But, in my. He was sixth nationally in receptions (7.3, second in Pac-10) and 10th in receiving yards (101.1, third in Pac-10) in 2003. 2004 USC Coaching Staff Head Coach: Pete Carroll (13-0) Offensive Coordinator: Norm Chow Defensive Coordinator: Other Assistant Coaches: Lane Kiffin (WR Coach) Ed Oregeron (AHC/DL/RC) Best Players on the 2004 USC Football Team QB Matt Leinart QB Matt Cassel RB Lendale White RB Reggie Bush WR Dwayne Jarrett WR Steve Smith LB Matt Grootegoed We had tremendous fan support last year and we'll need all of them again in our quest to be the best in 2004.". The tight end corps is deep, with Gregg Guenther Jr. (17 catches and 2 TDs in 2003)-also a star on the Trojan basketball team-back after starting the last half of 2003, along with Dominique Byrd (14 catches and 6 early starts in 2003) and Alex Holmes (58 career catches), USC's starter in 2002 but injured last season. "That's my fundamental approach to the game: control the ball on offense, go get it on defense and make things happen on special teams," said Carroll. Looking to break into the tailback rotation are sophomore Chauncey Washington (19 tcb, 65 yds, 3.4 avg, plus 1 rec, 6 yds, 6.0 avg), another power runner who might have figured more prominently in 2003 had an early ankle injury not hampered him, and quick redshirt freshman Desmond Reed, who worked at wide receiver and in the secondary last fall, along with a pair of walk-ons in junior Andre Woodert (3 tcb, 19 yds, 6.3 avg in 2003) and redshirt freshman John Griffin. He was named to the fulltime staff in January of 2018. "This group can do all of those things well. "Our goal always will be to win the Pac-10 championship and the Rose Bowl. "The challenge is whether we can keep it up. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. 2 at USC after Booty got hurt last year, as well as senior Matt Cassel (6-of-13, 46.2%, 63 yds in 2003), who has also spent time in his career at tight end and is a pitcher on the Trojan baseball team, junior Billy Hart, an infielder/outfielder on USC's baseball team (he has yet to throw a pass at USC and has seen only brief action in 2002), and walk-on redshirt freshman Michael McDonald, the son of ex-USC All-American Paul McDonald. [36] 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. As an indication of just how prolific USC's offense has become under coordinator Norm Chow, consider that the Trojans have scored at least 20 points in their last 26 games (a school record), including a stretch of 11 consecutive 30-points games (also a USC mark) and 7 straight 40-point contests (a Pac-10 record). Bush might also return punts. Fr., DE Shaun Cody, Sr., DE-DT Sedrick Ellis, Rs. 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. [32] Trailing 103, USC scored the final 38 points. . "I'm excited about this coaching staff," said Carroll. But we have a lot of players fighting for playing time, including some exciting young guys who will be fun to watch.". [3] Irish quarterback Brady Quinn completed 15-of-29 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Key losses from the offense are wide receiver Keary Colbert, a 4-year starter who set the USC career receptions record (207), and a trio of experienced linemen: All-American tackle Jacob Rogers (a 3-year starter), All-Pac-10 center Norm Katnik (a 3-year starter) and guard Lenny Vandermade (a 4-year starter). But this year's offense has a high standard to live up to: in 2003, the Trojans were fifth nationally in passing efficiency (159.1, first in Pac-10) and scoring offense (a school-record 41.4, first in Pac-10), 13th in passing offense (291.6, second in Pac-10) and 14th in total offense (447.5, second in Pac-10). Senior Matt Grootegoed (41 tac, 4.5 for loss, 1.5 sack, 1 dfl, 1 FR, 2 FF), who has started the past 3 years at strongside linebacker (he'll be on the weakside in 2004), has a knack for always being around the ball. Others back with starting experience include guard John Drake, tight end Dominique Byrd, fullbacks Lee Webb and David Kirtman, and wide receivers Chris McFoy and William Buchanon. Head Coach: Pete Carroll (11-2) Offensive Coordinator: Steve Sarkisian (QB Coach) & Lane Kiffin (PGC) Defensive Coordinator: Nick Holt Other Assistant Coaches: Best Players on the 2006 USC Trojans Football Team. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Fr., DT Manuel Wright, So., DT. "That talk is beyond our control," said Carroll, the National Coach of the Year in 2003 after his team was named the national champion by Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, New York Times, ESPN.com, SI.com, CBS.SportsLine.com, Collegefootballnews.com and several other organizations. But a new snapper (for both short and long snaps) must be developed. The bull-like White, who had a trio of 100-yard games last season, was the first true freshman to lead USC in rushing (his 754 yards were the second most by a Trojan frosh behind Charles White's 858 in 1976) and his 13 rushing TDs were a USC freshman mark (his 14 total TDs tied the USC frosh record). 