USC vs. OKLAHOMA ORANGE BOWL NOTES
January 04, 2005 | Football
Jan. 4, 2005
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery
WITH THE USC WIN
- USC extends its overall win streak to 22, longest in the country. It has also won 33 of its last 34, 34 of its last 36, 36 of 39 and 40 of 44.
- Pending the AP vote, USC becomes only the second team ever to be ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll and hold that top ranking the entire season. Florida State did it in 1999. Finishing No. 1 in AP in 2004 would be the 10th time that a team wins consecutive AP national championships.
- USC improves to 49-4-2 in games when ranked No. 1 by AP.
- USC improves to 13-0, its first ever 13-win season.
- USC completes its eighth perfect (unbeaten, untied) season.
- USC improves to 3-0 when playing a No. 2 team when ranked No. 1.
- USC improves to 6-2-1 against Oklahoma and 27-7-2 against Big 12 opponents.
- USC improves to 28-15 in post-season action.
- USC improves to 5-0 when ranked No. 1 and playing in a bowl. The other years were 1962, 1967, 1972 and 2003 and USC won national titles each season.
- Pete Carroll improves to 42-9 as a college coach (all at USC) and is the second USC coach to win back-to-back national championships (Howard Jones in 1931-32).
- USC wins its seventh straight against AP Top 7 teams and 11th in a row against AP Top 25 teams.
- It gives the university its 105 national championship (including all men's and women's sports).
USC's 55 points ties its bowl record (55-14 against Texas Tech in the 1995 Cotton Bowl) and it's the most points scored by Troy since Sept. 13, 2003, against Hawaii (61).
USC has scored at least 20 points in its last 39 games, continuing a school record, and in 41 of its past 42 games ... And USC has scored at least 30 points in 28 of its last 34 games. This is the ninth time this season USC has scored at least 30 points ... USC has scored at least 40 points 22 times under Pete Carroll and the seventh time in 2004.
USC set a school record by defeating an opponent by at least 30 points for the eighth time this season, breaking the old record of seven times set in 1929.
USC's 38 first-half points sets a school record for most points in a half in a postseason game. It breaks the school record set in the 1973 Rose Bowl when USC scored 35 points in the second half (USC defeated Ohio State 42-17).
USC posted unanswered scoring runs of 28 points and 27 points in today's game, the 12th and 13th times this season USC's scored at least 20 points in a row against an opponent.
USC's three interceptions was the seventh time it had at least two in a game this season. USC has now intercepted at least one pass in 33 of the last 36 games.
Matt Leinart Notes
- USC improves to 25-1 when he starts.
- He has now thrown at least one TD pass in all but one game he has started at USC, at least two TDs in all but three games, at least three TDs 13 times, at least four TDs seven times and five TDs for the third time.
- His five TD passes ties a USC record. He's done it three times, twice now this season (also against Notre Dame) and once in 2003 (Oregon State). Rodney Peete (1987) and Carson Palmer (2002) have also done it.
- With his first pass of the Orange Bowl (for 27 yards to Reggie Bush), Matt Leinart, who started the game with 2,990 passing yards, became the first USC QB to pass for at least 3,000 yards in a season twice. He finishes the 2004 season with 3,322 and had 3,556 in 2003. Only 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer (3,942 in 2002) and Rob Johnson (3,630 in 1993) have also done it.
- Leinart's 54-yard TD pass to Dwayne Jarrett and his 50-yarder to Steve Smith was his fifth and sixth 50-yard-plus completions of the season.
- Leinart's 18 completions give him 269, surpassing his total of 255 in 2003 for the third most ever in a season at Troy. He now holds the third and fourth spots on the season completion list. Carson Palmer had 309 in 1993 and Rob Johnson had 308 in 1993.
- He has 71 TD passes for his career, second only to Carson Palmer's 72 in a Trojan career.
- His 332 yards marked the fifth time in his career he's thrown for 300 or more yards in a game in his career and the second time in 2004.
Reggie Bush and LenDale White Notes
- LenDale White became USC's 23rd 1000-yard season rusher after gaining 118 yards, giving him 1,103 for the season ... His 118 yards mark his fifth 100-yard-plus rushing effort this season, ninth of his career.
- Reggie Bush's 27-yard catch on the first USC offensive play, his 45-yard second-quarter run and his 32-yard third-quarter run give him 33 plays of 20 or more yards in 2004.
- Either LenDale White or Reggie Bush have now scored a TD in 24 straight USC games
- White's rushing TD in the first quarter was his 27th rushing TD in 26 games and 30th overall. The 30 TDs ties former Trojan Mike Williams for most TDs by a Trojan by the end of a sophomore year.
- White's 2 TDs give him a team-high 17 for USC.
Steve Smith (113) and Dwayne Jarrett (115) both finished with more than 100 yards receiving, the first time USC has had two receivers break the century mark since Keary Colbert (120) and Mike Williams (112) did it against Notre Dame in 2003.
Steve Smith's 3 TDs receptions in one game ties a USC record held by many (19 times including tonight). His 113 yards mark his third career 100-yard-plus receiving game.
Dwayne Jarrett finished with 115 yards, the fourth 100-yard-plus receiving game of the season. His 54-yard TD reception in the second quarter was his fourth 50-yard-plus reception of the season. Jarrett now has 13 TD catches, second most ever by a USC freshman (Mike Williams, 14 in 2002).
Ryan Killeen's fifth PAT of the game gave him 321 career points, breaking the previous USC career record for points held by Charles White (320). Killeen finished his USC career with 329. Killeen entered the game with seven consecutive successful field goal attempts and made his first two to give him nine in a row, his best streak of his USC career.
Dominique Byrd's 36-yard scoring reception in the first quarter was his longest pass catch of the season. It was his 4th career TD catch, 3rd in 2004 ... His 2nd-quarter rush was his first of his career.
Jason Leach's 2nd-quarter INT was his third of 2004, ninth of his career. It is his second postseason INT after making one in the 2002 Orange Bowl.
Shaun Cody's 2nd-quarter sack was his team-best 10th of the season and 21st of his career.
Matt Grootegoed's fourth-quarter INT is his fifth of the season and sixth of his career.
