2004 USC Trojans football team The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I - A football season . Although now vacated for breaking NCAA rules , the team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl , that year ' s BCS National Championship Game . Before being vacated , the team also won the AP title for the second year in a row . It would have been the Trojans ' first undisputed national championship since 1972 . The team was coached by Pete Carroll , in his fourth year with the Trojans , and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . Quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding collegiate football player in the U . S . ; teammate , running back Reggie Bush finished fifth in Heisman voting , winning the following year . Both were named co - winners of the Pac - 10 Offensive Player of the Year . The team captains were Shaun Cody , Matt Grootegoed and Matt Leinart . 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 . " Ironically , the changes made to the BCS due to the 2003 season did not resolve issues with multiple undefeated teams , as Auburn and Utah finished undefeated , yet they did not get to play USC or any other team for the title . 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 . Since the vacated games included the Trojans ' Orange Bowl win , the Trojans were later stripped of the 2004 BCS title in June 2011 . However , the Associated Press still recognizes USC as 2004 AP title winner . Schedule . The Trojans finished the season with a 13 – 0 record , 8 – 0 in the Pac - 10 . . This record was retroactively changed in 2010 to an 11 – 0 record , 7 – 0 in the Pac - 10 due to NCAA sanctions forcing USC to vacate two wins from the 2004 season . Game notes . Virginia Tech . USC and Virginia Tech opened the 2004 college football season with the Black Coaches Association Football Classic at a sold out FedEx Field in Landover , Maryland . 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 try for another title . This was the first time the two teams had competed in football ; and with the game held only three hours away from Virginia Tech , the crowd was dominated by Hokies fans . 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 touchdown s in a tight game . Although Virginia Tech was not ranked going into the game , they ended the season ranked 9th , going 10 – 3 ( 7 – 1 in the ACC ) , becoming ACC Champions in their first year in the conference and were invited to the 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl . Colorado State . Colorado State visited USC in the first meeting between the two programs . The Trojans dominated the Rams in route to a 49 – 0 shut out , led by running back LenDale White who ran for 123 yards on 14 carries , scoring three touchdowns . 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 . BYU . The Trojans made their first visit to LaVell Edwards Stadium , on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo , Utah . The game marked the return of USC Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow to the program where he spent 27 years as an assistant under former Coach LaVell Edwards . Running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White both broke 100 yards each en route to victory . Stanford . USC had what would be its closest game of the season against the unheralded Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium in their Pacific - 10 Conference opener . 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 . By halftime , USC found itself down 11 points after the Cardinal caught them by surprise with an 82 - yard run final play while trying to run out the clock to end the half . After an energetic and emotional halftime in the locker room , the Trojan defense shut down the Cardinal while the offense put together the drives that gave the Trojans the lead and the victory . California . ESPN ' s " College GameDay " program visited the Los Angeles Coliseum for the first time 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 . It was the first time since 1968 that the teams met when both were ranked and it also was the highest - ranked Cal squad USC had faced since 1952 , also the last time the two programs were ranked in the top ten . 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 . The crowd was USC ' s largest crowd for a non - UCLA / Notre Dame rivalry game since the 1952 Cal game . The game was tightly fought : Cal dominated the statistics , more than doubling USC ’ s first downs ( 28 – 12 ) and total yards ( 424 – 205 ) while getting more plays ( 79 – 50 ) and possession time ( 37 : 11 – 22 : 49 ) ; Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a career performance , tying an NCAA single game record by completing his first 23 passes and guiding the Golden Bears to a first - and - goal at the Trojan 9 - yard line with 1 : 47 to play . 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 . The game was highly touted by the media , with both teams earning praise for their performances . 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 . 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 . Arizona State . 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 . USC quickly put the game out of reach , scoring 42 points in the first half behind 4 touchdown passes Matt Leinart and school single game record - tying 3 scoring grabs by Dwayne Jarrett . ASU quarterback Andrew Walter was rendered ineffective by the USC defense which achieved eight sacks , the same total ASU allowed in its previous five games . The decisive victory helped USC dispel concerns over its ability to dominate opponents . It was the second time the Trojans played before consecutive sellout crowds in the Coliseum , the first was in 1947 when the UCLA and Notre Dame rivalry games sold out , and the first against non - rival opponents . Washington . The struggling Washington Huskies visited the Trojans for the 75th meeting in the series , with the Trojans dominating 38 – 0 . The shutout was Washington ' s first since 1981 , ending a national - best active streak of consecutive games without being shut out at 271 . The victory put USC ' s winning streak at the Coliseum at 19 , tying the school record set from 1931 – 33 . The game marked the first career start for Husky quarterback Isaiah Stanback . Washington State . USC became the first top - ranked team to visit Pullman , Washington , as the Trojans took on the Cougars at a sold - out Martin Stadium . The Trojans had lost in their previous visit to WSU , a 30 – 27 overtime game in 2002 ; since then the Trojans had gone 28 – 1 . USC took the upper hand early on , taking a 14 – 0 lead before WSU ’ s offense got on the field ; by halftime , it was 35 – 0 , as the Trojans had 289 yards and 16 first downs to the Cougars 54 and 4 . Oregon State . The Trojans prevailed over the Beavers in a tight game in heavy fog at Reser Stadium in Corvallis , Oregon . After trailing 13 – 0 in second quarter , USC scored the next 28 points with a pivotal 65 - yard scoring return by Reggie Bush in the 4th quarter with the game close at 14 – 13 . Although the fog was thick enough at times to interfere with pass plays , USC tight end Dominique Byrd caught two