MarkThisDate

No.8 USC 23, No.6 Auburn 0 USC 10 0 6 7 - 23Aubu
rn 0 0 0 0 - 0


First Quarter
USC-Williams 5 pass from Leinart (Killeen kick), 12:38.
USC-FG Killeen 28, 3:21.

Third Quarter USC-FG Killeen 42, 11:50.
USC-FG 34 Killeen, 7:22.

Fourth Quarter
USC-Dennis 14 run (Killeen kick), 13:51.

A-86,063.


USC Aub
First downs 16 11
Rushes-yards 36-123 36-43
Passing 192 121
Comp-Att-Int 17-30-1 12-26-1
Return Yards 11 90
Punts-Avg. 7-45.1 10-36.3
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2
Penalties-Yards 4-43 4-30
Time of Possession 32:15 27:45


INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-USC, Dennis 21-85, Washington 3-24, Bush 5-9, White 5-6, Leinart 2-(minus 1). Auburn, Williams 12-40, Brown 8-28, Campbell 16-(minus 25).

PASSING-USC, Leinart 17-30-1-192. Auburn, Campbell 12-26-1-121.

RECEIVING-USC, Williams 8-104, Byrd 3-63, Colbert 2-13, Smith 1-7, Guenther 1-6, Wyatt 1-5, Bush 1-(minus 6). Auburn, Obomanu 4-53, Taylor 4-43, McIntyre 3-25, Brown 1-0.



By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer


AUBURN, Ala. - Southern California used a smothering defense to turn a much-hyped matchup into an ugly mismatch.


Matt Leinart passed for 192 yards in his first start and the eighth-ranked Trojans set up 17 points with three turnovers in a 23-0 season-opening win over sixth-ranked Auburn.


The Trojans, who won the final eight games of last season, hardly seemed to miss Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer.


The Tigers hadn't been a preseason Top 10 team since 1995, but were shut out at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time since a 19-0 loss to Virginia in the 1998 opener. They never got past USC's 33-yard line and were outgained 315-164.


The Trojans muzzled the Tigers' heralded tailbacks Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown, and harassed quarterback Jason Campbell into a fumble and an interception.


USC dominated physically on both lines of scrimmage.


The Trojans only allowed four of 13 opponents to rush for 100 yards last season and limited the Tigers to 43 yards on 36 carries.


Leinart, a sophomore who didn't throw a pass as Palmer's backup last season, was 17-of-30 and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, making few mistakes in his starting debut. Williams had eight catches for 104 yards.


Hershel Dennis ran for 85 yards on 21 carries. His 14-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter set a few thousand Auburn fans scurrying for the exits after watching the Tigers turn in a listless performance. Daniel Urquhart set up that score by knocking the ball loose from Campbell on the previous play.


Auburn was a popular pick to win the Southeastern Conference, but it was USC that looked more likely to live up to its preseason billing as the Pac-10 favorite.


USC took a 13-0 lead when Ryan Killeen made a 42-yard field goal to cap the opening drive of the second half. Leinart hit wide-open tight end Dominique Byrd for a 42-yard gain and Dennis converted a fourth-and-1 on the drive.


Auburn's troubles started early.


Freshman Darnell Bing picked off Campbell on the third play of the game, giving USC the ball 20 yards from the end zone.


Three plays later, Leinart found Williams in the end zone.


Killeen, who kicked three field goals, added a 28-yarder with 3:21 left in the first quarter.


The Tigers had just eight yards on their first three possessions, and weren't able to get their passing game going.


Campbell was 12-of-26 for 121 yards and often was forced to tuck the ball and run when he wasn't being sacked. He lost 25 yards on 16 carries.

Box Score (Final) BYU vs #4 USC Trojans
(Sep 06, 2003 at Los Angeles, Calif.)


Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
BYU................. 0 5 7 6 - 18 Record: (1-1)
USC Trojans......... 21 0 0 14 - 35 Record: (2-0)





Scoring Summary:
1st 10:02 USC - Williams, Mike 1 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 5-21 2:18, BYU 0 - USC 7
02:43 USC - Colbert, Keary 48 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 7-80 3:23, BYU 0 - USC 14
02:34 USC - Nazel, Omar 16 yd interception return (Killeen, Ryan kick), , BYU 0 - USC 21
2nd 02:51 BYU - BILLS, K.C. safety, , BYU 2 - USC 21
00:00 BYU - PAYNE, Matt 53 yd field goal, 2-9 0:08, BYU 5 - USC 21
3rd 11:51 BYU - COATS, Daniel 14 yd pass from BERRY, Matt (PAYNE, Matt kick), 9-80 2:42, BYU 12 - USC 21
4th 14:03 BYU - PAYNE, Matt 26 yd field goal, 7-78 2:53, BYU 15 - USC 21
07:05 BYU - PAYNE, Matt 52 yd field goal, 7-43 3:22, BYU 18 - USC 21
04:11 USC - Williams, Mike 18 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 6-57 2:54, BYU 18 - USC 28
01:40 USC - Dennis, Hershel 11 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 1-11 0:05, BYU 18 - USC 35




BYU USC
FIRST DOWNS................... 19 17
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 26-46 33-71
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 313 235
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 46-29-3 34-19-3
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 72-359 67-306
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 2-2 2-8
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 6-111 3-81
Interception Returns-Yards.... 3-23 3-16
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 6-44.3 6-52.0
Fumbles-Lost.................. 3-2 0-0
Penalties-Yards............... 10-91 7-69
Possession Time............... 31:15 28:45
Third-Down Conversions........ 4 of 14 5 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 0 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 2-2 3-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 4-22 6-37


RUSHING: BYU-BRATHWAITE, Rey 8-51\; BECK, John 4-29\; STANCIL, Thomas
1-6\; TAHI, Naufahu 3-6\; VAKAPUNA, Tafui 2-0\; HALE, Chris 1-minus 8\; BERRY,
Matt 7-minus 38. USC Trojans-Dennis, Hershel 16-40\; Bush, Reggie 6-19\;
Smith, Steve 1-8\; Washington, C. 3-8\; Leinart, Matt 7-minus 4.


PASSING: BYU-BERRY, Matt 27-39-3-297\; BECK, John 1-5-0-12\; MORTENSEN,
Todd 1-2-0-4. USC Trojans-Leinart, Matt 19-34-3-235.


