October 9, 2004 Week 7 · Regular Season Belt defended

USC defends the belt, 23–17, at home over California.

Home · Defending Holder

USC 23

Away · Challenger

California 17

AI-Written

Recap

USC's defense dominated early, with Matt Leinart leading scoring drives that built a 16-3 halftime lead capped by a 42-yard field goal with six seconds left in the half. California fought back in the second half behind Aaron Rodgers, scoring touchdowns to McArthur and Lynch to briefly threaten, but USC's defense held firm when it mattered. A crucial Reggie Bush kickoff return for 84 yards after Lynch's touchdown shifted momentum back to the Trojans, and despite an interception late in the third quarter, USC's defense forced five California turnovers to preserve the belt. The Trojans controlled the game with efficient scoring despite accumulating just 205 total yards, while California's 424 yards and time of possession advantage ultimately went to waste.

Leinart's 45-yard completion to Steve Smith and subsequent field goal in Q1 set the tone for USC's early dominance
Ryan Killeen's three field goals (31, 33, 42 yards) kept USC ahead despite limited offensive production
Reggie Bush's 84-yard kickoff return in Q3 after Lynch's touchdown reversed momentum when California threatened to take control
Five California turnovers, particularly in the fourth quarter, prevented the Bears from capitalizing on their statistical advantage

Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.

Full Box Score

Team stats

CFBD box score

USCCalifornia

Total yards205424

Rushing yards41157

Passing yards194287

First downs1228

3rd down conv.3/116/12

Turnovers15

Penalties–yards0–00–0

Time of possession14:1027:01

Full team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.

Play By Play

Key plays

CFBD play-by-play

When	Team	Yards	Play
Q1 7:40	USC	+5 yd	Matt Leinart (USC) pass across the middle complete to LenDale White (USC) for a 5 yard touchdown.
Q1 7:40	USC	+0 yd	Extra point by Ryan Killeen (USC) is good.
Q1 2:04	USC	+45 yd	Matt Leinart (USC) pass across the middle complete to Steve Smith (USC) for 45 yards.
Q1 0:09	USC	+31 yd	31 yard field goal by Ryan Killeen (USC) is good.
Q2 10:25	California	+39 yd	39 yard field goal by Tom Schneider (CAL) is good.
Q2 10:14	USC	+0 yd	Trojans fumble by Josh Pinkard (USC), recovered by Josh Pinkard (USC), advanced for no gain.
Q2 8:00	California	+0 yd	Golden Bears fumble by Tim Mixon (CAL), recovered by Eric Wright (USC), returned for no gain.
Q2 6:21	USC	+33 yd	33 yard field goal by Ryan Killeen (USC) is good.
Q2 1:47	California	+20 yd	Aaron Rodgers (CAL) pass left side complete to Geoff McArthur (CAL) for a 20 yard touchdown.
Q2 1:37	California	+0 yd	Extra point by Tom Schneider (CAL) is good.
Q2 0:06	USC	+42 yd	42 yard field goal by Ryan Killeen (USC) is good.
Q3 13:46	USC	+31 yd	Matt Leinart (USC) pass right side complete to Steve Smith (USC) for 31 yards.
Q3 12:15	USC	+16 yd	Matt Leinart (USC) pass across the middle complete to Dwayne Jarrett (USC) for a 16 yard touchdown.
Q3 12:11	USC	+0 yd	Extra point by Ryan Killeen (USC) is good.
Q3 5:30	California	+0 yd	Extra point by Tom Schneider (CAL) is good.
Q3 7:55	California	+20 yd	Aaron Rodgers (CAL) pass across the middle complete to Geoff McArthur (CAL) for 20 yards.
Q3 5:34	California	+2 yd	Marshawn Lynch (CAL) rushed up the middle for a 2 yard touchdown.
Q3 5:30	California	+84 yd	Kickoff returned by Reggie Bush (USC) for 84 yards.
Q3 3:28	USC	+13 yd	Matt Leinart (USC) pass left side intercepted by Harrison Smith (CAL). Returned for 13 yards.
Q4 15:00	California	+0 yd	Golden Bears fumble by Aaron Rodgers (CAL), recovered by Mike Patterson (USC), returned for no gain.
Q4 7:40	California	+36 yd	36 yard field goal by Tom Schneider (CAL) is no good.

Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).

Box Score

Player stats

CFBD player stats

Passing

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Matt LeinartUSC	15/24	164	6.8	2	1	24.7
Aaron RodgersCalifornia	29/34	267	7.9	1	0	70.0
Chase LymanCalifornia	0/1	0	0.0	0	0	2.6

Rushing

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
LenDale WhiteUSC	11	52	4.7	0	11
Reggie BushUSC	8	23	2.9	0	11
Matt LeinartUSC	4	-30	-7.5	0	0
J.J. ArringtonCalifornia	21	112	5.3	0	15
Marshawn LynchCalifornia	8	36	4.5	1	17
Chris ManderinoCalifornia	3	15	5.0	0	12
Aaron RodgersCalifornia	10	7	0.7	0	14

Receiving

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Steve SmithUSC	2	76	38.0	0	45
Dwayne JarrettUSC	4	37	9.3	1	16
Chris McFoyUSC	2	20	10.0	0	13
LenDale WhiteUSC	2	10	5.0	1	5
Alex HolmesUSC	2	8	4.0	0	4
Reggie BushUSC	1	6	6.0	0	6
Jason MitchellUSC	1	5	5.0	0	5
David KirtmanUSC	1	2	2.0	0	2
Geoff McArthurCalifornia	7	101	14.4	1	20
Garrett CrossCalifornia	5	40	8.0	0	14
Chase LymanCalifornia	2	28	14.0	0	17
J.J. ArringtonCalifornia	4	26	6.5	0	8
Jonathan MakonnenCalifornia	2	22	11.0	0	15
Chris ManderinoCalifornia	2	21	10.5	0	14
Burl TolerCalifornia	3	16	5.3	0	8
Marshawn LynchCalifornia	3	9	3.0	0	9
Noah SmithCalifornia	1	4	4.0	0	4

Show more stats (4 more categories)

Interceptions

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Harrison SmithCalifornia	1	13	0

Kicking

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Ryan KilleenUSC	3/3	100.0	42	2/2	11
Tom SchneiderCalifornia	1/2	50.0	39	2/2	5

Punt Returns

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Tim MixonCalifornia	2	6	3.0	7	0

Punting

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Tom MaloneUSC	2	114	57.0	0	0	62

Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back.

← USC at Stanford Arizona State at USC →