Fr., CB Brandon Ting, So., S Ryan Ting, So., S-CB Justin Tolliver, Jr., CB John Walker, Jr., CB Scott Ware, In. ", OFFENSIVE LINEMEN Sam Baker, Rs. The junior finished sixth in last year's Heisman Trophy and was only the second sophomore (along with Stanford's John Elway) to win Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Fr., PK Ryan Killeen, Sr., PK Tom Malone, Jr., P. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Phone. (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press) Lincoln Riley isn't the. Sophomore strong safety Darnell Bing (69 tac, 2 for loss, 1 FR, 2 int, 5 dfl in 2003) was a Freshman All-American first team selection last year and he has an unlimited future. Fr., OT Travis Watkins, Sr., OG Kyle Williams, So., OT. [18] Beyond the 2004 season, the game marked a turning point in terms of crowd participation at the Coliseum, which thereafter garnered a reputation as a loud and difficult place to play for opposing teams. On June 6, 2011, the BCS officially vacated USC's 2004 National Championship. "The challenge is whether we can keep it up. Some 24 Trojans have at least 1 career start. It was also banned from bowl games in 2010 and 2011 and lost 30 scholarships over three years. Then, we need to continue developing those young players who contributed so much last year and hope that they can elevate their play. [6] The shutout was Washington's first since 1981, ending a national-best active streak of consecutive games without being shut out at 271. [46][47] However, USC lifted the restrictions related to Reggie Bush in 2020, welcoming him back to the program.[1]. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Twitter. LB Brian Cushing. "This group can do all of those things well. He's more than capable, as he started there the last 6 games of 2003 when Grootegoed was bothered by an ankle sprain. And he punctuated USC's Rose Bowl victory over Michigan by catching a 15-yard scoring pass off a reverse. (213) 740-4204. [20], The 15th-ranked Sun Devils, under Coach Dirk Koetter, were out to prove that they were a part of the national title picture and USC was out to prove it deserved its top-ranking after a series of close games to the Bay Area schools. Fr. But both snappers (short snapper Joe Boskovich and long snapper Matt Hayward) must be replaced. [8] [9] Bush, who had one year left of eligibility, announced his plans to skip his senior season a week after the team's loss in the Rose Bowl. Fr., OG-OT Drew Radovich, Rs. The vacated games included the Trojans' Orange Bowl win. [6], The Trojans made their first visit to LaVell Edwards Stadium, on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. "That's my fundamental approach to the game: control the ball on offense, go get it on defense and make things happen on special teams," said Carroll. "The key for us this year will be whether we can return to the work ethic that made it possible to have the success we've had the past few years. Fr. 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). We also have some talented young players who can make a mark.". He was last a . Coming aboard this fall as freshmen are 3 prep All-Americans: former high school teammates Jimmy Miller and Michael Stuart (Westlake High in Westlake Village, Calif.), plus Dale Thompson (Santiago High in Corona, Calif.), "We have a lot of personnel options at tight end, which is good because we emphasize the position in our offense," said Carroll. But he was not selected because of a judicial stay on that ruling, which was then overturned. Head Coach: Pete Carroll(13-0)Offensive Coordinator: Norm ChowDefensive Coordinator: Other Assistant Coaches: Lane Kiffin (WR Coach) Ed Oregeron (AHC/DL/RC). Key losses from the offense are wide receiver Keary Colbert, a 4-year starter who set the USC career receptions record (207), and a trio of experienced linemen: All-American tackle Jacob Rogers (a 3-year starter), All-Pac-10 center Norm Katnik (a 3-year starter) and guard Lenny Vandermade (a 4-year starter). Sophomore Fred Matua started most of last season at right guard and brings a defensive lineman's mentality to the offensive front. The backup tackles will be junior LaJuan Ramsey (6 tac, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sack, 1 FF in 2003), who also might work at end, sophomore Travis Tofi (3 tac, 1 for loss, 2 dfl, 1 sack for a safety in 2003), and redshirt freshmen Sedrick Ellis and Ryan Watson. He proved to be a load at 350 pounds before breaking his ankle late in the year (he missed 2004 spring drills while recuperating). Troy scored 68 touchdowns and 534 points last year, both Pac-10 records, and its 6.5 yards per play