RECEIVING: BYU-COATS, Daniel 8-114\; CHRISTENSEN, Da 3-46\; HALE, Chris
3-20\; BRATHWAITE, Rey 3-12\; JORY, Justin 2-22\; WILKERSON, Rod 2-15\; TAHI,
Naufahu 2-15\; VAKAPUNA, Tafui 2-15\; KUKAHIKO, Jason 2-6\; CHRISTENSEN, To
1-44\; STANCIL, Thomas 1-4. USC Trojans-Williams, Mike 10-124\; Colbert, Keary
3-68\; Byrd, Dominique 2-19\; Wyatt, Justin 2-15\; Guenther Jr, G 1-7\; Lewis,
Whitney 1-2.


INTERCEPTIONS: BYU-BRANDON, Josh 1-15\; DENNEY, John 1-8\; POPPINGA,
Brady 1-0. USC Trojans-Nazel, Omar 1-16\; Allmond, M. 1-0\; Poole, Will 1-0.


FUMBLES: BYU-CHRISTENSEN, Da 1-1\; TAHI, Naufahu 1-1\; HALE, Chris 1-0.
USC Trojans-None.


Stadium: LA Coliseum Attendance: 75315
Kickoff time: 5:08 End of Game: 8:29 Total elapsed time: 3:21
Officials: Referee: David Cutaia\; Umpire: Doug Wilson\; Linesman: Bob Beal\;
Line judge: Manuel Alonzo\; Back judge: M. Aaronian\; Field judge: D. Spriesterbch\;
Side judge: R. Petkevicius\; Scorer: Ned Miller\;
Temperature: 84 Wind: 6 mph Weather: sunny and humid


No. 4 Trojans Take Care Of BYU

Mike Williams caught two touchdowns to lead USC.

Sept 6, 2003

By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer


LOS ANGELES - The Southern California Trojans got off to a great start, stumbled badly, then came back strong.

After building a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, the fourth-ranked Trojans (2-0) allowed BYU (1-1) to close within three points with 7:05 left before closing out the 35-18 win with two late touchdowns Saturday night.

\"We expected it to be very hard and it certainly didn't disappoint us. They just kind of pecked away,\" USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Matt Leinart then threw his third touchdown pass - and second to Mike Williams - with 4:41 remaining. Shortly after, the Trojans recovered a fumble at the BYU 11 and Hershel Dennis scored on the next play to seal the win in the first game between the schools.

\"BYU played a great game defensively. It's tough to make adjustments against them and I had some poor execution,\" said Leinart, who went 19-for-34 for 235 yards, threw three interceptions and was sacked for a safety.

\"But we did what we had to do. We won and we'll move on to next week.\"

Williams was wide open in the seam of the defense when Leinart connected with him for the 18-yard score to help the Trojans win their 10th in a row dating back to last year.

BYU coach Gary Crowton was encouraged by the comeback.

\"It's hard to come back when you fall behind a team like this 21-0, but I think we're a good team, and I think SC would agree,\" Crowton said.

Dennis capped the scoring with his TD run with 1:40 remaining after linebacker Matt Grootegoed recovered a fumble by the Cougars' Naufahu Tahi.

Williams had 10 receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

\"I thought Mike was just spectacular,\" Carroll said. \"His plays were just spectacular because they weren't easy plays\; he made some very difficult catches.

\"It was great because we needed somebody to make some plays tonight.\"
BYU's Matt Berry completed 27-of-39 for 297 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions. Daniel Coats had eight catches for 114 yards.

\"We just squandered opportunities. We beat ourselves,\" Berry said. \"At halftime, we felt like we had momentum and felt like we could beat them.\"

Trailing 21-5 at halftime, the Cougars (1-1) got a 14-yard touchdown pass from Berry to Coats and field goals of 26 and 52 yards by Matt Payne to close the gap to 21-18.

The Cougars put together their first sustained drive of the game to pull within 21-12 early in the third quarter, covering 80 yards in nine plays and capping the march with Berry's 14-yard throw to Coats.

USC capitalized on BYU's mistakes to build the 21-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Cougars took advantage of two poor plays by the Trojans in the second quarter to trim the lead to 21-5 by halftime.

After defensive lineman John Denney batted a pass by Leinart into the air then intercepted and returned it 8 yards to the USC 45, Payne kicked his first of three field goals, a 53-yarder, as time expired in the half.

Leinart also figured in the Cougars' first score, which extended their NCAA record to 352 consecutive games without being shut out. Leinart, throwing out of the Trojans' end zone, was dragged down by linebacker K.C. Bills for a safety 2:51 before halftime.

USC scored twice in a 9-second span late in the first quarter. Two plays after Colbert turned a quick slant pass from Leinart into the 48-yard touchdown with 2:43 left in the quarter, Trojans defensive end Omar Nazel snared a screen pass from Berry in the BYU backfield and raced 16 yards to the end zone for a 21-0 lead.

A personal foul by BYU, a late hit on Leinart out of bounds, kept the Trojans' drive alive, or USC would have been forced to punt.

Southern California's first touchdown came after the Cougars' David Christensen fumbled a punt and Melvin Simmons recovered at the BYU 21. Leinart threw the 1-yard scoring pass to Williams 5 minutes into the contest.

No. 4 USC 61, Hawaii 32 Hawaii 3 3 7 19 - 32U
SC 3 28 21 9 - 61


First Quarter
USC-FG Killeen 24, 7:51.
Haw-FG Ayat 35, 1:18.


Second Quarter
USC-Nunn 48 fumble return (Killeen kick), 11:46.


USC-Bush 23 run (Killeen kick), 4:58.
USC-Colbert 32 pass from Leinart (Killeen kick), 1:35.
USC-Williams 33 pass from Leinart (Killeen kick), :29.





Third Quarter
USC-Bush 32 run (Killen kick), 10:43.
USC-Leach 25 interception return (Killeen kick), 5:28l.
USC-White 5 run (Killeen kick), 4:45.
Haw-Owens 5 pass from Chang (Ayat kick), 1:25.





Fourth Quarter
Haw-Cockheran 14 pass from Chang (Ayat kick), 8:59.
USC-White 20 run (Killeen kick), 7:38.
USC-Safety, Tofi tackled Chang in end zone, 7:15.
Haw-Rivers 14 pass from Whieldon (kick failed), 1:41.
Haw-Owens 22 pass from Whieldon (kick failed), :00.


