NO.1 USC 66, NO.11 UCLA 19: Reggie Bush and the Trojans rampage to a shot at a third straight national title.
By Associated Press
Published December 4, 2005
LOS ANGELES - Run, Reggie, run. All the way to the Rose Bowl.
A step away from playing for an unprecedented third straight national title, Reggie Bush and No.1 Southern California stomped into the championship game by overpowering their crosstown rivals Saturday.
Bush ran for 260 yards and two touchdowns in a 66-19 victory over No.11 UCLA, the Trojans' 34th straight win and 16th in a row against a ranked team.
Now only Texas stands between USC and a perfectly historic season.
"This is the type of season we wanted from Day 1," Bush said. "This is the type of season we envisioned. We were able to make it come true; it's a great feeling."
The Bowl Championship Series will make it official today: Trojans vs. Longhorns on Jan.4 in the national title game.
The festivities at the Coliseum started with a warm farewell to a senior class that has been part of what looks to be one of college football's greatest dynasties. Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart was the last to be honored and received a long standing ovation before USC and UCLA played for the 75th time.
From there, it was Bush's day.
Against the 115th-ranked run defense in the country, USC made its intentions clear from the start: Keep it simple and let Bush put a punctuation mark on his Heisman campaign. After the way Bush finished the regular season, it seems as if it's his turn to hold the hardware.
"Reggie's got my vote," Leinart said.
On the second play from scrimmage, Bush zipped off tackle for 28 yards. USC ended up driving 70 yards on 16 plays without completing a pass. UCLA held the Trojans to Mario Danelo's 35-yard field goal. It was a small victory and one of the few UCLA chalked up in its seventh straight loss to USC.
Leinart started 0-for-5, looking overanxious in his final home game. He finished 21-for-40 for 233 yards with three touchdown passes. More important, he ran his record as a starter to 37-1 thanks to a running game that piled up 431 yards and a defense that stymied one of the best offenses in the country.
"We were just on fire," Bush said. "We knew we can do whatever we wanted against these guys as long as we execute. Hopefully that confidence will be able to carry over to the Rose Bowl."
USC had third and 10 at its 3 at the start of the second quarter when Bush found a huge lane off the left end and streaked down the sideline for 65 yards. That led to a 19-yard touchdown run by Bush's running mate, LenDale White, which made it 17-0. White finished with 154 yards rushing on 14 carries as USC topped 300 yards rushing for the fifth time this season.