average was a school record. [6] White threw for 24-of-36 for 244 yards with three interceptions and two touchdowns; Peterson ran for 82 yards on 25 carries. The talk will be inevitable, and understandably so. [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. QB John David Booty; QB Mark Sanchez; RB Chauncey Washington; RB C.J. Fr., TB Chauncey Washington, So., TB Lee Webb, Sr., FB LenDale White, So., TB Andre Woodert, Jr., TB. Carolina earned 2016 NSCAA South Regional Coaching Staff of the Year laurels, and McCaskill and Kurtz were selected as NSCAA First-Team All-Americans. RB Chauncey Washington. Backing him will be junior David Kirtman (5 tcb, 23 yds, 4.6 avg in 2003, plus 5 rec., 28 yds, 5.6 avg), a rugged blocker who has starting experience and is a key special teamer, and redshirt freshman Jody Adewale, a converted tailback. USC has intercepted a pass in 22 of the last 23 games, held 20 of its past 26 opponents to less than 100 rushing yards (and allowed only 1 player to crack the 100-yard rushing barrier in the last 25 contests) and had a stretch of 22 consecutive quarters without allowing a rushing touchdown. RUNNING BACKS USC is loaded once again at the running back spots. Fred Davis graduated a semester early from Rogers High in Toledo, Ohio, and enrolled at USC this past spring. He started all of 2002 and could win back his job in 2004. Jr., OT Alatini Malu, So., OG Fred Matua, So., OG Chilo Rachal, In. The season before that, USC fired offensive coordinator Tee Martin and three other assistants, while quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis took the offensive coordinator job at Western Kentucky. We understand that we'll always see our opponents at their best. USC belongs at the top of college football, and this coaching staff is going to be instrumental in making that happen. Is Coach Philip Montgomery on the Hot Seat? 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. [6] However, in the key final series, under heavy crowd noise, the USC defense caused an incomplete pass, a sack by defensive tackle Manuel Wright, and two more incomplete passes to cause a loss of possession and effectively end the game. [6] Days before the game, the NCAA declared star Trojans wide receiver Mike Williams ineligible to play after a failed attempt to join the NFL early, creating concern over whether the defending 2003 National Champions were prepared to try for another title. Last year, 2 Trojans finished in the Top 10 in the Heisman Trophy balloting, 5 were All-American first team selections and 9 were All-Pac-10 first teamers. He had 35 touchbacks among his 99 kickoffs in 2003 (and he kept foes within the 20-yard line 58 times). 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. He likely will start again, as could senior guard John Drake, if he's healthy. 2 at USC after Booty got hurt last year, as well as senior Matt Cassel (6-of-13, 46.2%, 63 yds in 2003), who has also spent time in his career at tight end and is a pitcher on the Trojan baseball team, junior Billy Hart, an infielder/outfielder on USC's baseball team (he has yet to throw a pass at USC and has seen only brief action in 2002), and walk-on redshirt freshman Michael McDonald, the son of ex-USC All-American Paul McDonald. 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. Fr. Senior Alex Holmes, who has 58 career catches, is back after sitting out last fall with a back injury. He'll long be remembered for his spectacular one-handed, Frisbee-like TD grab against Oregon State last fall. Fr., OT Matt Spanos, Rs. But Justice will not participate in 2004 because of a student conduct violation. . LB Rey Maualuga. [5] The university filed an appeal of the sanctions which was later denied by the NCAA. "Our kicking game, under the expert guidance of coach Dennis Slutak once again, should be very strong. [6] With the victory, USC sealed a bid for the BCS National Championship Game in the Orange Bowl.[34]. Fr., S Terrell Thomas, Rs. The NCAA also forced USC to permanently disassociate itself from Bush. Gone from the defense are All-American end Kenechi Udeze, a 3-year starter who left after his junior season to enter the NFL draft (he was the nation's sack co-leader in 2003 when he had 16.5 sacks, 26 tackles for loss and 5 forced fumbles), and fellow end Omar Nazel (a 2-year starter), plus both starting cornerbacks (All-Pac-10er Will Poole, who had 7 interceptions and 80 tackles in 2003, and Marcell Allmond, who led USC to an 18-1 mark when he started in the secondary) and 2-year starting outside linebacker Melvin Simmons. Fr. [6], The Trojans prevailed over the Beavers in a tight game in heavy fog at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. Title. All the running backs return, also: starting tailback Hershel Dennis (661 rushing yards in 2003) and top backups LenDale White (his 754 yards last season made him the first true freshman to lead USC in rushing, while his 13 rushing TDs was a Trojan frosh record) and Reggie Bush (a Freshman All-American who set the USC freshman all-purpose yardage mark with 1,331 yards last fall), plus fullback Brandon Hancock (but he'll miss 2004 with a knee injury). 