# 1996 USC Trojans football team

The 1996 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their 11th and final year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled a 6–6 record (3–5 against conference opponents), finished in a five-way tie for fifth place in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 325 to 267.
Quarterback Brad Otton led the team in passing, completing 196 of 370 passes for 2,649 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. LaVale Woods led the team in rushing with 119 carries for 601 yards and seven touchdowns. Chris Miller led the team in receiving with 43 catches for 793 yards and five touchdowns.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 25 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. No. 11 Penn State* | No. 7 | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic) | ABC | L 7–24 | 77,716 |
| September 7 | 12:30 p.m. | at Illinois* | No. 19 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | ABC | W 55–3 | 56,504 |
| September 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Oregon State | No. 16 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | Prime | W 46–17 | 48,069 |
| September 21 | 12:30 p.m. | at Houston* | No. 15 | AstrodomeHouston, TX | Prime | W 26–9 | 21,035 |
| October 5 | 12:30 p.m. | California | No. 17 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | ABC | L 15–22 | 51,511 |
| October 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Arizona | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | FX | W 14–7 | 51,088 |
| October 19 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 4 Arizona State | | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | ABC | L 35–48 $^{2OT}$ | 74,947 |
| October 26 | 7:15 p.m. | at Washington State | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | Prime | W 29–24 | 33,111 |
| November 2 | 12:30 p.m. | No. 21 Washington | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | ABC | L 10–21 | 60,039 |
| November 9 | 7:15 p.m. | at Stanford | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (rivalry) | Prime | L 20–24 | 41,980 |
| November 23 | 12:30 p.m. | at UCLA | | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Victory Bell) | ABC | L 41–48 $^{2OT}$ | 80,644 |
| November 30 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 10 Notre Dame* | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (Jeweled Shillelagh) | ABC | W 27–20 $^{OT}$ | 90,296 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Season summary
### Notre Dame

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| USC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 27 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California
* Date: November 30
* Game attendance: 90,296
* TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger and Dick Vermeil
* USA Today
Game information :
Notre Dame
Ron Powlus 8/19, 108 Yds, TD
Autry Denson 33 Rush, 160 Yds, TD
Emmett Mosley 3 Rec, 29 Yds
USC
Brad Otton 13/25, 183 Yds, 2 TD
Delon Washington 15 Rush, 67 Yds, TD
Chris Miller 4 Rec, 69 Yds, TD :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | ND | USC |
| 1 | | | | | USC | 30-yard field goal by Abrams | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | | | | | USC | 38-yard field goal by Abrams | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | 14:23 | | | | Notre Dame | Spencer 1-yard touchdown run, Sanson kick good | 7 | 6 |
| 3 | 0:23 | | | | Notre Dame | Champion 25-yard touchdown reception from Powlus, Sanson kick good | 14 | 6 |
| 4 | | | | | USC | C. Miller 5-yard touchdown reception from Otton, 2-point pass failed | 14 | 12 |
| 4 | 4:52 | | | | Notre Dame | Denson 9-yard touchdown run, Sanson kick no good | 20 | 12 |
| 4 | 1:50 | | | | USC | Washington 15-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good | 20 | 20 |
| OT | | | | | USC | Sermons 5-yard touchdown reception from Otton, Abrams kick good | 20 | 27 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 20 | 27 |

## Team players in the NFL

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Darrell Russell | Defensive tackle | 1 | 2 | Oakland Raiders |
| John Allred | Tight end | 2 | 38 | Chicago Bears |
| Matt Keneley | Defensive tackle | 7 | 208 | New York Giants |
| Chris Miller | Wide receiver | 7 | 213 | Green Bay Packers |