touchdowns . Arizona . USC clinched its third consecutive conference championship with a victory over the visiting Arizona Wildcats . LenDale White ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns while Matt Leinart passed for 280 yards and three more scores ; the game guaranteed USC a spot in , at worst , the Rose Bowl Notre Dame . After two weeks off , the Trojans were visited by the rival Fighting Irish , led by Coach Tyrone Willingham , in the inter - sectional rivalry for the Jeweled Shillelagh . The Irish had been inconsistent during the season , coming into the game at 6 – 4 having defeated strong teams and lost to weak teams . ESPN ' s " College GameDay " made its second - ever visit to the Coliseum . Matt Leinart passed for a career - high 400 yards and a school record - tying five touchdowns Saturday , leading the top - ranked Trojans to a 41 – 10 victory and adding a highlight performance to his ultimately successful Heisman campaign . Trailing 10 – 3 , USC scored the final 38 points . Irish quarterback Brady Quinn completed 15 - of - 29 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown . The Trojans set a record for home wins ( including pre - Coliseum ) , with their 21st victory ; coincidently , the previous team to defeat them at home were the Stanford Cardinal then - under Coach Willingham . USC set both a school home attendance ( 511 , 373 ) as well as the Pac - 10 home per game average attendance ( 85 , 229 ) records . It was Willingham ' s third consecutive 31 point loss to USC in three seasons at Notre Dame ; the Irish fired him the following Tuesday . UCLA . 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 . The Bruins , having come off a three week break of consecutive bye weeks , came into the game as serious underdogs in the battle for the Victory Bell . 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 . 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 . With the victory , USC sealed a bid for the BCS National Championship Game in the Orange Bowl . The game against the Bruins was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions . Oklahoma . The undefeated , top - ranked Trojans met the also undefeated , second - ranked Sooners in the 2005 BCS National Championship Game held at the FedEx Orange Bowl at Pro Player Stadium in Miami , Florida . 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 . The game also featured four out of five of the 2004 Heisman finalists with Leinart , White , Reggie Bush and Sooner running back Adrian Peterson , the Heisman runner - up . Both USC and Oklahoma started and ended the season ranked No . 1 and No . 2 ( wire - to - wire ) , respectively , in the AP and Coaches polls . 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 , although they did tie Oklahoma at No . 2 in the AP poll at one point late in the season . The Sooners scored first , having stopped an opening USC drive . USC scored next 28 points en route to a 38 – 10 halftime lead . The turning point in the game came early in the first quarter , with the game tied 7 – 7 , Sooner Mark Bradley made a critical special teams error that resulted in USC gaining possession on the Oklahoma 6 - yard - line ; after that the game turned into a USC rout . Leinart , the game ’ s MVP , threw an Orange Bowl record ( and at the time a USC record - tying ) 5 touchdowns , including 3 to wide receiver Steve Smith , tying both an Orange Bowl and USC record ; Ryan Killeen set the USC career scoring record with 329 career points ; USC ’ s 55 points tied its most ever in a bowl and were the most ever allowed in a bowl by Oklahoma . White threw for 24 - of - 36 for 244 yards with three interceptions and two touchdowns ; Peterson ran for 82 yards on 25 carries . 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 . The championship game against the Sooners was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions and USC was stripped of the 2004 BCS title . The 2004 AP title , however , remains in place . After the season . Comments . After the regular season , the University of Mississippi hired USC Assistant Head Coach Ed Orgeron , who also served as Defensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator , to be the new head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels football team ; although hired on December 16 , 2006 , he remained with USC through the Orange Bowl . Awards . Quarterback Matt Leinart was awarded the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding collegiate football player in the United States , with teammate Reggie Bush coming in 5th place . A school - record 6 Trojans were awarded All - American first team honors in 2004 : Matt Leinart , RB Reggie Bush , DE Shaun Cody , LB Matt Grootegoed , DT Mike Patterson and LB Lofa Tatupu . Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett , offensive tackle Sam Baker and defensive end Lawrence Jackson were named to the Freshman All - American first team . In addition to winning the Heisman Trophy , Matt Leinart also won the Walter Camp Award and was named the AP Player of the Year . In conference , Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were named 2004 Pac - 10 Co - Offensive Players of the Year , while DE - DT Shaun Cody was Pac - 10 Co - Defensive Player of the Year ; it marked the first time teammates had ever shared the honors on one side of the ball , the third time a school had won both offensive and defensive players of the year , and it was Leinart ' s second consecutive year being named the Offensive Player of the Year — making him the fourth to do so . 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 . All three players made the All - Pac - 10 first team , with Bush making the team as both a running back and punt returner ; they were joined by Mike Patterson , Matt Grootegoed , Lofa Tatupu and P Tom Malone . 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 . Coach Pete Carroll was named the National Quarterback Club College Coach of the Year , as well as a finalist for the Bear Bryant and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Awards semifinalist , and was named the ESPN . com Pac - 10 Coach of the Year . NCAA investigation and sanctions . In June 2010 , the NCAA imposed sanctions on USC as a result of an investigation into the football program . One of the major focuses was improper gifts given to Reggie Bush . 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 . As a result , USC was placed on four years ' probation and forced to vacate its last two wins of the 2004 season as well as all of its wins in the 2005 season . It was also banned from bowl games in 2010 and 2011 and lose 30 scholarships over three years . Running backs coach Todd McNair was banned from off - campus recruiting for one year after the NCAA determined he ' d known about Bush ' s dealings with the agents . The NCAA also forced USC to permanently disassociate itself from Bush . The vacated games included the Trojans ' Orange Bowl win . On June 6 , 2011 , the BCS officially vacated USC ' s 2004 National Championship . The AP released a statement saying that USC will keep its 2004 AP title . The university filed an appeal of the sanctions which was later denied by the NCAA .