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). Orgeron had two stints with the Trojans. Because of the controversy that ended the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season with a split national title between LSU and USC, the motto for the Trojans' 2004 season became "Leave No Doubt. 2004 Cotton Bowl and 2004 . His 65 PATs last fall were a Pac-10 season record and his 19 field goals tied the USC season mark. . [37], There was some controversy in the final team selections as the Auburn Tigers had also finished the regular season undefeated and won their bowl game, the Sugar Bowl, against the same Virginia Tech team USC defeated in the season opener; Auburn began the season ranked outside the top 15 and perhaps because of this they were unable to secure a spot in the national championship game,[38] although they did tie Oklahoma at No. "That talk is beyond our control," said Carroll, the National Coach of the Year in 2003 after his team was named the national champion by Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, New York Times, ESPN.com, SI.com, CBS.SportsLine.com, Collegefootballnews.com and several other organizations. 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. Losing that duo might not be as much of a concern as it appears, however, because their possible replacements are experienced seniors with plenty of starts under their belts. "With Lofa Tatupu, Matt Grootegoed and Dallas Sartz, it's like we have 3 returning starters. Fr., SNP Mario Danelo, Rs. [32] USC set both a school home attendance (511,373) as well as the Pac-10 home per game average attendance (85,229) records. 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. Shaun Cody (26 tac, 10.5 for loss, 6 sack, 1 FF, 1 dfl, 3 blk FG in 2003) will be starting for his fourth year, this year sliding out to end after spending his career at tackle. [40] USC gained 525 total yards, averaging 8.3 yards per play, to the Sooners 372; OU ran off 13 more plays, 76 to 63, and held the ball for 35:06; however, Oklahoma had 5 turnovers to USC's none.[6]. "Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson are the best defensive linemen in college football," said Carroll. Obviously there are emotional swings with sports and so the mathematical ratings do not always line up with the emotional expectations from a team. After all, his Trojans have won 20 of their last 21 games (and their past 15 home contests) and have been dominant on both sides of the ball. TIGHT ENDS Dominique Byrd, Jr. GREGG GUENTHER JR., Sr. Owen Hanson, Sr. Alex Holmes, Sr. Kurt Katnik, So. But we have a great group of quarterbacks behind him and they all want to take over the No. I think cornerback will be a strong position for us. "But because of our accomplishments the past two seasons, we know we'll be challenged to the max each game now. He's good enough to merit All-American consideration (he was a Butkus Award and Lombardi Award semifinalist last season). He gave an early indication of his talent when his first career pass went for a touchdown at Auburn in last fall's opener. 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 past 2 years, we were really good on defense and we played just how we drew it up," said Carroll, the team's defensive coordinator. On offense in 2004, USC's entire backfield, its star wide receiver and the tight ends are back, but a new wide receiver must be developed and most of the line must be rebuilt. Also in the mix are sophomore ex-center Kurt Katnik (1 rec, 13 yds, 13.0 avg in 2003), plus walk-ons Nick Vanderboom, a sophomore, and senior Owen Hanson. Just look what happened last year when Troy had to replace a number of top performers, including the 2002 Heisman winner (Carson Palmer), the nation's best safety (Troy Polamalu) and 3 NFL-caliber tailbacks (Justin Fargas, Sultan McCullough and Malaefou MacKenzie). Fr., DT Manuel Wright, So., DT. [35] The game was the first time two Heisman Trophy winners had faced each other in a college football game with Sooners quarterback and 2003 winner Jason White facing 2004 winner Matt Leinart. Only the second sophomore (along with Stanford's John Elway) to