2004 usc football coaching staff 2004 usc football coaching staff

USC wound up being stripped of all wins in 2004 and 2005 and its BCS national championship in 2004. LOS ANGELES New USC football head coach Lincoln Riley has named his full-time assistant coaching staff. Other key defenders returning with starting experience include linebacker Dallas Sartz (6 starts), end Frostee Rucker (5 starts), and cornerbacks Ronald Nunn and Kevin Arbet (he missed 2002 and most of 2003 with a foot injury). 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). 2 tackler last season. ", USC will defend its national championship against a schedule that features 6 opponents who played in bowls last season. USC later vacated 2 wins (1 in conference), as well as the BCS and Pac-10 Championships, due to NCAA sanctions. Troy led the nation in net punting (43.7 avg.) "Gregg Guenther and Dominique Byrd were outstanding last season and getting Alex Holmes back really strengthens the position.". Both are weapons for us. [43], 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 Yearmaking him the fourth to do so. But he was ineligible for this past spring's practice and will not participate in the 2004 season because of a student conduct violation. Fr., FB David Kirtman, Jr., FB Desmond Reed, Rs. Fr., DT Manuel Wright, So., DT. [28], USC clinched its third consecutive conference championship with a victory over the visiting Arizona Wildcats. 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. In the process, Leinart has thrust himself to the front of this year's Heisman race and is also a leading candidate for the Davey O'Brien Award. Both performed flawlessly during their careers. "Linebacker is the great strength of our defense," said Carroll. 1 recruiting class in the nation. The backup tackles will be junior LaJuan Ramsey (6 tac, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sack, 1 FF in 2003), who also might work at end, sophomore Travis Tofi (3 tac, 1 for loss, 2 dfl, 1 sack for a safety in 2003), and redshirt freshmen Sedrick Ellis and Ryan Watson. Sophomore John David Booty (7-of-14, 50.0%, 90 yds in 2003), believed to be the first football player to graduate a full year early from high school and enroll at a major Division I-A university when he did so last year, became Leinart's backup by the middle of the 2003 season before breaking his wrist late in the year. It is widely considered one of the greatest college football teams of all time. Whitney Lewis, So. 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. @Coach_Henson. Tackle Winston Justice and guard Fred Matua return as starters on the line (John Drake, who started 7 times last year at guard and tackle, is back as well). USC Finally Announces Coaching Staff The USC coaching staff is official. ", RUNNING BACKS Jody Adewale, Rs. He gave an early indication of his talent when his first career pass went for a touchdown at Auburn in last fall's opener. Fr., DE Travis Tofi, So., DT Ryan Watson, Rs. [8] 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 touchdowns in a tight game. Gone from the defense are All-American end Kenechi Udeze, a 3-year starter who left after his junior season to enter the NFL draft (he was the nation's sack co-leader in 2003 when he had 16.5 sacks, 26 tackles for loss and 5 forced fumbles), and fellow end Omar Nazel (a 2-year starter), plus both starting cornerbacks (All-Pac-10er Will Poole, who had 7 interceptions and 80 tackles in 2003, and Marcell Allmond, who led USC to an 18-1 mark when he started in the secondary) and 2-year starting outside linebacker Melvin Simmons. Three of the nation's top recruits could make an immediate impact as freshmen (all were prep All-Americans). 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. [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. "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. How much are Football Coaches Really Worth? 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. [6][14] 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. "It starts with a big-time opener against a premier program and never lets up. And of Troy's 77 offensive scoring drives in 2003, 59 took less than 3 minutes. The first from 1988-2004, and second . Backing him will be junior David Kirtman (5 tcb, 23 yds, 4.6 avg in 2003, plus 5 rec., 28 yds, 5.6 avg), a rugged blocker who has starting experience and is a key special teamer, and redshirt freshman Jody Adewale, a converted tailback. Both were named co-winners of the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. "I'm confident that our players are getting the best coaching in the country. You won't find anyone better than Tom Malone or Ryan Killeen. Do you have a sports website? 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). Despite all of its returning talent, skeptics surely will question USC's ability to replace such impact players as Udeze, Colbert, Rogers and Poole. "We use our fullbacks in a variety of roles, not only as blockers and runners but as pass catchers," said Carroll. [14], ESPN's College GameDay program visited the Los Angeles Coliseum for the first time[3] 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. "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. We'll have a very competitive environment each day to determine playing time and starting roles. 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. Additionally, Bush is the only Heisman winner to have forfeited his trophy. After transferring from a junior college, Drake had moved into the lineup by mid-2003, where he split 7 starting assignments between rightside guard and tackle. 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 LINEBACKERS USC's strength on defense will be its linebacking corps. He led the nation in punting for 5 consecutive weeks in the middle of the 2003 campaign and would have finished as the leader (by 1.0 yards), but the efficiency of USC's offense left him 5 punts shy of having the NCAA-required minimum 3.6 punts per game. Jason Mitchell, Sr. Steve Smith, So. 