But he was not selected because of a judicial stay on that ruling, which was then overturned. [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. First, a starting wide receiver must emerge and we must reconstruct the line. 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. 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. 2001 USC Coaching Staff Head Coach: Pete Carroll (6-6) Offensive Coordinator: Norm Chow Defensive Coordinator: Other Assistant Coaches: Steve Sarkisian (QB Coach) Lane Kiffin (TE Coach) Ed Orgeron (AHC/DL/RC) Best Players on the 2001 USC Trojans Football Team QB Carson Palmer QB Matt Cassel RB Sunny Byrd RB Sultan McCullough WR Kareem Kelly 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. [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. On June 10, 2010, USC was forced to vacate its two final wins from the 2004 season (December 2004 against UCLA and the BCS championship game), as well as all wins from the 2005 season, following an NCAA investigation into possible violations by the Trojans' football and men's basketball programs. It's always difficult to lose a player the caliber of 4-year starter Keary Colbert, USC's career receptions leader (207) who had 1,000-yard receiving seasons the past 2 years (including 1,013 yards and 9 TDs on 69 catches in 2003). [12] Running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White both broke 100 yards each en route to victory. Fr., DE Shaun Cody, Sr., DE-DT Sedrick Ellis, Rs. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. It's no wonder, then, that the Trojans likely will enter the 2004 campaign as a pre-season favorite to repeat as national champs. Marques Tuiasosopo, Tight Ends. ", Head Coach Pete Carroll, 2023 University of Southern California Athletics, United Airlines Field at L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Allyson Felix Field at Loker Track Stadium & Colich Center. [16] The crowd was USC's largest crowd for a non-UCLA/Notre Dame rivalry game since the 1952 Cal game. Headlining the offense will be quarterback Matt Leinart and wide receiver Mike Williams, All-Americans who should figure prominently in this year's Heisman race (they were sixth and eighth, respectively, in last season's voting). In the hunt for the tackle jobs are sophomore Kyle Williams, redshirt freshmen Sam Baker, Drew Radovich and Matt Spanos, plus incoming 370-pound junior Taitusi Lutui (Snow Junior College in Ephraim, Utah), a J.C. All-American. Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, offensive tackle Sam Baker and defensive end Lawrence Jackson were named to the Freshman All-American first team. The USC football coaching staff has been rounded out by Lincoln Riley with the hire of Josh Henson as offensive line coach late Sunday night. [10] The Trojans dominated the Rams en route to a 490 shut out, led by running back LenDale White who ran for 123 yards on 14 carries, scoring three touchdowns. Joining them will be 20 new scholarship players, including 3 who enrolled at USC this past spring and participated in spring practice. [9], Colorado State visited USC in the first meeting between the two programs. 2004 USC Trojans Stats Previous Year Next Year Record: 13-0 (1st of 120) ( Schedule & Results ) Rank: 1st in the Final AP poll Conference: Pac-10 Conference Record: 8-0 Coach: Pete Carroll (13-0) Points For: 496 Points/G: 38.2 (6th of 120) Points Against: 169 More Team Info USC School History 2004 USC Statistics Schedule & Results Roster Game Logs He has an excellent staff of assistant coaches, including 8 from last year-offensive coordinator Norm Chow (the 2002 Broyles Award winner as the nation's top assistant), defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron (named the nation's top recruiter in 2004), Tim Davis (offensive line), Greg Burns (secondary), Lane Kiffin (wide receivers/passing game coordinator), Rocky Seto (he moved from safeties to linebackers this year), Brennan Carroll (tight ends) and Dennis Slutak (special teams)-and 3 newcomers in quarterbacks coach Carl Smith (he has 32 years of experience, including 11 years as an NFL offensive coordinator) and ex-NFL stars Todd McNair (running backs) and Ken Norton Jr. (linebackers). It was the Trojans' first undisputed national championship since 1972, and the second time a team had gone wire-to-wire, with the Trojans holding the number 1 spot in the polls all 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. USC fielded record-setting punt and placekicking squads. [9] See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. The official Football Coach List for the University of Southern California Trojans The official Football Coach List for the University of Southern California Trojans Football Coaches - USC Athletics Skip To Main Content USC Athletics Main Navigation Menu [5] The university filed an appeal