RB Lendale White RB Reggie Bush WR Dwayne Jarrett WR Steve Smith LB Matt Grootegoed (Simon Park | Daily Trojan) "We understand how to handle personnel losses and move on," said Carroll. Also, junior tackle Winston Justice, who from his right side spot protects Leinart's blind side, was slated to start for his third year and be an All-American candidate. "Our kicking game, under the expert guidance of coach Dennis Slutak once again, should be very strong. Walk-ons Wil Smith, a sophomore, and redshirt freshman John Zilka are also available. Other possibilities on the outside among the returnees are junior walk-on Collin Ashton (28 tac, 0.5 for loss, 1 FF, 1 dfl in 2003), who performed admirably while starting twice late last year when Simmons was injured, and redshirt freshman Thomas Williams, plus walk-on sophomore Mike Brittingham, who also can play fullback. He was sixth nationally in receptions and 10th in receiving yards in 2003. Find out more. [6] After an energetic and emotional halftime in the locker room, the Trojan defense shut down the Cardinal while the offense put together the drives that gave the Trojans the lead and the victory. Then there's senior Brandon Hance (4-of-9, 44.4%, 44 yds in 2003), who started 9 games at Purdue in 2001 and was No. "We lost one of the greatest receivers in USC history and it will be a challenge to replace him. Jr. Keith Rivers, In. Junior Hershel Dennis (137 tcb, 661 yds, 4.8 avg, 4 TD in 2003, plus 10 rec, 62 yds, 6.2 avg, 1 TD), the veteran of the group, started each game last year and was effective. Then, enrolling in the fall is J.C. All-American Scott Ware (Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, Calif.), who is a junior, and prep All-American Josh Pinkard (Hueneme High in Oxnard, Calif.), who is a freshman. 2 (wire-to-wire), respectively, in the AP and Coaches polls. Carolina earned 2016 NSCAA South Regional Coaching Staff of the Year laurels, and McCaskill and Kurtz were selected as NSCAA First-Team All-Americans. We are constantly tweaking our formula so that we can find the sweet spot of when a coach is technically on the hot seat. The tight end corps is deep, with Gregg Guenther Jr. (17 catches and 2 TDs in 2003)-also a star on the Trojan basketball team-back after starting the last half of 2003, along with Dominique Byrd (14 catches and 6 early starts in 2003) and Alex Holmes (58 career catches), USC's starter in 2002 but injured last season. Along the way, USC swept traditional rivals UCLA and Notre Dame for the second year in a row (only the second time it has ever done that in back-to-back seasons). Nick Vanderboom, So. Nose tackle Mike Patterson (55 tac, 13.5 for loss, 7 sack, 3 FR with 1 for a TD in 2003), who last fall had the most tackles for a loss of any Trojan tackle since 1996, will be starting for his third season. After trailing 130 in second quarter, USC scored the next 28 points with a pivotal 65-yard scoring return by Reggie Bush in the 4th quarter with the game close at 1413. LINEBACKERS Collin Ashton, Jr. Mike Brittingham, So. Henson, 46, spent the past 3 seasons (2019-21 . [11] Matt Leinart went 20-of-31 for 231 yards in three quarters before being retired from the game, Dwayne Jarrett caught a touchdown on what was his 18th birthday, and the Trojans handed the Rams their worse loss in eight years and first shut out in 85 games. [5], USC and Virginia Tech opened the 2004 college football season with the Black Coaches Association Football Classic at a sold out FedExField in Landover, Maryland. The 122 points he scored in 2003 were the second-most ever tallied at USC. [6] ASU quarterback Andrew Walter was rendered ineffective by the USC defense which achieved eight sacks, the same total ASU allowed in its previous five games. But there's a host of talented players hoping to fill the void: promising sophomores Steve Smith (17 rec, 319 yds, 18.8 avg, 2 TD in 2003), who was USC's No. Each player must bring his best every day. 2004 Cotton Bowl and 2004 . Some 24 Trojans have at least 1 career start. Competing for time at guard are senior Travis Watkins, sophomore walk-on John Lanza, sophomore junior college transfer Alatini Malu (Long Beach City College in Long Beach, Calif.), who enrolled at USC this spring, freshman Travis Draper (originally a 2003 signee, he didn't enroll at USC until this spring), and prep All-American Chilo Rachal (Dominguez High in Compton, Calif.), an incoming freshman who also can play tackle. There's a lot of leadership in this group. [32] The Trojans set a record for home wins (including pre-Coliseum), with their 21st victory; coincidentally, the