A-73,654.



Haw USC
First downs 26 21
Rushes-yards 16-63 33-164
Passing 399 254
Comp-Att-Int 40-67-2 18-26-0
Return Yards 0 65
Punts-Avg. 4-41 3-54
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 3-2
Penalties-Yards 7-65 5-41
Time of Possession 32:43 27:17



INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Hawaii, Keliikipi 8-57, Brewster 3-24, West 2-4, Chang 3-(minus 22). USC, White 10-58, Bush 9-54, Dennis 9-52, Washington 3-8, Leinart 2- (minus 8).


PASSING-Hawaii, Chang 32-54-2-306, Whieldon 8-12-0-93, Kapanui 0-1-0-0. USC, Leinart 15-21-0-220, Cassel 2-3-0-21, Hance 1-2-0-13.


RECEIVING-Hawaii, Cockheran 10-117, Owens 10-98, Welch 4-43, Komine 4-37, Brewster 4-26, Poumele 2-38, Keliikipi 2-18, Rivers 2-12, West 2-10. USC, Cobert 5-86, Williams 3-70, Byrd 3-28, Dennis 2-5, Bush 1-28, McFoy 1-15, Katnik 1-13, Washington 1-6, Kirtman 1-3.


A Trojan Trouncing!

The win was the USC's fifth in five games against Hawaii.

Sept 13, 2003

By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer


LOS ANGELES - Southern California coach Pete Carroll was eager to get the Trojans' running game going.

The fourth-ranked Trojans (3-0) got virtually everything going against Hawaii on Saturday, rolling to a 61-32 victory for their 11th consecutive win.

Freshmen Reggie Bush and LenDale White each ran for a pair of touchdowns, and Matt Leinart threw for two scores.

The defense held Warriors quarterback Timmy Chang in check most of the game, and even chipped in with a pair of touchdowns and a safety as USC built a 52-6 lead in the third quarter.

\"I thought this was a particularly good game for the offense,\" Carroll said. \"We wanted to establish some consistency in the running game, and to take a look at some of our young running backs. Matt Leinart had an excellent game.

\"We played so well coming out of the half, it gave us a chance to get a lot of guys playing time. Those guys work so hard on the practice field, so it was a gift from the first two units of offense and defense to the rest of the guys.\"

Leinart completed 15 of 21 passes for 200 yards and didn't play after the third quarter. White had 58 yards on 10 carries, and Bush had 54 on nine carries as the Trojans netted 164 yards on the ground.

\"They're as good as people say they are. They play hard in all phases.\"

The Trojans took control against the Warriors (1-1) with four touchdowns in the second quarter - three in the final 4:29 before halftime - for a 31-6 lead.

Although Carroll was pleased to be able to substitute freely in the second half, he still cringed a bit as Hawaii began moving the ball late in the third quarter and again in the fourth.

\"We suffered a little bit with every yard they picked up,\" he said.


Chang, who threw for 4,474 yards last year as a sophomore, went 32-of-54 for 306 yards, with two touchdowns. He threw two interceptions in what was his season debut\; he sat out Hawaii's 40-17 opening win over Appalachian State because of an academic problem.

Chang said the Trojans lived up to their billing.

\"They're as good as people say they are,\" he said. \"They play hard in all phases.\"

The win was the Trojans' fifth in five games against Hawaii. They've outscored the Warriors 234-50 in the series that dates to their 52-0 win in 1930, the last time before Saturday that Hawaii had played in the Coliseum.

USC beat the Warriors 62-7 at Aloha Stadium in 1999, June Jones' debut as the Hawaii coach.

The Warriors didn't fare much better in the rematch.

\"The defense played good at times, but missed a lot of tackles,\" Jones said. \"Timmy Chang was sharp early. Toward the end, I kept him in to battle through the adversity. All in all, he did well.\"

Cornerback Ronald Nunn started the Trojans' outburst with a 38-yard fumble return for a touchdown 3:14 into the second quarter. After Hawaii's Justin Ayat kicked a 20-yard field goal, Bush scored on a 23-yard run 4:58 before halftime to make it 17-6, and Keary Colbert caught Leinart's 32-yard TD pass with 1:35 left.

The Trojans held the Warriors again and got the ball back on their own 36 with 1:05 left in the half. Leinart quickly took them down the field, hooking up with Mike Williams on a 33-yard scoring play with 29 seconds on the clock.

The first USC touchdown, Nunn's fumble return, came when Hawaii receiver Gerald Welch appeared to bobble the ball and then drop it, but it was ruled a completed pass and fumble.


\"I got no clarification,\" Jones said. \"Either he didn't have the ball and it's incomplete or he had the ball and lost it when his knee was down.\"

The second half was mostly mop-up time.

Bush scored on a 27-yard run, Jason Leach returned an interception off Chang 25 yards for another score, and White scored on a 5-yard run to open the 52-6 lead with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

Chang finally got the Warriors into the end zone with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chad Owens late in the third quarter. He threw a 14-yarder to Jeremiah Cockheran in the fourth.

White ran 21 yards in the fourth quarter for his second touchdown.

Ryan Killeen put the Trojans on the board with a 24-yard field goal midway through the first quarter after Hawaii had failed to pick up a first down on a fake punt at its own 46. Ayat kicked a 35-yarder to even it at 3 late in the period.

The Trojans' last loss was a 30-27 overtime defeat at Washington State on Oct. 5. Since then, they've scored 30 or more points 10 times, including a 38-17 Orange Bowl victory over Iowa.