of the sanctions which was later denied by the NCAA. [8] The game marked the emergence of running back Reggie Bush, who often lined up at wide receiver, catching five passes for 127 yards and scored three touchdowns in a tight game. [27] USC took the upper hand early on, taking a 140 lead before WSU's offense got on the field; by halftime, it was 350, as the Trojans had 289 yards and 16 first downs to the Cougars 54 and 4. But fourth-year USC head coach Pete Carroll is having none of it. He's a smart quarterback who understands our offense. Senior Gregg Guenther Jr. (17 rec, 167 yds, 9.8 avg, 2 TD in 2003, plus 1 blk FG) became the starter by mid-2003 and performed well. "We understand how to handle personnel losses and move on," said Carroll. Chris McFoy, So. 2 tackler last season. Both have a knack for creating havoc. So we must take our game to the next level and be ready for everyone's best shot.". 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). [32] USC set both a school home attendance (511,373) as well as the Pac-10 home per game average attendance (85,229) records. [2] Despite low expectations, the Bruins were able to shut down Leinart and give the Trojans a close game that was not decided until the final minutes. USC's defense last season posted a national-best 55 sacks, forced 42 turnovers and scored 8 touchdowns (and had 2 safeties). [19], The quality of play met expectations and had major ramifications for both programs that season: It would be the only game the Bears would lose in the regular season, costing them a shot at the national title and their first BCS bowl appearance, including what could've been their first appearance at the Rose Bowl since 1959; and it was the Trojans' toughest game of the season on their way to winning the national championship in the Orange Bowl. "Linebacker is the great strength of our defense," said Carroll. Cody, Patterson and Grootegoed are All-American candidates. Fr. ", OFFENSIVE LINEMEN Sam Baker, Rs. Although returning 11 starters from 2005, the team lost eleven players to the National Football League (NFL), including 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart, and 2005 Heisman winner, Reggie Bush. Only 2-year starting weakside linebacker Melvin Simmons is gone (he had 55 tackles and 3 fumble recoveries last season). [33], The top-ranked Trojans visited the Bruins for their annual crosstown rivalry game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on the 75th anniversary of the first USC-UCLA game in 1929. "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 2021 Gamecocks football coaching staff is complete. It would be USC last win at Oregon State until 2013. For a while, it appeared that Williams--who has 176 receptions for 2,579 yards and a USC record 30 touchdowns in his 2-year career--would not return in 2004 after taking advantage of a court ruling to leave after his sophomore year for the NFL. But nobody else has seen significant action at this level yet. QB Mark Sanchez. Rd. 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. Frank Suffel and Henry H. Goddard were playing coaches for the first team which was put together by quarterback Arthur Carroll, who in turn volunteered to make the pants for the team and later became a tailor. Fr. 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. "I truly believe we have put together an elite group of coaches that will help build this football program back to national prominence. On the inside, there is senior walk-on Marco Chavez (he sat out 2003 after transferring from Hawaii), plus sophomore Oscar Lua, who was sidelined most of last season because of a knee injury (he missed some of 2004 spring drills while recuperating). The championship game against the Sooners was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions and USC was stripped of the 2004 BCS title. Playing its first game on November 14 of that year against the Alliance Athletic Club, USC achieved a 16-0 victory. Senior tight end Matt Cassel could be his backup. [24], USC became the first top-ranked team to visit Pullman, Washington, as the Trojans took on the Cougars at a sold-out Martin Stadium. But I was pleased with the line's progress in this past spring's practice. (213) 740-4204. [39], The Sooners scored first, having stopped an opening USC drive. ", DEFENSIVE BACKS Kevin Arbet, Sr., CB Darnell Bing, So., S Chris Bocage, Sr., S Greg Farr, Sr., S Alex Gomez, Jr., CB Jason Leach, Sr., S Ronald Nunn, Sr., CB Josh Pinkard, In. [7] This was the first time the two teams had competed in football;[7] and with the game held only three hours away from Virginia Tech, the crowd was dominated by Hokies fans. He also had stops as wide receivers coach at Richmond (2004) and Western . But all is not lost, as 2 starters returnand they're among the nation's best. Defensively, Troy should be strong at linebacker and up the middle from front to back, while the ends and corners must be replaced. QB John David Booty. His 65 PATs last fall were a Pac-10 season record and his 19 field goals tied the USC season mark. The first from 1988-2004, and second . 