2004 USC >> 2003 USC Coaching Staff Head Coach: Pete Carroll (12-1) Offensive Coordinator: Norm Chow Defensive Coordinator: Other Assistant Coaches: Steve Sarkisian (QB Coach) Lane Kiffin (WR Coach) Ed Orgeron (AHC/RC/DL Coach) Best Players on the 2003 USC Trojans Football Team QB Matt Leinart QB John David Booty RB Lendale White RB Reggie Bush Whitney Lewis, So. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Last season, he had 95 catches for 1,314 yards and a USC record 16 TDs. Fr. "We understand how to handle personnel losses and move on," said Carroll. Then there's senior Brandon Hance (4-of-9, 44.4%, 44 yds in 2003), who started 9 games at Purdue in 2001 and was No. But fourth-year USC head coach Pete Carroll is having none of it. [43] 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. LB Rey Maualuga. 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. Senior Gregg Guenther Jr. (17 rec, 167 yds, 9.8 avg, 2 TD in 2003, plus 1 blk FG) became the starter by mid-2003 and performed well. Matt Grootegoed, Sr. Oscar Lua, So. ", DEFENSIVE BACKS Kevin Arbet, Sr., CB Darnell Bing, So., S Chris Bocage, Sr., S Greg Farr, Sr., S Alex Gomez, Jr., CB Jason Leach, Sr., S Ronald Nunn, Sr., CB Josh Pinkard, In. Do you have a blog? Email. QUARTERBACKS USC has perhaps the nation's top quarterback in record-setting All-American first teamer Matt Leinart (255-of-402, 63.4%, 3,556 yds, 38 TD, 9 int in 2003), a leading Heisman Trophy candidate. "The reconstruction of our offensive line will be critical," said Carroll. We were efficient and took care of the football. The USC football coaching staff has been rounded out by Lincoln Riley with the hire of Josh Henson as offensive line coach late Sunday night. USC has its new head coach after a two-and-a-half-month search, delivering a resounding kaboom to a process that had been impressively quiet with no leaks coming from the school before the news broke Sunday that the Trojans had hired Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley. The Ray Guy Award candidate broke the USC season punting average record by 3.4 yards last fall (his 49.0 mark was just 0.3 off of the Pac-10 standard). The Irish had been inconsistent during the season, coming into the game at 64 having defeated strong teams and lost to weak teams. In his first two years at . The Lou Groza Award candidate was 12th nationally in scoring (9.4, second in Pac-10) and tied for 18th in field goals (1.5, third in Pac-10) in 2003. Mike Williams, Jr. John Zilka, Rs. This page was last edited on 18 October 2022, at 20:43. Phone. The championship game against the Sooners was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions and USC was stripped of the 2004 BCS title. Fr., DE Travis Tofi, So., DT Ryan Watson, Rs. And of Troy's 77 offensive scoring drives in 2003, 59 took less than 3 minutes. It is widely considered one of the greatest college football teams of all time. Dale Thompson, In. TIGHT ENDS Another deep unit for USC in 2004-9 deep, in fact-is the tight ends corps. Derrick Jones, In. Twitter. But I was pleased with the line's progress in this past spring's practice. Fr., DE Mike Patterson, Sr., DT LaJuan Ramsey, Jr., DT-DE Frostee Rucker, Jr., DE Jeff Schweiger, In. At fullback, fleet junior Brandon Hancock (1 tcb, -2 yds, -2.0 avg in 2003, plus 13 rec, 160 yds, 12.3 avg, 2 TD), a tough blocker and excellent receiver, was expected to return as the starter, but he'll miss 2004 while recuperating from knee surgery. [32] USC set both a school home attendance (511,373) as well as the Pac-10 home per game average attendance (85,229) records. Matt Cassel, Sr. Brandon Hance, Sr. Billy Hart, Jr. Rocky Hinds, In. Joining the signalcalling corps this fall as a freshman is prep All-American Rocky Hinds (St. Bernard High in Playa del Rey, Calif.). We understand that we'll always see our opponents at their best. He became the wide receivers coach in 2019 after handling the tight ends and inside receivers in 2018. He likely will start again, as could senior guard John Drake, if he's healthy. However, the Associated Press still recognizes USC as 2004 AP title winner. LOS ANGELES New USC football head coach Lincoln Riley has named his full-time assistant coaching staff. 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. Each of them had very productive seasons last year and we're hoping for more of the same this year. On the inside, there is senior walk-on Marco Chavez (he sat out 2003 after transferring from Hawaii), plus sophomore Oscar Lua, who was sidelined most of last season because of a knee injury (he missed some of 2004 spring drills while recuperating). 