CALIFORNIA 34, No. 3 USC 31, 3OTScore by Quarters
1 2 3 4 OT Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -- -----
Southern California. 7 0 14 3 7 - 31 Record: (3-1,0-1)
California.......... 7 14 0 3 10 - 34 Record: (3-3,1-0)

Scoring Summary:
1st 11:02 CAL - Rodgers, Aaron 3 yd run (Fredrickson, T. kick), 9-77 3:58, USC 0 - CAL 7
02:47 USC - Dominique Byrd 27 yd pass from Matt Leinart (Ryan Killeen kick), 8-69 2:07, USC 7 - CAL 7
2nd 14:12 CAL - Cross, Garrett 2 yd pass from Rodgers, Aaron (Fredrickson, T. kick), 7-58 3:35, USC 7 - CAL 14
08:09 CAL - Toler, Burl 27 yd pass from Rodgers, Aaron (Fredrickson, T. kick), 10-83 4:24, USC 7 - CAL 21
3rd 07:26 USC - LenDale White 6 yd run (Ryan Killeen kick), 6-80 2:07, USC 14 - CAL 21
07:16 USC - Lofa Tatupu 26 yd interception return (Ryan Killeen kick), , USC 21 - CAL 21
4th 09:04 CAL - Fredrickson, T. 51 yd field goal, 11-61 5:56, USC 21 - CAL 24
00:16 USC - Ryan Killeen 33 yd field goal, 11-34 4:38, USC 24 - CAL 24
OT 15:00 CAL - Makonnen, J. 20 yd pass from Robertson, R. (Fredrickson, T. kick), 10-0 0:00, USC 24 - CAL 31
15:00 USC - Keary Colbert 10 yd pass from Matt Leinart (Ryan Killeen kick), 10-0 0:00, USC 31 - CAL 31
15:00 CAL - Fredrickson, T. 38 yd field goal, 4-4 0:00, USC 31 - CAL 34




USC CAL
FIRST DOWNS................... 18 24
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 24-99 48-143
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 277 326
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 39-21-3 37-27-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 63-376 85-469
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 1-5 4-36
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 3-51 4-72
Interception Returns-Yards.... 2-26 3-15
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 5-40.4 3-37.7
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 2-2
Penalties-Yards............... 8-73 7-60
Possession Time............... 21:34 38:26
Third-Down Conversions........ 3 of 12 11 of 18
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 1 of 1 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 3-4 3-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 2-11 0-0


RUSHING: Southern California-Hershel Dennis 14-53\; Mike Williams
1-17\; Keary Colbert 1-11\; Reggie Bush 4-7\; LenDale White 2-6\; Matt Leinart
2-5. California-Echemandu, A. 34-147\; Strang, Vincent 1-4\; Rodgers, Aaron
8-1\; O'Keith, Marcus 2-minus 1\; TEAM 1-minus 1\; Robertson, R. 2-minus 7.


PASSING: Southern California-Matt Leinart 21-39-3-277.
California-Rodgers, Aaron 18-25-2-217\; Robertson, R. 9-12-0-109.


RECEIVING: Southern California-Keary Colbert 8-81\; Mike Williams
6-96\; Dominique Byrd 2-60\; G Guenther Jr 2-24\; Hershel Dennis 2-7\; Steve
Smith 1-9. California-Makonnen, J. 7-104\; Cross, Garrett 7-41\; McArthur,
Geoff 5-57\; Toler, Burl 4-81\; Echemandu, A. 2-35\; Manderino, C. 1-5\;
Arrington, JJ 1-3.


INTERCEPTIONS: Southern California-Lofa Tatupu 1-26\; Will Poole 1-0.
California-Slater, Sid 1-0\; Giordano, Matt 1-15\; McCleskey, D. 1-0.


FUMBLES: Southern California-Hershel Dennis 1-1.
California-Arrington, JJ 1-1\; Rodgers, Aaron 1-1.


Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 51208
Kickoff time: 1540 PDT End of Game: 1916 PDT Total elapsed time: 3:36
Officials: Referee: Riese\; Umpire: Granado\; Linesman: Rinne\;
Line judge: Weseloh\; Back judge: Wilson\; Field judge: Gilchrist\;
Side judge: Glenn\; Scorer: Gordon/Hall\;
Temperature: 65 F Wind: NW 2-4 Weather: Clear at kickoff


No. 3 Trojans Lose Heartbreaker To Cal

USC falls 34-31 in triple overtime despite blocking two game-winning field goals.
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer

BERKELEY, Calif. - Tyler Fredrickson's last two field goal attempts had been blocked, so the California kicker had terse instructions for the final try.

Get the ball to the middle of the field. Get a good snap. Stand back for a celebration.

Fredrickson made a 38-yard field goal to end a third crazy overtime as Cal upset No. 3 Southern California 34-31 Saturday, ending the Trojans' 11-game winning streak with a victory that stretched past dusk and decades of history.

Ryan Killeen, who tied it with a 33-yard field goal for the Trojans with 16 seconds left in regulation, missed a 39-yarder moments before Fredrickson's kick. Fredrickson, a former walk-on, began yelling instructions at his teammates and coaches moments before his final attempt.

\"We moved the ball back about a yard,\" Fredrickson said. \"It's not the way you'd do things ideally, but they had blocked two kicks. It got to the point where I was going to do anything necessary to end this game. I never doubted that last kick.\"

The temporary lighting installed at Memorial Stadium for the afternoon start was at full power when the game ended in near-dark. Fredrickson ran to midfield and slid on his knees after the kick - and he was soon engulfed by the Cal student section and thousands more in the huge crowd, which stormed the field.

\"I have two headsets on down there on the field, but I thought the crowd was very loud,\" Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. \"The overtime was a roller coaster. It's just so great to see the look in our kids' eyes. They never have a doubt. They play their tails off for as long as it takes.\"

Cal (3-3) never trailed, but never held a comfortable lead in a tense matchup of two old rivals. The Golden Bears were heavy underdogs against USC's powerful lineup, but they reduced the Trojans to a one-dimensional offensive team in Cal's first home victory over a Top 5 team since upsetting No. 4 USC 28-14 in 1975.

Reggie Robertson relieved starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the third quarter and passed for 217 yards and two scores, while Adimchinobe Echemandu rushed for 147 yards.

After falling behind by 14 points in the first half, USC (3-1) was saved twice by its special teams, which blocked field goals in the fourth quarter and at the end of the first overtime - but the Trojans couldn't score on two of their three overtime possessions.

\"It was very disappointing,\" USC coach Pete Carroll said. \"When you're on a streak, you get to thinking (losing) will never happen to you, but it can. A lot of things happened in the first half. Too many things got away from us.\"

After USC rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit, the teams played three madcap extra periods featuring a fumble, a blocked field goal and outstanding passing by both quarterbacks.

In both teams' Pac-10 opener, the Golden Bears posted the biggest victory yet in Tedford's rebuilding project and snapped the second-longest winning streak in the nation behind Ohio State's 19-gamer.

