USC defends the belt, 38–28, on the road at Arizona State.
AP poll, week 5: USC No. 1 at Arizona State No. 14 · No. 1 that week: Michigan State. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
USC came in 639 days into reign #258, which began with a win over Michigan, with 16 defenses already behind it; this was its 17th defense. USC went on to defend it 8 more times before Texas took it on January 4, 2006, 734 days after the reign began.
For Arizona State this was its 9th shot at the belt; it had held the belt 4 times before.
It was the 5th of 5 belt games between the two; going in, the series stood 2–2; all-time USC leads 3–2. Every meeting →
Recap
Arizona State struck first with a special teams touchdown when Terry Richardson returned a punt 83 yards for a score in the first quarter, but USC methodically took control with their dominant ground game and balanced offense. The Sun Devils kept pace early, with Sam Keller connecting on key passing plays to Derek Hagan and Jamaal Lewis, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Lewis in the second quarter and a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Keegan Herring that gave ASU a 21-3 lead. However, USC's defense stiffened in the second half while the Trojans' running backs took over the game, with LenDale White scoring on a 32-yard run in the third quarter and Reggie Bush adding a 24-yard touchdown run to spark a dominant second-half performance. Matt Leinart capped the comeback with a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter as USC outscored Arizona State 25-0 after halftime to secure a 28-38 victory and retain the belt.
- Terry Richardson's 83-yard punt return for a touchdown gave ASU an early 7-0 lead and set an aggressive tone
- Keegan Herring's 5-yard rushing touchdown extended ASU's lead to 21-3 late in the second quarter
- LenDale White and Reggie Bush's consecutive rushing touchdowns in the third quarter sparked USC's second-half comeback and momentum shift
- USC's complete second-half dominance, outscoring ASU 25-0 after the break, demonstrated why they retained the belt despite trailing at halftime
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.
Team stats
CFBD box scoreFull 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.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 14:54 | Arizona State | +20 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Derek Hagan for 20 yards to the ASU 40 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 11:32 | USC | +23 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Dwayne Jarrett for 23 yards to the ASU 47 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 5:41 | USC | +83 yd | Tom Malone punt for 37 yards, returned by Terry Richardson for 83 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 5:41 | Arizona State | +0 yd | Jessi Ainsworth extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 1:27 | USC | +25 yd | Reggie Bush rush for 25 yards to the USC 41 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 13:26 | USC | +36 yd | Greig Carlson 36 yard field goal GOOD. |
| Q2 10:59 | USC | +21 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Steve Smith for 21 yards to the ASU 40 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 6:56 | Arizona State | +7 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Jamaal Lewis for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 7:15 | Arizona State | +23 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Jamaal Lewis for 23 yards to the USC 18 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 6:56 | Arizona State | +0 yd | Jessi Ainsworth extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 5:54 | USC | +21 yd | Tom Malone punt for 59 yards, returned by Terry Richardson for 21 yards to the ASU 45. |
| Q2 4:55 | Arizona State | +25 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Derek Hagan for 25 yards to the USC 5 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 4:34 | Arizona State | +5 yd | Keegan Herring rush for 5 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 4:34 | Arizona State | +0 yd | Jessi Ainsworth extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 12:41 | USC | +32 yd | LenDale White rush for 32 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 12:33 | USC | +31 yd | Troy Von Blarco kickoff for 55 yards returned by Terry Richardson for 31 yards to the ASU 41. |
| Q3 12:41 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 9:54 | USC | +22 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Dwayne Jarrett for 22 yards, fumbled at the USC 42, forced by Zach Catanese, recovered by Maurice London at the USC 42, tackled by Zach Catanese. |
| Q3 8:29 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 8:29 | USC | +24 yd | Reggie Bush rush for 24 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 9:16 | USC | +27 yd | LenDale White rush for 27 yards to the ASU 29 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 1:29 | Arizona State | +20 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Jamaal Lewis for 20 yards to the ASU 45 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 11:50 | USC | +42 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to David Kirtman for 42 yards to the ASU 31 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 8:46 | USC | +1 yd | Matt Leinart rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 11:50 | USC | +42 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to David Kirtman for 42 yards to the ASU 31 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 8:46 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 8:41 | USC | +24 yd | Troy Von Blarco kickoff for 59 yards returned by Terry Richardson for 24 yards to the ASU 30. |
| Q4 8:19 | Arizona State | +23 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Derek Hagan for 23 yards to the ASU 38. |
| Q4 5:57 | Arizona State | +1 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Lee Burghgraef for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 5:57 | Arizona State | +0 yd | Jessi Ainsworth extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 6:36 | Arizona State | +24 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Rudy Burgess for 24 yards to the USC 12 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 3:44 | USC | +34 yd | Reggie Bush rush for 34 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 3:44 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 4:45 | USC | +23 yd | LenDale White rush for 23 yards to the ASU 38 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 2:22 | USC | +46 yd | LenDale White rush for 46 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 2:22 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 1:22 | Arizona State | +23 yd | Sam Keller pass complete to Derek Hagan for 23 yards to the USC 17 for a 1ST down. |
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).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
Arizona State
No recorded stats in this category.
USC
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Leinart | 23/39 | 258 | 6.6 | 0 | 0 | 34.5 |
Rushing
Arizona State
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keegan Herring | 15 | 59 | 3.9 | 1 | 15 |
| Rudy Burgess | 10 | 33 | 3.3 | 0 | 9 |
| Terry Richardson | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 |
USC
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LenDale White | 19 | 197 | 10.4 | 2 | 46 |
| Reggie Bush | 17 | 158 | 9.3 | 2 | 34 |
| Matt Leinart | 9 | 12 | 1.3 | 1 | 9 |
| Steve Smith | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 |
| Desmond Reed | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
Receiving
Arizona State
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Hagan | 10 | 162 | 16.2 | 0 | 25 |
| Jamaal Lewis | 5 | 71 | 14.2 | 1 | 23 |
| Rudy Burgess | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 0 | 24 |
| Moey Mutz | 3 | 34 | 11.3 | 0 | 14 |
| Matt Miller | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 0 | 20 |
| Terry Richardson | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | 13 |
| Randy Hill | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 |
| Lee Burghgraef | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 1 | 3 |
USC
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Kirtman | 7 | 97 | 13.9 | 0 | 42 |
| Dwayne Jarrett | 7 | 90 | 12.9 | 0 | 23 |
| Steve Smith | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 0 | 21 |
| Brandon Hancock | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 13 |
| Dominique Byrd | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 7 |
| Reggie Bush | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
Show more stats (4 more categories)
Interceptions
Arizona State
No recorded stats in this category.
USC
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Walker | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Oscar Lua | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Justin Wyatt | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Ellison | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
Arizona State
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Ainsworth | 0/0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4/4 | 4 |
USC
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Danelo | 1/1 | 100.0 | 36 | 5/5 | 8 |
Punt Returns
Arizona State
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Richardson | 3 | 111 | 37.0 | 84 | 1 |
USC
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie Bush | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | 11 | 0 |
Punting
Arizona State
No recorded stats in this category.
USC
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Malone | 7 | 313 | 44.7 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
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 252740009) · This game in the downloadable dataset