2 tackler last season. But we have a great group of quarterbacks behind him and they all want to take over the No. 2008 USC Coaching Staff Head Coach: Pete Carroll (12-1) Offensive Coordinator: Steve Sarkisian Defensive Coordinator: Nick Holt Other Assistant Coaches: Todd McNair (RB/ST Coach) Brennan Carroll (TE Coach) John Morton (WR Coach) Ken Norton Jr (LB Coach) Best Players on the 2008 USC Trojans Football Team QB Mark Sanchez RB Stafon Johnson [37], 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,[38] although they did tie Oklahoma at No. Fr. The 41-year . "We lost one of the greatest receivers in USC history and it will be a challenge to replace him. (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press) Lincoln Riley isn't the. Despite all of its returning talent, skeptics surely will question USC's ability to replace such impact players as Udeze, Colbert, Rogers and Poole. Troy captured its second consecutive Pac-10 title (going 7-1) and beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl to secure its 10th national crown (its first in 25 years). But he was not selected because of a judicial stay on that ruling, which was then overturned. Marques Tuiasosopo, Tight Ends. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Reggie Bush will be a key in the Trojans' running game this season. Alex Grinch. KICKERS/PUNTERS/SNAPPERS Will Collins, Rs. Offensively, Troy has scored at least 20 points in the past 26 outings, with stretches of 11 consecutive 30-point games and 7 straight 40-point performances, and last year scored a Pac-10 record 534 points. I'm really looking forward to watching the competition there and seeing how it shakes out. A new center must emerge, with the candidates coming from sophomore Ryan Kalil, incoming freshman prep All-American Jeff Byers (Loveland High in Loveland, Colo.), who was the national high school player of the year in 2003, and junior walk-on Ross Burruel. Seven starters return on offense in 2004: quarterback Matt Leinart, wide receiver Mike Williams, tailback Hershel Dennis, guard Fred Matua, tight end Gregg Guenther Jr., fullback Brandon Hancock and tackle Winston Justice (Hancock and Justice won't play this season). [26] The Trojans had lost in their previous visit to WSU, a 3027 overtime game in 2002; since then the Trojans had gone 281. USC completes 2022 football coaching staff By ETHAN HOROWITZ January 19, 2022 Head Coach Lincoln Riley brought some of his staff at Oklahoma to USC, including defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, assistant Head Coach Dennis Simmonds, and outside linebacker coach Roy Manning. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. But things can still be shored up a bit in 2004, as opponents blocked 4 Trojan kicks (2 punts and 2 PATs) and returned a kickoff for a touchdown last year. "We know we can expect a high level of play out of our experienced returning players. LOS ANGELES New USC football head coach Lincoln Riley has named his full-time assistant coaching staff. [11] 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. Junior middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu (98 tac, 11.5 for loss, 3 sack, 10 dfl, 4 int with 1 for a TD, 1 FF in 2003) returns after making the improbable jump from starting at Maine in 2001 to doing so at USC last fall. 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. And the Trojan defense-whose +1.33 turnover margin and +111 takeaways in Carroll's first 3 seasons are best in the nation-topped the country in 2003 in rushing defense. 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. Fr., DT Alex Morrow, Rs. The vacated games included the Trojans' Orange Bowl win. Fr., FB Reggie Bush, So., TB Hershel Dennis, Jr., TB John Griffin, Rs. Joining the tackles in the fall as a freshman is prep All-American Lawrence Miles (La Quinta High in La Quinta, Calif.). RB Stafon Johnson. Senior Alex Holmes, who has 58 career catches, is back after sitting out last fall with a back injury. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Competing for time at guard are senior Travis Watkins, sophomore walk-on John Lanza, sophomore junior college transfer Alatini Malu (Long Beach City College in Long Beach, Calif.), who enrolled at USC this spring, freshman Travis Draper (originally a 2003 signee, he didn't enroll at USC until this spring), and prep All-American Chilo Rachal (Dominguez High in Compton, Calif.), an incoming freshman who also can play tackle. His career average of 44.9 is nearly a yard above the school standard. A lot of the key players from that offense return this year. The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. 2004 Pacific-10 Conference football standings, "The 10 Best College Football Teams of All Time", 2004 Virginia Tech Hokies Football Schedule, Southern passion propels SEC to top of conference ladder, "USC Now Will Recognize Its 1939 Football Team As A National Champion", Notre Dame (64) at No. Email. WIDE RECEIVERS William Buchanon, Jr. Greig Carlson, Jr. Fred Davis, Fr. In March, he took over as interim inside wide receivers coach while Dave Nichol was away from the program for a personal matter . Only the second sophomore (along with Stanford's John Elway) to be named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, Leinart threw for 3,556 yards and a Pac-10 record 38 touchdowns (with only 9 interceptions) last fall while finishing third nationally in passing efficiency (a USC record 164.5 rating). "The past 2 years, we were really good on defense and we played just how we drew it up," said Carroll, the team's defensive coordinator.