Matt Leinart overcame a shaky start to go 21-of-39 for 277 yards for the Trojans, but he was intercepted three times. Mike Williams had six receptions for 96 yards, while Keary Colbert had eight catches for 81 yards and an overtime TD for the Trojans, who overcame a 14-point second-half deficit.

\"I take the blame for some of it,\" Leinart said. \"Our offensive line blocked great. We just didn't execute at times, and in the first half we lost focus a little bit.\"

The Trojans didn't endear themselves to Cal with their behavior before the game or during it. According to many Cal players, USC provided trash talk it couldn't back up.

\"They always take us lightly,\" said receiver Jonathan Makonnen, who had seven catches for 104 yards. \"They really don't respect us. They're a talented team, but they were kind of lackadaisical out there.\"

\"I'm not knocking Leinart or their running backs, but I didn't see a whole lot of firepower from them,\" said Echemandu, the first player to rush for 100 yards against USC in 16 games. \"Mike Williams is basically their whole offense.\"

Robertson, who lost his starting job to Rodgers earlier in the month, was ineffective until the fourth quarter, when he led a 61-yard drive capped by Fredrickson's career-best 51-yard field goal with 9:04 left.

Fredrickson's second straight 51-yard attempt was blocked by Shaun Cody with 4:54 left. USC converted a fourth down while driving to the Cal 15, where Killeen easily made the tying kick.

USC fumbled on its first overtime possession, but USC's Gregg Guenther blocked Fredrickson's 29-yard field goal attempt. The teams traded TD passes in the second OT.

The Trojans could only manage a field goal attempt on its third possession, but Killeen's clean kick was wide left.

Rodgers' 3-yard TD keeper in the first quarter was the first rushing score allowed by USC in 23 quarters. He picked apart the Trojans' confused secondary in the first half, leading two scoring drives.

Lofa Tatupu capped USC's second-half comeback by intercepting Rodgers and scampering untouched for a 26-yard game-tying score in the third quarter. Robertson took over on the Bears' next drive.

No. 10 USC 37, ARIZONA STATE 17
Team Statistics (Final)
2003 Arizona State Sun Devil Football
#10 USC vs Arizona State (Oct 04, 2003 at Tempe, Ariz.)


USC ASU

FIRST DOWNS................... 20 20
Rushing..................... 10 9
Passing..................... 10 11
Penalty..................... 0 0
Rushing Attempts.............. 36 44
Yards Gained Rushing.......... 205 127
Yards Lost Rushing............ 7 66
NET YARDS RUSHING............. 198 61
NET YARDS PASSING............. 331 305
Passes Attempted............ 34 38 Passes Completed............ 17 19
Had Intercepted............. 1 1
TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS......... 70 82
TOTAL NET YARDS............... 529 366
Average Gain Per Play....... 7.6 4.5
Fumbles: Number-Lost.......... 2-2 1-1
Penalties: Number-Yards....... 3-12 6-33
Number of Punts-Yards......... 5-226 8-361
Average Per Punt............ 45.2 45.1
Punt Returns: Number-Yards.... 5-66 2-20
Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards. 1-23 2-29
Interceptions: Number-Yards... 1-0 1-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yards.. 0-0 0-0
Miscellaneous Yards........... 0 0
Possession Time............... 28:55 31:05
Third-Down Conversions........ 4 of 13 5 of 18
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 1 of 1 1 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 2-2 3-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 5-43 2-6


Individual Statistics





Individual Statistics (Final)
2003 Arizona State Sun Devil Football
#10 USC vs Arizona State (Oct 04, 2003 at Tempe, Ariz.)



USC


Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
-------------------------------------------------
White, LenDale 21 141 1 140 2 25 6.7
Bush, Reggie 4 27 0 27 0 12 6.8
Dennis, Hershel 4 19 0 19 0 7 4.8
Lewis, Whitney 3 11 0 11 0 6 3.7
Colbert, Keary 1 6 0 6 0 6 6.0
Cassel, Matt 1 0 2 -2 0 0 -2.0
Leinart, Matt 2 1 4 -3 0 1 -1.5
Totals... 36 205 7 198 2 25 5.5


Passing Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack
-------------------------------------------------
Leinart, Matt 23-13-1 289 2 57 1
Cassel, Matt 10-4-0 42 0 39 1
Team 1-0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals... 34-17-1 331 2 57 2


Receiving No. Yds TD Long ----------------------------------------
Williams, Mike 5 108 0 39
Colbert, Keary 5 100 1 57
Byrd, Dominique 2 68 0 55
Hancock, B. 2 42 1 33
Dennis, Hershel 1 12 0 12
Guenther Jr, G 1 3 0 3
White, LenDale 1 -2 0 0
Totals... 17 331 2 57


Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20
----------------------------------------------
Malone, Tom 5 226 45.2 61 0
Totals... 5 226 45.2 61 0


Punts Kickoffs Intercept
All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg
--------------------------------------------------
Carlson, Greig 4 66 20 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wyatt, Justin 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leach, Jason 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Bush, Reggie 0 0 0 1 23 23 0 0 0
Totals... 5 66 20 1 23 23 1 0 0

Field goal attempts
----------------------------------------
Killeen, Ryan 2nd 00:03 45 yds - Good
Killeen, Ryan 4th 11:48 28 yds - Good
Killeen, Ryan 4th 08:35 38 yds - Good


FUMBLES: USC-Bush, Reggie 1-1\; Cassel, Matt 1-1. Arizona State-Hagan, Derek 1-1.



Arizona State


Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
-------------------------------------------------
Hill, Hakim 27 95 21 74 0 14 2.7
Wade, Loren 10 28 2 26 1 11 2.6
Williams, Mike 1 2 0 2 0 2 2.0
Walter, Andrew 6 2 43 -41 0 2 -6.8
Totals... 44 127 66 61 1 14 1.4


Passing Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack
-------------------------------------------------
Walter, Andrew 38-19-1 305 1 35 5
Totals... 38-19-1 305 1 35 5


Receiving No. Yds TD Long
----------------------------------------
Hagan, Derek 8 170 0 35
Fulton, Skyler 4 48 1 18
Hill, Hakim 3 20 0 9
Richardson, T. 2 49 0 34
Karney, Mike 1 10 0 10
Miller, Matt 1 8 0 8
Totals... 19 305 1 35


Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20
----------------------------------------------
Parker, Tim 8 361 45.1 66 3
Totals... 8 361 45.1 66 3


Punts Kickoffs Intercept
All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg
--------------------------------------------------
Stewart, R. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Lightfoot, D. 2 20 11 1 11 11 0 0 0
Golden, Josh 0 0 0 1 18 18 0 0 0
Totals... 2 20 11 2 29 18 1 0 0


Field goal attempts
----------------------------------------
Ainsworth, J. 1st 04:58 47 yds - Missed
Ainsworth, J. 2nd 14:37 25 yds - Good


FUMBLES: USC-Bush, Reggie 1-1\; Cassel, Matt 1-1. Arizona State-Hagan, Derek 1-1.