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. [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. The Trojans then return home to host Arizona and Notre Dame before concluding their season on "Championship Saturday" (Dec. 4) at UCLA. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Fr. 2006 USC Coaching Staff. Hanson, who served as a graduate assistant on Riley's Oklahoma staff in 2019, comes to USC after two years of coaching Tulsa's offensive line. Derrick Jones, In. [35] 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. He's good enough to merit All-American consideration (he was a Butkus Award and Lombardi Award semifinalist last season). Most of USC's specialists from 2003 return, including perhaps the nation's premier punter (Tom Malone) and placekicker (Ryan Killeen), plus an exciting kickoff returner (Reggie Bush), a dependable punt returner (Greig Carlson) and a steady holder (Malone). The kicking game returns intact, except for the snapper. "We lost one of the greatest receivers in USC history and it will be a challenge to replace him. "[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. [8] [9] Bush, who had one year left of eligibility, announced his plans to skip his senior season a week after the team's loss in the Rose Bowl. The 2004 season featured a win over No. 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). Phone. He was named to the fulltime staff in January of 2018. 2 in the AP poll at one point late in the season. 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). [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. Fr., DE Lawrence Miles, In. Phone. This page was last edited on 18 October 2022, at 20:43. One of the major focuses was improper gifts given to Reggie Bush. "Can the USC football team defend its national championship in 2004?". So he sought to have his collegiate eligibility restored (as of mid-July, he was awaiting word from the NCAA). This is not one of them. 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 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. Opponents averaged just 1.8 yards per carry against the Trojans last fall, a school record and 2003 national low. Shaun Cody (26 tac, 10.5 for loss, 6 sack, 1 FF, 1 dfl, 3 blk FG in 2003) will be starting for his fourth year, this year sliding out to end after spending his career at tackle. 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. He has an excellent staff of assistant coaches, including 8 from last year-offensive coordinator Norm Chow (the 2002 Broyles Award winner as the nation's top assistant), defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron (named the nation's top recruiter in 2004), Tim Davis (offensive line), Greg Burns (secondary), Lane Kiffin (wide receivers/passing game coordinator), Rocky Seto (he moved from safeties to linebackers this year), Brennan Carroll (tight ends) and Dennis Slutak (special teams)-and 3 newcomers in quarterbacks coach Carl Smith (he has 32 years of experience, including 11 years as an NFL offensive coordinator) and ex-NFL stars Todd McNair (running backs) and Ken Norton Jr. (linebackers). The team also won the AP title for the second year in a row. Fr. Only 2-year starting weakside linebacker Melvin Simmons is gone (he had 55 tackles and 3 fumble recoveries last season). Junior Dominique Byrd (14 rec, 268 yds, 19.1 avg, 1 TD in 2003) started the first half of 2003 and was impressive before suffering a season-ending knee injury (he missed 2004 spring drills while recuperating). College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. [34] 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. USC belongs at the top of college football, and this coaching staff is going to be instrumental in making that happen. He received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA because he was out of action for most of the past 2 seasons with a foot injury (he'll miss 2004 spring drills while recuperating). Sports Reference Baseball; Football; Basketball; Hockey; Futebol; Blog; Stathead . 1 Usc (100) 8:00 pm EST, Junior QB passes for career-high 400 yards, https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap?gid=200412040064, Sugar Bowl leaves Auburn with bitter taste, College Football: USC ends doubts as to who's No. 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). Fr. 2 (wire-to-wire), respectively, in the AP and Coaches polls. Rd. "Our kicking game, under the expert guidance of coach Dennis Slutak once again, should be very strong. LB Rey Maualuga. The defense features 6 starters from a year ago: a pair of returning All-Pac-10ers in end-tackle Shaun Cody and tackle Mike Patterson (both are 2-year starters who combined for 81 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries and 3 blocked field goals in 2003), always-around-the-ball linebacker Matt Grootegoed (a 3-year starter), 2003 Freshman All-American Darnell Bing and fellow safety Jason Leach (his 88 tackles were second on USC in 2003), and 2003 USC tackle leader Lofa Tatupu (98 stops) at middle linebacker. Also a key special teams player, he led the Trojans in punt returns in 2001 with 25 for 225 yards (9.0 average) and earned All-Pac-10 first team honors as a special teamer that season. [6] 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 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. And USC's rushing offense (155.9), though not nationally ranked, was its best since 1991. The game against the Bruins was later vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions. Along the way, USC swept traditional rivals UCLA and Notre Dame for the second year in a row (only the second time it has ever done that in back-to-back seasons). RB Stafon Johnson. Both of 2003's starting cornerbacks are gone: Will Poole, an All-Pac-10 first teamer and NFL fourth rounder whose 7 interceptions (the most at USC since 1994) and 19 deflections last year ranked him in the top 10 nationally in those categories (he also had 80 tackles, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries), and Marcell Allmond, who helped Troy to an 18-1 record when he started in the secondary (he had 3 picks and 48 stops in 2003). [10] The 2021 Gamecocks football coaching staff is complete. Henson, 46, spent the past 3 seasons (2019-21 . 