be named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, Leinart threw for 3,556 yards and a Pac-10 record 38 touchdowns (with only 9 interceptions) last fall while finishing third nationally in passing efficiency (a USC record 164.5 rating). [35] USC scored next 28 points en route to a 3810 halftime lead. Last season, he had 95 catches for 1,314 yards and a USC record 16 TDs. [36] Both USC and Oklahoma started and ended the season ranked No. But this year's offense has a high standard to live up to: in 2003, the Trojans were fifth nationally in passing efficiency (159.1, first in Pac-10) and scoring offense (a school-record 41.4, first in Pac-10), 13th in passing offense (291.6, second in Pac-10) and 14th in total offense (447.5, second in Pac-10). It's no wonder, then, that the Trojans likely will enter the 2004 campaign as a pre-season favorite to repeat as national champs. Also a key special teams player, he led the Trojans in punt returns in 2001 with 25 for 225 yards (9.0 average) and earned All-Pac-10 first team honors as a special teamer that season. Both are battled-tested seniors and are All-American nominees after winning All-Pac-10 first team honors last fall. Jason Mitchell, Sr. Steve Smith, So. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Fr., FB Reggie Bush, So., TB Hershel Dennis, Jr., TB John Griffin, Rs. [31] ESPN's College GameDay made its second-ever visit to the Coliseum. Tackle Winston Justice and guard Fred Matua return as starters on the line (John Drake, who started 7 times last year at guard and tackle, is back as well). Here's a rundown of Shane Beamer's 10 on-field coaches. Derrick Jones, In. [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. The electrifying Bush earned Freshman All-American first team honors as he set the USC freshman all-purpose yardage record (1,331 yards) and, as a hold-your-breath-when-he-gets-the-ball runner, had 24 plays of 20-plus yards in 2003. [12] Running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White both broke 100 yards each en route to victory. [6] Matt Leinart passed for a career-high 400 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns Saturday, leading the top-ranked Trojans to a 4110 victory and adding a highlight performance to his ultimately successful Heisman campaign. After transferring from a junior college, Drake had moved into the lineup by mid-2003, where he split 7 starting assignments between rightside guard and tackle. Junior Dallas Sartz (60 tac, 6 for loss, 2 sack, 4 dfl, 1 blk P in 2003) assumes the starting strongside job. Is Coach Ken Niumatalolo on the Hot Seat? He was sixth nationally in receptions and 10th in receiving yards in 2003. 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. Do you have a blog? . Fr. He received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA because he was out of action for most of the past 2 seasons with a foot injury (he'll miss 2004 spring drills while recuperating). But I was pleased with the line's progress in this past spring's practice. Fr., DT Alex Morrow, Rs. A new center must emerge, with the candidates coming from sophomore Ryan Kalil, incoming freshman prep All-American Jeff Byers (Loveland High in Loveland, Colo.), who was the national high school player of the year in 2003, and junior walk-on Ross Burruel. He might sprint for the USC track team this spring (he has a best of 10.42 in the 100 meters). [17] The Cal Golden Bears, led by Coach Jeff Tedford, were already ranked their highest since 1991 and looking to earn one of the biggest victories in program history. Other potential returners are junior tailback Hershel Dennis, who led USC in kickoff returns in 2002 (9 KOR, 151 yds, 16.8 avg), senior cornerback Kevin Arbet (4 PR, 19 yds, 4.8 avg in 2003), who led USC in punt returns in 2001 (25 PR, 225, yd, 9.0 avg), and junior cornerback Justin Wyatt (3 KOR, 41 yds, 13.7 avg in 2003). Fr., CB Justin Wyatt, Jr., CB. [22], At halftime USC recognized the 1939 Trojans as National Champions based on their #1 ranking in the contemporary Dickinson System, with surviving members of the team in attendance. [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. There's a lot of leadership in this group. The game against the Bruins was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions. And USC's rushing offense (155.9), though not nationally ranked, was its best since 1991. But, in my. [17], The game was highly touted by the media, with both teams earning praise for their performances. Former standout USC and NFL wide receiver Keary Colbert has spent 3 years on USC's fulltime staff.
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