September 24, 2005 Week 4 · Regular Season Belt defended

USC defends the belt, 45–13, on the road at Oregon.

Home · Challenger

OregonAP No. 24 13

Away · Defending Holder

USCAP No. 1 45

AP poll, week 4: USC No. 1 at Oregon No. 24 · No. 1 that week: Michigan State. The belt vs. the polls →

Belt context

Where this game sits in the lineage

USC came in 632 days into reign #258, which began with a win over Michigan, with 15 defenses already behind it; this was its 16th defense. USC went on to defend it 9 more times before Texas took it on January 4, 2006, 734 days after the reign began.

For Oregon this was its 16th shot at the belt; it had never held the belt.

It was the 6th of 6 belt games between the two; going in, USC led the belt series 4–0–1; all-time USC leads 5–0–1. Every meeting →

AI-Written

Recap

Oregon struck first with a Paul Martinez field goal in the opening minutes, then took a 10-0 lead when Kellen Clemens connected with Demetrius Williams for a touchdown. USC's defense tightened after that early onslaught, and the Trojans methodically took control with three consecutive scoring drives in the second and third quarters, including touchdown passes from Matt Leinart to Reggie Bush and Dwayne Jarrett, plus a rushing touchdown from LenDale White. A crucial interception by Aaron Gipson early in the first quarter, though returned for a loss, set the tone for a defensive struggle that favored USC's ground game and balanced offensive attack. By the time Leinart found Jarrett again for a touchdown with just 10 seconds left in the third quarter, the Trojans had pulled away decisively to secure the belt.

Clemens to Williams touchdown (8:24 Q1) — Oregon's quick 10-0 start put USC on its heels early
Leinart to Bush touchdown (5:08 Q2) — USC's first score began the Trojans' offensive momentum that never stopped
Leinart to Jarrett touchdown (13:14 Q3) — Extended USC's lead to commanding levels in the second half
Leinart to Jarrett touchdown (0:10 Q3) — Late third-quarter score put the game out of reach and sealed belt retention

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

OregonUSC

Total yards262593

Rushing yards65278

Passing yards214319

First downs1631

3rd down conv.5/159/14

Turnovers12

Penalties–yards0–00–0

Time of possession16:4020:00

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 12:01	Oregon	+25 yd	Matt Evensen kickoff for 53 yards returned by Reggie Bush for 25 yards to the USC 37.
Q1 12:07	Oregon	+37 yd	Paul Martinez 37 yard field goal GOOD.
Q1 10:10	USC	-62 yd	Matt Leinart pass intercepted by Aaron Gipson at the USC 0, returned for a loss of 62 yards to the Oregn 38.
Q1 11:48	USC	+28 yd	LenDale White rush for 28 yards to the Oregn 23 for a 1ST down.
Q1 8:24	Oregon	+37 yd	Kellen Clemens pass complete to Demetrius Williams for 37 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q1 8:12	Oregon	+28 yd	Matt Evensen kickoff for 53 yards returned by Desmond Reed for 28 yards to the USC 40.
Q1 8:24	Oregon	+0 yd	Paul Martinez extra point GOOD.
Q1 2:08	Oregon	+37 yd	Paul Martinez 37 yard field goal MISSED.
Q2 8:46	Oregon	+30 yd	Matt Evensen kickoff for 65 yards returned by Reggie Bush for 30 yards to the USC 30.
Q2 9:00	Oregon	+48 yd	Paul Martinez 48 yard field goal GOOD.
Q2 5:08	USC	+19 yd	Matt Leinart pass complete to Reggie Bush for 19 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q2 8:11	USC	+20 yd	Matt Leinart pass complete to David Kirtman for 20 yards to the Oregn 35 for a 1ST down.
Q2 5:08	USC	+0 yd	Greig Carlson extra point GOOD.
Q2 0:06	USC	+36 yd	Greig Carlson 36 yard field goal GOOD.
Q3 14:52	Oregon	+20 yd	Matt Evensen kickoff for 61 yards returned by Reggie Bush for 20 yards to the USC 24.
Q3 14:01	USC	+23 yd	Matt Leinart pass complete to Dominique Byrd for 23 yards to the Oregn 11 for a 1ST down, Oregon penalty holding on Levi Horn declined.
Q3 13:14	USC	+11 yd	Matt Leinart pass complete to Dwayne Jarrett for 11 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q3 13:14	USC	+0 yd	Greig Carlson extra point GOOD.
Q3 13:08	USC	+21 yd	Troy Van Balcro kickoff for 64 yards returned by Justin Phinisee for 21 yards to the Oregn 22.
Q3 14:12	USC	+38 yd	Reggie Bush rush for 38 yards to the Oregn 34 for a 1ST down.
Q3 7:03	USC	+1 yd	LenDale White rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q3 6:57	USC	+27 yd	Troy Van Balcro kickoff for 65 yards returned by Justin Phinisee for 27 yards to the Oregn 27.
Q3 7:03	USC	+0 yd	Greig Carlson extra point GOOD.
Q3 4:37	Oregon	+26 yd	Aaron Knowles punt for 54 yards, returned by Reggie Bush for 26 yards to the USC 36.
Q3 0:10	USC	+6 yd	Matt Leinart pass complete to Dwayne Jarrett for 6 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q3 0:10	USC	+0 yd	Greig Carlson extra point GOOD.
Q3 1:21	USC	+25 yd	LenDale White rush for 25 yards to the Oregn 6 for a 1ST down.
Q4 10:05	USC	+34 yd	Matt Leinart pass complete to Steve Smith for 34 yards to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down.
Q4 8:28	USC	+29 yd	Matt Leinart pass complete to Steve Smith for 29 yards to the Oregn 12 for a 1ST down.
Q4 8:12	USC	+12 yd	Reggie Bush rush for 12 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q4 7:56	USC	+65 yd	Troy Van Balcro kickoff for 65 yards returned by Sharrod Davis for 65 yards to the Oregn 35, Oregon penalty 44 yard holding accepted.
Q4 8:12	USC	+0 yd	Greig Carlson extra point GOOD.
Q4 4:01	USC	+3 yd	LenDale White rush for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q4 4:01	USC	+0 yd	Greig Carlson extra point 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