FUMBLES: USC-Cassel, Matt 1-1\; Bush, Reggie 1-1. Arizona State-Hagan, Derek 1-1.




Leinart Leads Trojans Past ASU

Sophomore quarterback shakes off a leg injury to pass for 289 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Oct 4, 2003


By MEL REISNER AP Sports Writer


TEMPE, Ariz. - Matt Leinart is no longer just the guy trying to replace Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer.

Leinart carved out his own identity Saturday, shaking off a leg injury to rally No. 10 Southern California to a 37-17 victory over Arizona State.
\"I was really proud of Matt Leinart,\" coach Pete Carroll said. \"I thought that was a fantastic effort to come back. He easily could have not finished that game.\"

Carroll might have found his next dominant tailback, too. LenDale White, a freshman with 17 carries coming in, ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 21 attempts.

Ryan Killeen had three field goals for the Trojans (4-1, 1-1 Pac-10), who kept their slim national title hopes alive by winning after a triple-overtime loss at California last week.

The victory left the Trojans one shy of becoming the 10th Division I program with 700.

Southern Cal's defense, which allowed a 100-yard rusher at Cal for the first time in 17 games, held the Sun Devils (2-3, 0-2) to 61 yards rushing and stopped Andrew Walter when it counted. Walter was 19-of-38 for 305 yards, but couldn't prevent Arizona State's third straight loss and fourth in a row to the Trojans.

Walter passed 12 yards for a score to Skyler Fulton in the first quarter, and Loren Wade scored on a 1-yard dive for the Sun Devils in the third.

Derek Hagan had career highs of eight receptions and 170 yards, giving Walter the go-to receiver he's been missing since Shaun McDonald left for the NFL after last season.

\"This was the first time I felt we were clicking,\" Walter said. \"We were running the ball great, throwing the ball on time. It was in rhythm and felt real good. That's a positive.\"

Leinart completed 13 of 23 passes for 289 yards, with scoring strikes of 57 yards to Keary Colbert and 33 yards to Brandon Hancock, in about three quarters.

\"I just wanted to tough it out,\" Leinart said. \"It was bothering me a lot, but they taped up my knee and my ankle. And, you know, we did awesome in the second half. Offensively, defensively, it was just a good game for us.\"

The left-hander, who moved into the starting spot in spring practice, hurt his right leg when linebacker Justin Burks sacked him on USC's first play of the second quarter.

\"I give him credit,\" Sun Devils linebacker Jamar Williams said. \"He took his team on his shoulders and won it for them.\"

USC trailed 10-7 when Leinart left and 17-10 when he returned for the Trojans' first possession of the third with 9:25 remaining.

To begin with, Leinart mostly handed off to White, who capped the drive that tied it at 17 with a 25-yard run.

But it was clear the entire team was energized by Leinart's return.

The defense sacked Andrew Walter twice on Arizona State's next possession, and he passed the Trojans into the lead with a 33-yard throw to Mike Williams at the start and another to Hancock, who finished it by catching the ball in the flat and reaching the end zone thanks to a strong block by Colbert.

Colbert scored with 1:30 left in the third.

Killeen ran the score to 30-17 with fourth-quarter field goals of 28 and 38 yards, and USC clinched the win when defensive lineman Kenechi Udeze stopped Hakim Hill for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Sun Devils 29.

The 225-poound White, the biggest of the Trojans' quartet of young tailbacks, covered the last 23 yards in four carries, scoring on a 6-yard run with 5:12 left.
\"They'd kind of been hinting all week that they were going to go with that bigger back and try to push it downhill more,\" Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter said.

White was humble afterward, saying he had no clue he would get the majority of the work.

\"It's never a personal statement,\" he said. \"It's a team thing with me all the time. I just wanted to come out here today and play hard.\"

The Sun Devils squandered an early opportunity when Reggie Bush fumbled the opening kickoff. Jesse Ainsworth recovered on the USC 34, but three plays resulted in a net loss of five yards, and Arizona State punted.

Colbert took care of most of the yardage on USC's ensuing 95-yard drive, taking a short pass 34 yards on third-and-6 and then catching the bomb from Leinart to make it 7-0 just 3:17 in.

The Sun Devils tied it on Fulton's TD grab minutes later and took a 10-7 lead on Ainsworth's 25-yard field goal 23 seconds into the second quarter.

Box Score Box Score
(Final)
Stanford vs #9 USC Trojans (Oct 11, 2003 at Los Angeles, Calif.)


Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
Stanford............ 0 14 0 7 - 21 Record: (2-2,0-2)
USC Trojans......... 13 28 0 3 - 44 Record: (5-1,2-1)





Scoring Summary:
1st 11:40 USC - Killeen, Ryan 20 yd field goal, 11-77 3:20, STAN 0 - USC 3
09:17 USC - Killeen, Ryan 26 yd field goal, 4-7 1:25, STAN 0 - USC 6
02:57 USC - White, LenDale 6 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 5-53 1:18, STAN 0 - USC 13
2nd 13:58 USC - Williams, Mike 40 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 6-80 1:19, STAN 0 - USC 20
11:29 USC - Williams, Mike 18 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 5-25 2:16, STAN 0 - USC 27
09:59 STAN - Marrero, David 15 yd run (Sgroi, Michael kick), 5-45 1:30, STAN 7 - USC 27
09:59 STAN - Atogwe, O. 22 yd fumble recovery (Sgroi, Michael kick), , STAN 14 - USC 27
07:33 USC - White, LenDale 3 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 6-74 2:16, STAN 14 - USC 34
00:23 USC - Williams, Mike 3 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 10-59 4:58, STAN 14 - USC 41
4th 12:13 USC - Killeen, Ryan 37 yd field goal, 6-23 2:39, STAN 14 - USC 44
00:22 STAN - Danahy, Patrick 1 yd pass from Lewis, Chris (Sgroi, Michael kick), 18-77 5:15, STAN 21 - USC 44