previous team to defeat them at home were the Stanford Cardinal then-under Coach Willingham. Do you have a blog? [41], Leinart, the game's MVP, threw an Orange Bowl record (and at the time a USC record-tying) 5 touchdowns, including 3 to wide receiver Steve Smith, tying both an Orange Bowl and USC record; Ryan Killeen set the USC career scoring record with 329 career points; USC's 55 points tied its most ever in a bowl and were the most ever allowed in a bowl by Oklahoma. Hard-hitting senior free safety Jason Leach (88 tac, 5.5 for loss, 1 sack, 6 dfl, 1 FR, 1 FF, 2 int with 1 for a TD in 2003) was USC's No. Join our linker program. [26] The Trojans had lost in their previous visit to WSU, a 3027 overtime game in 2002; since then the Trojans had gone 281. He assumed control of the job immediately and soon was playing like a veteran. Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron joined Colin Cowherd's podcast on Feb. 10, and discussed the future of USC football. "I am very excited to formally announce our coaching staff," said Riley. Sophomore John David Booty (7-of-14, 50.0%, 90 yds in 2003), believed to be the first football player to graduate a full year early from high school and enroll at a major Division I-A university when he did so last year, became Leinart's backup by the middle of the 2003 season before breaking his wrist late in the year. If we can have that kind of work ethic, we'll be on the right track.". 2 in the AP poll at one point late in the season. We have some talented players among our other ends, but we need some to emerge. Josh Henson, who has 23 years of coaching experience primarily in the SEC and Big 12 and has been part of a national championship staff, joined the USC staff as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in December of 2021. The bull-like White, who had a trio of 100-yard games last season, was the first true freshman to lead USC in rushing (his 754 yards were the second most by a Trojan frosh behind Charles White's 858 in 1976) and his 13 rushing TDs were a USC freshman mark (his 14 total TDs tied the USC frosh record). [25] The game marked the first career start for Husky quarterback Isaiah Stanback. [34] Reggie Bush scored on a pair of touchdown runs and totaled a career-best 335 all-purpose yards and placekicker Ryan Killeen kicked a USC and Pac-10 Conference game record 5 field goals. Fr., DE Mike Patterson, Sr., DT LaJuan Ramsey, Jr., DT-DE Frostee Rucker, Jr., DE Jeff Schweiger, In. Fr. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. But nobody else has seen significant action at this level yet. Cody, Patterson and Grootegoed are All-American candidates. [1], Quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding collegiate football player in the U.S. His teammate, running back Reggie Bush, finished fifth in Heisman voting, winning the following year. Others back with starting experience include guard John Drake, tight end Dominique Byrd, fullbacks Lee Webb and David Kirtman, and wide receivers Chris McFoy and William Buchanon. Behind Leinart is a stable of very capable backups. All of that came on the heels of USC's nearly-as-successful 2002 campaign that ended with an 11-2 mark, a victory in the Orange Bowl and a No. 1 spot, so Matt will have to continue to work hard if he wants to hold them off.". Check out the detailed 2004-05 USC Trojans Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Do you have a sports website? football@usc.edu. His 65 PATs last fall were a Pac-10 season record and his 19 field goals tied the USC season mark. Derrick Jones, In. "While we've been effective rotating these young players, it will be interesting to see if any of them can take over a leadership role this season. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Troy captured its second consecutive Pac-10 title (going 7-1) and beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl to secure its 10th national crown (its first in 25 years). Alex Grinch. [14], ESPN's College GameDay program visited the Los Angeles Coliseum for the first time[3] in anticipation of a game between highly ranked and undefeated teams: 7th-ranked California had given USC its only loss in the 2003 season, resulting in the Trojans sharing the 2003 National Championship. And of Troy's 77 offensive scoring drives in 2003, 59 took less than 3 minutes. But he was not selected because of a judicial stay on that ruling, which was then overturned. Cody's move to end means promising sophomore Manuel Wright (8 tac, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 3 dfl in 2003) will assume his tackle spot.