Oregon

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Kellen Clemens	15/30	168	5.6	1	0	29.2
Dennis Dixon	6/7	29	4.1	0	1	39.6

USC

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Matt Leinart	23/39	315	8.1	3	1	66.4

Rushing

Oregon

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	LONG
Dennis Dixon	5	21	4.2	13
Terrell Jackson	2	18	9.0	13
Niles Mittasch	2	17	8.5	12
Terrence Whitehead	7	14	2.0	6
Kellen Clemens	9	5	0.6	11
James Finley	2	-2	-1.0	0
Cam Colvin	1	-6	-6.0	0

USC

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Reggie Bush	20	122	6.1	1	38
LenDale White	15	111	7.4	2	26
Desmond Reed	4	32	8.0	0	17
Matt Leinart	3	13	4.3	0	20

Receiving

Oregon

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Demetrius Williams	5	83	16.6	1	36
James Finley	4	45	11.3	0	18
Garren Strong	2	24	12.0	0	13
Terrence Whitehead	4	18	4.5	0	6
Tim Day	1	10	10.0	0	10
Cam Colvin	1	6	6.0	0	6
Kyle Weatherspoon	1	1	1.0	0	1
Terrell Jackson	2	-1	-0.5	0	0

USC

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Dwayne Jarrett	8	94	11.8	2	18
Steve Smith	6	93	15.5	0	34
Reggie Bush	3	43	14.3	1	19
Dominique Byrd	3	32	10.7	0	18
David Kirtman	1	21	21.0	0	21
Brandon Hancock	1	16	16.0	0	16
Chris McFoy	1	16	16.0	0	16

Show more stats (4 more categories)

Interceptions

Oregon

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Aaron Gipson	1	38	0

USC

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Josh Pinkard	1	0	0

Kicking

Oregon

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Paul Martinez	2/3	66.7	48	1/1	7

USC

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Mario Danelo	1/1	100.0	36	6/6	9

Punt Returns

Oregon

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Justin Phinisee	2	10	5.0	7	0

USC

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG
Reggie Bush	4	27	6.8	24
William Buchanon	1	0	0.0	0
Desmond Reed	1	0	0.0	0

Punting

Oregon

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Aaron Knowles	6	243	40.5	0	0	52

USC

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Tom Malone	2	83	41.5	0	0	46

Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.

Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 252672483) · This game in the downloadable dataset

← Arkansas at USC USC at Arizona State →