STAN USC
FIRST DOWNS................... 18 22
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 31-86 41-220
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 156 273
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 40-19-2 31-19-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 71-242 72-493
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 1-22 1-16
Punt Returns-Yards............ 2-3 4-29
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 5-135 3-46
Interception Returns-Yards.... 0-0 2-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 5-43.6 3-50.7
Fumbles-Lost.................. 3-2 2-1
Penalties-Yards............... 9-65 9-95
Possession Time............... 29:38 30:22
Third-Down Conversions........ 7 of 16 6 of 13
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 1 of 1 0 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 2-3 7-8
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 0-0 3-22


RUSHING: Stanford-Tolon, Kenneth 11-52\; Marrero, David 9-22\; Lemon,
J.R. 3-11\; Lewis, Chris 3-6\; Bergeron, David 1-5\; Edwards, Trent 4-minus 10.
USC Trojans-White, LenDale 23-108\; Dennis, Hershel 10-80\; Bush, Reggie 6-34\;
Leinart, Matt 1-0\; Team 1-minus 2.


PASSING: Stanford-Lewis, Chris 11-21-1-89\; Edwards, Trent 8-19-1-67.
USC Trojans-Leinart, Matt 18-27-0-260\; Booty, J.D. 1-4-0-13.


RECEIVING: Stanford-Moore, Evan 5-52\; Smith, Alex 3-35\; Powell, Luke
2-26\; Bradford, Mark 2-15\; Tolon, Kenneth 2-5\; McCullum, J. 1-13\; Crochet,
Gerren 1-8\; Pierce, Brett 1-4\; Danahy, Patrick 1-1\; Marrero, David 1-minus
3. USC Trojans-Williams, Mike 7-129\; Colbert, Keary 6-90\; Hancock, B. 3-19\;
Byrd, Dominique 2-30\; Guenther Jr, G 1-5.


INTERCEPTIONS: Stanford-None. USC Trojans-Poole, Will 1-0\; Buchanon,
W. 1-0.


FUMBLES: Stanford-Edwards, Trent 2-1\; Lewis, Chris 1-1. USC
Trojans-Allmond, M. 1-1\; Team 1-0.


Stadium: LA Coliseum Attendance: 68341
Kickoff time: 7:11 End of Game: 10:32 Total elapsed time: 3:21
Officials: Referee: Jay Stricherz\; Umpire: Art Hines\; Linesman: Mike McCabe\;
Line judge: Chuck Czubin\; Back judge: Steve Hudson\; Field judge: David Adams\;
Side judge: C. McDermott\; Scorer: Ned Miller\;
Temperature: 69 Wind: 6 mph Weather: clear


No. 9 Trojans Take It To Stanford

WR Mike Williams caught three touchdown passes in the first half to lead USC.


By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Matt Leinart and Mike Williams had control of the air, and LenDale White took care of the groundwork.


The No. 9 Southern California Trojans (5-1, 2-1 Pac-10) built a big lead early and went on to a 44-21 victory over Stanford (2-2, 0-2) on Saturday night.


\"Everything was clicking - the run, the pass. It was real good to see that,\" said Leinart, who threw Williams three touchdown passes as USC built a 41-14 halftime lead.


White ran for two TDs during the outburst.


\"I like the way the offense is moving the ball,\" coach Pete Carroll said. \"We're running it well, and I'm really pleased with our balance.\"


He should be.


The Trojans had 249 yards passing and 164 rushing for 413 total yards in the first half alone, while holding Stanford to 91 yards. Playing conservatively and sticking to the ground most of the second half, USC finished with 493 yards to Stanford's 242.


\"They dominated us thoroughly,\" Stanford coach Buddy Teevens said. \"We missed a lot of tackles we should have made. We did not cover Williams as well as we should have. But then again, how can you cover him?\"


Leinart and Williams hooked up on scoring passes of 40, 18 and 3 yards.


\"That Mike Williams, he had a beautiful game,\" Carroll said after Williams, a sophomore, caught the 21st touchdown pass of his 19-game career.


White, a powerful 6-foot-2, 225-pound freshman, scored on runs of 6 and 3 yards as the Trojans took command.


John David Booty, an 18-year-old freshman quarterback who skipped his senior season of high school in Shreveport, La., to come to USC, made his college debut early in the fourth quarter. Booty finished 1-of-4 for 13 yards.


Leinart, picking the Stanford secondary apart, went 18-of-27 for 260 yards and the three touchdowns. Williams had seven catches for 129 yards, all in the first half. White carried 23 times for 108 yards.


Southern California's defense was just as impressive. Kenechi Udeze led the way with three sacks and two forced fumbles.

\"I thought that all four of us (the defensive line) did a good job to get to the quarterback,\" Udeze said.


Williams' touchdowns came on a variety of receptions. On the 40-yard scoring play, he sprinted down on a post pattern, sliced in front of a pair of defenders, caught the ball in stride and headed untouched to the end zone to give USC a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.


Just 2:29 later, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Williams caught a pass between two defenders in the end zone. With 23 seconds left in the half, Williams feinted outside, cut across the middle and had a half-step on the defender as Leinart again threw right on target for the 3-yard TD.


By halftime, Leinart was 16-of-23 for 249 yards, with Williams accounting for 129 of those yards. Keary Colbert had five receptions for 87 yards by halftime and finished with six for 90 yards.


White scored the Trojans' first touchdown on a tackle-breaking 6-yard run late in the first quarter. Earlier, Ryan Killeen kicked the first two of his three field goals.


After falling behind 27-0, the Cardinal scored twice during a 10-second span five minutes into the second quarter. David Marrero ran 15 yards to score on a drive started by Nick Sebes' 51-yard kickoff return and helped by a personal foul penalty against USC on the play before Marrero's touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, Stanford's Oshiomogho Atogwe ripped the ball out of the grasp of USC returner Marcell Allmond and ran 22 yards to score.


The Trojans pulled away again on White's 3-yard TD run and Leinart's short scoring pass to Williams.


Stanford didn't score again until there were 22 seconds left to play.

Box Score #5 USC vs Notre Dame (Oct 18\
, 2003 at Notre Dame, Ind.)


Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
USC................. 21 7 10 7 - 45 Record: (6-1)
Notre Dame.......... 14 0 0 0 - 14 Record: (2-4)





Scoring Summary:
1st 12:25 USC - Colbert, Keary 18 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 8-80 2:35, USC 7 - ND 0
08:34 ND - Jones,Julius 22 yd run (Fitzpatrick,D. kick), 10-73 3:51, USC 7 - ND 7
07:07 USC - Bush, Reggie 58 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 4-80 1:27, USC 14 - ND 7
04:02 ND - Fasano,Anthony 2 yd pass from Quinn,Brady (Fitzpatrick,D. kick), 7-43 3:05, USC 14 - ND 14
00:37 USC - Williams, Mike 7 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 10-80 3:25, USC 21 - ND 14
2nd 05:32 USC - Dennis, Hershel 3 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 7-80 2:27, USC 28 - ND 14
3rd 11:09 USC - Guenther Jr, G. 7 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 4-61 1:13, USC 35 - ND 14
06:58 USC - Killeen, Ryan 29 yd field goal, 8-42 2:25, USC 38 - ND 14
4th 05:38 USC - Dennis, Hershel 2 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 13-80 6:46, USC 45 - ND 14





USC ND
FIRST DOWNS................... 29 16
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 45-195 36-111
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 356 168
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 36-27-0 34-15-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 81-551 70-279
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 3-11 0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 0-0 4-115
Interception Returns-Yards.... 0-0 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 1-24.0 7-35.1
Fumbles-Lost.................. 2-1 1-1 Penalties-Yards............... 6-42 9-85
Possession Time............... 33:30 26:30
Third-Down Conversions........ 4 of 11 7 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 2 of 4 0 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 6-7 1-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 4-17 3-6


RUSHING: USC-Bush, Reggie 6-89\; White, LenDale 16-75\; Dennis, Hershel 10-38\; Washington, C.
6-8\; Team 2-minus 3\; Woodert, Andre 1-minus 3\; Leinart, Matt 4-minus 9. Notre Dame-Jones,Julius
18-84\; Grant,Ryan 12-27\; Quinn,Brady 6-0.


PASSING: USC-Leinart, Matt 26-34-0-351\; Booty, J.D. 1-1-0-5\; Colbert, Keary 0-1-0-0. Notre
Dame-Quinn,Brady 15-34-0-168.


RECEIVING: USC-Williams, Mike 9-112\; Colbert, Keary 8-120\; Hancock, B. 3-28\; Dennis, Hershel 2-23\; Guenther Jr, G. 2-13\; Bush, Reggie 1-38\; Smith, Steve 1-17\; Kirtman, David 1-5. Notre
Dame-Fasano,Anthony 4-33\; McKnight,Rhema 3-46\; Schmidt,Josh 2-25\; Grant,Ryan 2-21\; Jenkins,Omar
2-17\; Stovall,M. 1-20\; Clark,Jared 1-6.


INTERCEPTIONS: USC-None. Notre Dame-None.


FUMBLES: USC-Leinart, Matt 2-1. Notre Dame-Quinn,Brady 1-1.


Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium Attendance: 80795
Kickoff time: 1:41 pm End of Game: 5:10 pm Total elapsed time: 3:29
Officials: Referee: Jack Follard\; Umpire: Jerry Meyerhoff\;
Linesman: Royce Cooley\; Line judge: Roger McMinn\; Back judge: David Lambros\;
Field judge: D.Spriesterbach\; Side judge: Rob Vernatchi\;
Scorer: ND Stat Crew\; Temperature: 61 Wind: SW 16-24 Weather: Sunny, mid-60s



No. 5 Trojans Roll Over Notre Dame In South Bend 45-14

Leinart tosses four scores to keep USC in thick of national-title race.


Oct 18, 2003

USC coach Pete Carroll wasn't surprised after his fifth-ranked Trojans beat Notre Dame by 31 points for the second year in a row.

\"We played in the kind of fashion that we have been for a while now,\" Carroll said. \"I loved our offense today.\"

With Matt Leinart throwing for 351 yards and four touchdowns, Southern California routed the Fighting Irish 45-14 on Saturday. Last year, the Trojans won 44-13 and knocked the Irish out of contention for a Bowl Championship Series game.
 
\"We're not anywhere near where I hoped or expected for us to be,\" Irish coach Tyrone Willingham said.

With another big win in the one of nation's top rivalries, USC (6-1) remained in the national title race, while the Irish (2-4) are in danger of a losing season.

Helping out Leinart was Reggie Bush, who ran 58 yards for a touchdown. Mike Williams had nine catches for 112 yards and score and Keary Colbert had eight catches for 120 yards and a TD.

\"Everything was working. Everything was wide open,\" Leinart said. \"Everyone was just doing their job and that's what I did.\"

The back-to-back routs in a rivalry that began in 1926 matched the other most lopsided win for USC, a 55-24 victory in 1974.

The only time either team has had more lopsided wins in consecutive years in the 75-year history of the rivalry is in 1965-66, when the Irish won 28-7 and 51-0. Neither team has come close to dominating by so much in each year, though, in a series Notre Dame leads 42-28-5.

Willingham said the Irish seemed tentative, just as they did last season in Los Angeles. Asked why that occurred, Willingham said: \"If I knew, we would have solved that before the final second ticked off.\"

Carroll said the Trojans weren't out to do anything special Saturday.

\"We wanted to come in and play like we're capable of playing, and that situation proved that we could,\" he said.

Led by Leinart, who replaced Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer this season, USC scored on four of its first five possessions in getting off to its best start since 1995.

Hershel Dennis and Gregg Guenther Jr. also caught TD passes, and Dennis added a TD run. Ryan Killeen added a 29-yard field goal.

Like Palmer, who passed for 425 yards against the Irish last year, Leinart dominated. He was 16 of 20 for 229 yards with the TD passes in the first half.

Leinart came out throwing, completing 10 of 13 for 142 yards in the first quarter, which ended with USC ahead 21-14. Leinart finished 26 of 34 with no interceptions.

The Trojans picked up where they left off in last year's game, driving 80 yards on each of their first three drives. Leinart threw TD passes of 18 yards to Colbert and 7 yards to Williams before Bush ran 58 yards for another score.

USC went ahead 28-14 on Leinart's 3-yard TD pass to Dennis, and added a TD on the first possession of the second ha