Williams came out of 2004 spring drills as the frontrunner on the right side and Baker was the starter on the left. Keary Colbert - Football Coach - USC Athletics 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). 2005 USC Coaching Staff Football Coaches & Staff "I truly believe we have put together an elite group of coaches that will help build this football program back to national prominence. Fr., OT Ross Burruel, Jr., C Jeff Byers, In. He had 35 touchbacks among his 99 kickoffs in 2003 (and he kept foes within the 20-yard line 58 times). 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. [16] 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,[6] also the last time the two programs were ranked in the top ten. Ryan Powdrell, In. "Our kicking game, under the expert guidance of coach Dennis Slutak once again, should be very strong. He's good enough to merit All-American consideration (he was a Butkus Award and Lombardi Award semifinalist last season). Best Players on the 2007 USC Trojans Football Team. He has 12 100-yard receiving games in his career. But he was ineligible for this past spring's practice and will not participate in the 2004 season because of a student conduct violation. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Finally, senior leadership must surface even though we might not have more than two or three seniors starting on offense.". USC has accomplished this with a multi-pronged offensive attack that stresses efficiency and ball control, an aggressive defensive approach that thrives on getting turnovers and an effective, mistake-free kicking game. Rd. LINEBACKERS USC's strength on defense will be its linebacking corps. Is Coach Philip Montgomery on the Hot Seat? [40] The turning point in the game came early in the first quarter, with the game tied 77, 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. "The tailback position is a strong one for us," said Carroll. (Simon Park | Daily Trojan) Inside Wide Receivers Coach. The Trojans then return home to host Arizona and Notre Dame before concluding their season on "Championship Saturday" (Dec. 4) at UCLA. "Linebacker is the great strength of our defense," said Carroll. The Trojans have done a superb job of getting turnovers under Carroll, as their +1.33 turnover margin and +111 takeaways the past 3 seasons are the best marks in the nation. But we'll throw open the competition for those two corner spots and see how it unfolds. I think cornerback will be a strong position for us. Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron joined Colin Cowherd's podcast on Feb. 10, and discussed the future of USC football. I'm really looking forward to watching the competition there and seeing how it shakes out. PLACEKICKERS Senior Ryan Killeen (19-of-24 FG, 65-of-57 PAT in 2003) ranks among the nation's top placekickers. 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. Email. HOLDERS Junior punter Tom Malone will be the holder for his third season. "We use our fullbacks in a variety of roles, not only as blockers and runners but as pass catchers," said Carroll. Despite all of its returning talent, skeptics surely will question USC's ability to replace such impact players as Udeze, Colbert, Rogers and Poole. So we must take our game to the next level and be ready for everyone's best shot.". Football National Champions: 1981 Clemson, 2004 USC, 2010 Auburn After all, his Trojans have won 20 of their last 21 games (and their past 15 home contests) and have been dominant on both sides of the ball. (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press) Lincoln Riley isn't the. [23], The struggling Washington Huskies visited the Trojans for the 75th meeting in the series, with the Trojans dominating 380. But he was not selected because of a judicial stay on that ruling, which was then overturned. [6] 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. "That's how we're looking at it. [20], 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. Fred Davis graduated a semester early from Rogers High in Toledo, Ohio, and enrolled at USC this past spring. USC then hosts Colorado State and travels to BYU and Stanford before having a trio of home games (California, Arizona and Washington) followed by a pair of road contests (Washington State and Oregon State). Or write about sports? Jimmy Miller, In. The team also won the AP title for the second year in a row. The 2004 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, the 110th season of Sooner football.The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his sixth season as head coach.They played their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. 1 recruiting class in the nation. "[4] 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. [6] It was Willingham's third consecutive 31-point loss to USC in three seasons at Notre Dame; the Irish fired him the following Tuesday. It's no wonder, then, that the Trojans likely will enter the 2004 campaign as a pre-season favorite to repeat as national champs. "We've made so much progress on special teams," said Carroll. The championship game against the Sooners was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions and USC was stripped of the 2004 BCS title. 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. It'll be fun to see who steps up.". So senior Lee Webb (9 tac, 1 FF in 2003, plus 4 tcb, 0 yds)-he started 5 times at fullback last year after seeing action at linebacker (where he played in 2001 and the first half of 2002)-will take over the starting job. Phone. USC Finally Announces Coaching Staff - InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 2004 USC Trojans football team - Wikipedia [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. 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. [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. But Justice will not participate in 2004 because of a student conduct violation. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. [25] The game marked the first career start for Husky quarterback Isaiah Stanback. USC coaching candidates: Luke Fickell, Bob Stoops, Chris Petersen among [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. 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. Then, enrolling in the fall is J.C. All-American Scott Ware (Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, Calif.), who is a junior, and prep All-American Josh Pinkard (Hueneme High in Oxnard, Calif.), who is a freshman. Fr. Here's a rundown of Shane Beamer's 10 on-field coaches. 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. Joining them will be 20 new scholarship players, including 3 who enrolled at USC this past spring and participated in spring practice. USC's top 2 tacklers (and 4 of its top 5) return from a 2003 defense that was first nationally in rushing defense (a school-record 60.2), second in turnover margin (+1.5) and tied for 17th in scoring defense (18.4), all Pac-10 bests. Marco Chavez, Sr. Eugene Germany, In. Email. LB Brian Cushing. Do you have a sports website? The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. "But we must overcome several obstacles on the offensive side of the ball. PUNTERS All-American junior Tom Malone (49.0 avg in 2003), the nation's best punter, has proven to be a weapon whenever he boots the ball. [16] The crowd was USC's largest crowd for a non-UCLA/Notre Dame rivalry game since the 1952 Cal game. But we have a lot of players fighting for playing time, including some exciting young guys who will be fun to watch.". Fr., DT Thomas Herring, In. In all, 79 squadmen return from last year's national championship team, including 56 who saw playing time in 2003 (50 were lettermen and 31 were on the season-ending 2-deep). We'll have a very competitive environment each day to determine playing time and starting roles. 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. Troy led the nation in net punting (43.7 avg.) LB Rey Maualuga. [6], The Trojans made their first visit to LaVell Edwards Stadium, on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Also, junior tackle Winston Justice, who from his right side spot protects Leinart's blind side, was slated to start for his third year and be an All-American candidate. Only 2-year starting weakside linebacker Melvin Simmons is gone (he had 55 tackles and 3 fumble recoveries last season). "I truly believe we have put together an elite group of coaches that will help build this football program back to national prominence. Former standout USC and NFL wide receiver Keary Colbert has spent 3 years on USC's fulltime staff. Opponents averaged just 1.8 yards per carry against the Trojans last fall, a school record and 2003 national low. 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. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. [45], 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.