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. Former standout USC and NFL wide receiver Keary Colbert has spent 3 years on USC's fulltime staff. 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. Other key defenders returning with starting experience include linebacker Dallas Sartz (6 starts), end Frostee Rucker (5 starts), and cornerbacks Ronald Nunn and Kevin Arbet (he missed 2002 and most of 2003 with a foot injury). Joining the signalcalling corps this fall as a freshman is prep All-American Rocky Hinds (St. Bernard High in Playa del Rey, Calif.). 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. The team also won the AP title for the second year in a row. The team also won the AP title for the second year in a row. football@usc.edu. Coach: Henry Bibby (2-2), Jim Saia (10-15) PS/G: 74.4 (55th of 330) PA/G: 76.8 (315th of 330) So the competition for playing time will be intense. [28], USC clinched its third consecutive conference championship with a victory over the visiting Arizona Wildcats. So he sought to have his collegiate eligibility restored (as of mid-July, the NCAA hadn't ruled). Troy led the nation in net punting (43.7 avg.) [6][14] Both USC and Stanford had just previously beat BYU in convincing fashion; however, Stanford had the added benefit of a bye week to rest and reorganize between games. He was sixth nationally in receptions (7.3, second in Pac-10) and 10th in receiving yards (101.1, third in Pac-10) in 2003. . [8] Although Virginia Tech was not ranked going into the game, they ended the season ranked 9th, going 103 (71 in the ACC), becoming ACC Champions in their first year in the conference and were invited to the 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl. [43] Dating back to former Trojan QB Carson Palmer's 2002 season, it was the third year in a row that a Trojan was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Alex Grinch. If we can have that kind of work ethic, we'll be on the right track.". Reggie Bush will be a key in the Trojans' running game this season. Jimmy Miller, In. [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. For a while, it appeared that Williams--who has 176 receptions for 2,579 yards and a USC record 30 touchdowns in his 2-year career--would not return in 2004 after taking advantage of a court ruling to leave after his sophomore year for the NFL. He'll long be remembered for his spectacular one-handed, Frisbee-like TD grab against Oregon State last fall. The Trojans returned a kickoff for a TD for the first time since 1998. Making the second team where RB LenDale White, OT Sam Baker and S Darnell Bing, and honorable mentions to TE Dominique Byrd, TE Alex Holmes, WR Dwayne Jarrett, S Jason Leach, LB Dallas Sartz, DT Manuel Wright and CB Justin Wyatt. He has a good arm and is a leader. Fr. 2004 Cotton Bowl and 2004 . I really like what our returning defensive players bring. And he punctuated USC's Rose Bowl victory over Michigan by catching a 15-yard scoring pass off a reverse. WIDE RECEIVERS William Buchanon, Jr. Greig Carlson, Jr. Fred Davis, Fr. Fr. But both snappers (short snapper Joe Boskovich and long snapper Matt Hayward) must be replaced. "The reconstruction of our offensive line will be critical," said Carroll. It's possible he'll concentrate solely on basketball in his senior season. 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. The game against the Bruins was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions. And the Trojan defense-whose +1.33 turnover margin and +111 takeaways in Carroll's first 3 seasons are best in the nation-topped the country in 2003 in rushing defense. [23], The struggling Washington Huskies visited the Trojans for the 75th meeting in the series, with the Trojans dominating 380. Of course, Carroll-who doubles as the defensive coordinator-isn't the only one responsible for the success of these players. Fr., DT Manuel Wright, So., DT. "They're both really hard to block and are relentless in how they play the game. Last season, he had 95 catches for 1,314 yards and a USC record 16 TDs. "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," said Carroll, who is 29-9 at USC (including 10-0 in November). We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. 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). USC's 2014 coaching staff is rare in that it features two coaches who won bowl games in 2013neither of whom are the head coach. [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. "We had a lot of weapons and scored lots of points. He ended up as the Trojans' leading tackler in 2003.