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. The NCAA also forced USC to permanently disassociate itself from Bush. "The reconstruction of our offensive line will be critical," said Carroll. 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. Senior placekicker Ryan Killeen backs up Malone. "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.". The leading candidates for both roles are redshirt freshman Will Collins, a one-time walk-on who earned a scholarship this spring, and junior walk-on linebacker Collin Ashton. Is Coach Ken Niumatalolo on the Hot Seat? Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Hard-hitting senior free safety Jason Leach (88 tac, 5.5 for loss, 1 sack, 6 dfl, 1 FR, 1 FF, 2 int with 1 for a TD in 2003) was USC's No. Fr., DE Shaun Cody, Sr., DE-DT Sedrick Ellis, Rs. [31] ESPN's College GameDay made its second-ever visit to the Coliseum. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. So he sought to have his collegiate eligibility restored (as of mid-July, the NCAA hadn't ruled). Bush might also return punts. 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. A mix of players with experience and youth will contend for both vacant end jobs: junior Frostee Rucker (26 tac, 4 for loss, 1.5 sack, 1 int, 1 dfl, 1 FF, 2 FR in 2003), who started 5 games last year when Nazel was injured, and redshirt freshmen Chris Barrett, Lawrence Jackson and Alex Morrow. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [33], 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. Coming aboard this fall as freshmen are 3 prep All-Americans: former high school teammates Jimmy Miller and Michael Stuart (Westlake High in Westlake Village, Calif.), plus Dale Thompson (Santiago High in Corona, Calif.), "We have a lot of personnel options at tight end, which is good because we emphasize the position in our offense," said Carroll. 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. It's no wonder, then, that the Trojans likely will enter the 2004 campaign as a pre-season favorite to repeat as national champs. Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, offensive tackle Sam Baker and defensive end Lawrence Jackson were named to the Freshman All-American first team. "He far exceeded our hopes. Join our linker program. On paper, USC appears to have the ingredients to deal with those shots. He assumed control of the job immediately and soon was playing like a veteran. "We did a great job offensively last season," said Carroll. "Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson are the best defensive linemen in college football," said Carroll. The Trojan special teams in 2003 were much-improved from previous years. But he was not selected because of a judicial stay on that ruling, which was then overturned. Other potential returners are junior tailback Hershel Dennis, who led USC in kickoff returns in 2002 (9 KOR, 151 yds, 16.8 avg), senior cornerback Kevin Arbet (4 PR, 19 yds, 4.8 avg in 2003), who led USC in punt returns in 2001 (25 PR, 225, yd, 9.0 avg), and junior cornerback Justin Wyatt (3 KOR, 41 yds, 13.7 avg in 2003). Inside Wide Receivers Coach. He also had stops as wide receivers coach at Richmond (2004) and Western . ", "Once again, this is a tremendously challenging schedule," said Carroll. [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. Fr., C John Drake, Sr., OG Travis Draper, Fr., OG Winston Justice, Jr., OT Ryan Kalil, So, C John Lanza, So, OG Taitusi Lutui, In. I think cornerback will be a strong position for us. Each of them had very productive seasons last year and we're hoping for more of the same this year. And USC blocked 7 kicks (6 field goals and a punt). On offense in 2004, USC's entire backfield, its star wide receiver and the tight ends are back, but a new wide receiver must be developed and most of the line must be rebuilt. Marco Chavez, Sr. Eugene Germany, In. Both have a knack for creating havoc. 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). [6] 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 accurate and efficient left-handed Leinart came out of relative obscurity to more-than-capably fill the shoes of 2002 Heisman winner Carson Palmer. Fr. 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, 2004, he remained with USC through the Orange Bowl.[42]. However, the Associated Press still recognizes USC as 2004 AP title winner. We'll attempt to continue to play defense fast and aggressively, looking to take away the football.". Orgeron had two stints with the Trojans. (213) 740-4204. ", OFFENSIVE LINEMEN Sam Baker, Rs. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Of course, Carroll-who doubles as the defensive coordinator-isn't the only one responsible for the success of these players. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. Luke Huard, who comes from a family of outstanding quarterbacks, joined the USC staff in February of 2022 as an offensive analyst. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN USC's highly-regarded "Wild Bunch II" defensive line of the past 2 years is now down to "Wild Bunch ?," as veteran starting ends Kenechi Udeze and Omar Nazel are gone. [22] 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. "We've made so much progress on special teams," said Carroll. "Darnell Bing is headed for greatness and Jason Leach does such a solid job back there," said Carroll. We understand that we'll always see our opponents at their best. The 122 points he scored in 2003 were the second-most ever tallied at USC. Cody, Patterson and Grootegoed are All-American candidates. In his 2-year Trojan career, Williams has 176 receptions for 2,579 yards and a USC record 30 touchdowns. football@usc.edu. [1], Quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding collegiate football player in the U.S. His teammate, running back Reggie Bush, finished fifth in Heisman voting, winning the following year.