Texas claims national title, ending SC win streak at 34
Leinart, Bush, White account for 573 vards of offense in defeat
Jfc
tar-
.
Bittersweet ending. Tailback Reggie Bush had 279 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, but the Longhorns pulled out a 41 38 victory in the Rose Bowl. The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, expected to be the No. 1 overall draft pick in April's NFL Draft, had a failed lateral in the first half that led to a successful 46-yard field goal by Texas kicker David Pino.
By GREG WAGNER
Associate Sports Editor
PASADENA — The Streak had seen it all. Two national titles, two Heisman Trophy winners, countless second-half comebacks, the goal-line stand against California, and of course, The Push.
Then Wednesday night in the Rose Bowl, The Streak met Vince Young, and USC had no answer for the Texas quarterback.
Perhaps spurred by not winning the Heisman Trophy, Young was a one-man wrecking crew and led No. 2 Texas to a 41-38 victory over No. 1 USC, giving the Longhorns their first national title since 1970 while ending the Trojans' school-record of 34 consecutive wins
"It didn’t seem like they were doing anything special," USC cor-nerback Josh Pinkard said. "The only thing special was Vince Young back there. That's about it.”
Despite Young's 267 yards passing and 200 yards rushing, the Trojans (12-1) found themselves with the chance to earn an unprecedented third-straight national title on two different fourth-down plays.
With a little more than two minutes remaining. USC — fresh off scoring touchdowns on four drives in a row — fated a fourth-and-two on Texas' 45-yard line.
Instead of trying to pin the Longhorns (13-0) deep in their own territory with a punt, USC coach Pete Carroll decided to try
and push for those two yards, with a conversion giving the Trojans a chance to run out the clock.
The decision backfired and running back LenDale White was stopped one foot short of the marker, giving Texas 56 yards to a national title.
“That s how we play,” Carroll said. "The difference in making it and not making it is enormous. If you make it, the game is over. I won't lose sleep over it.’
The much-criticized plav call was the same one that allowed White, who led USC with 124 rushing yards, to score each one of his three touchdowns earlier in the game.
"It was our most successful running play,’ offensive lineman Fred Matua said. "We wanted to
take it from them and finish it on our own terms and go down fighting. This is how we plav over at 'SC, we take any risk that we have to do to win."
Young, who became the first player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in a single season, drove his Longhorns to the Trojan 8-yard line, eventually lining up for fourth-and-five with the national championship hanging in the balance.
As he did much of the night. Young took the snap from the shotgun, backed up a few steps, saw an opening to the right and raced down the sidelines past a diving Frostee Rucker for the game-winning touchdown.
Left with no timeouts after
burning its final one when its defense wasn't set up to defend the ensuing two-point conversion. USC was only able to run two plays in 19 seconds to try and tie the game.
The Trojans ran out of time after Matt Leinart's pass sailed over Dwayne Jarrett's head at the Texas 25-yard line.
"Well it would have helped. We would have had one more shot." Carroll said of the wasted timeout. "I was already going to the nest sequence: I screwed that up. It would have been better to concede it, under the circumstances. and save the timeout."
Vying for the school's 12th national title. USC uncharacteristically lost the turnover battle.
www.dailytrojan.com
INSIDE
Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912
The No. 1 USC men s water polo team captures the 2005 national title.
24
1
January 10,2006
Vol. CXLVIII, No. 1