USC defends the belt, 42–21, at home over Arizona.
AP poll, week 6: Arizona unranked at USC No. 1 · No. 1 that week: Michigan State. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
USC came in 646 days into reign #258, which began with a win over Michigan, with 17 defenses already behind it; this was its 18th defense. USC went on to defend it 7 more times before Texas took it on January 4, 2006, 734 days after the reign began.
For Arizona this was its 14th shot at the belt; it had held the belt 5 times before.
It was the 5th of 5 belt games between the two; going in, USC led the belt series 4–0; all-time USC leads 5–0. Every meeting →
Recap
USC's dominant offensive performance secured the belt with a convincing 42-21 victory over Arizona. The Trojans struck first when LenDale White punched in a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but Arizona answered quickly with a Richard Kovalcheck-to-Brad Wood 4-yard touchdown pass. USC's Matt Leinart orchestrated an impressive drive in the second quarter, connecting with Dwayne Jarrett for a 23-yard touchdown to extend the lead. The third quarter belonged entirely to USC, as LenDale White scored twice more on short-yardage rushing attempts, while the Trojans' passing attack featured a devastating 57-yard completion to Steve Smith that set up another score. Though Arizona managed two more touchdowns late to make the final score respectable, USC's superior field position, time of possession advantage (22:20 to 14:20), and nearly perfect third-down conversion rate (10-14) proved insurmountable.
- LenDale White's first 1-yard TD run in Q1 - established USC's ground dominance early
- Matt Leinart to Dwayne Jarrett 23-yard TD in Q2 - extended USC lead after Arizona's quick response
- LenDale White's two rushing TDs in Q3 (2-yard and 1-yard) - put the game firmly out of reach
- 57-yard Leinart-to-Steve Smith completion in Q3 - exemplified USC's offensive firepower and set up another touchdown
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 13:23 | USC | +34 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Steve Smith for 34 yards to the USC 38 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 12:27 | USC | +21 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Patrick Turner for 21 yards to the Ariz 31 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 9:12 | USC | +1 yd | LenDale White rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 9:12 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 9:05 | USC | +36 yd | Troy Van Blarco kickoff for 65 yards returned by Syndric Steptoe for 36 yards to the Ariz 36. |
| Q1 0:07 | Arizona | +4 yd | Richard Kovalcheck pass complete to Brad Wood for 4 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 0:07 | Arizona | +0 yd | Nicholas Folk extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 0:55 | Arizona | +38 yd | Richard Kovalcheck pass complete to Michael Thomas for 38 yards to the USC 5 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 14:15 | USC | +33 yd | Matt Leinart pass intercepted by Wilrey Fontenot at the Ariz 18, returned for 33 yards to the USC 49. |
| Q2 1:17 | USC | +23 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Dwayne Jarrett for 23 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 1:17 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 14:47 | USC | +39 yd | LenDale White rush for 39 yards to the Ariz 45 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 11:51 | USC | +2 yd | LenDale White rush for 2 yards for a TOUCHDOWN, Arizona penalty offside on BJ Vickers declined. |
| Q3 11:51 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 7:34 | Arizona | +42 yd | Richard Kovalcheck pass complete to Michael Thomas for 42 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 7:34 | Arizona | +0 yd | Nicholas Folk extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 5:50 | USC | +57 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Steve Smith for 57 yards to the Ariz 11 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 4:23 | USC | +1 yd | LenDale White rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 4:09 | USC | +77 yd | Troy Van Blarco kickoff for 64 yards returned by Syndric Steptoe for 77 yards to the USC 22. |
| Q3 4:23 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 1:47 | Arizona | +1 yd | Richard Kovalcheck pass complete to Gilbert Harris for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 1:47 | Arizona | +0 yd | Nicholas Folk extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 12:48 | USC | +29 yd | Matt Leinart pass complete to Dwayne Jarrett for 29 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 12:48 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 8:22 | USC | +65 yd | Reggie Bush rush for 65 yards to the Ariz 6 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 7:59 | USC | +6 yd | LenDale White rush for 6 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 7:59 | USC | +0 yd | Mario Danelo 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).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
USC
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Leinart | 26/40 | 360 | 9.0 | 2 | 1 | 83.7 |
| John David Booty | 3/3 | 27 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 97.0 |
| Dwayne Jarrett | 0/1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 |
Arizona
No recorded stats in this category.
Rushing
USC
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LenDale White | 24 | 179 | 7.5 | 4 | 38 |
| Reggie Bush | 14 | 110 | 7.9 | 0 | 65 |
| Desmond Reed | 6 | 27 | 4.5 | 0 | 9 |
| Michael Coleman | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 0 | 8 |
| John Griffin | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Matt Leinart | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 4 |
Arizona
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Harris | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | 0 | 9 |
| Chris Henry | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
USC
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith | 7 | 135 | 19.3 | 0 | 56 |
| Dwayne Jarrett | 9 | 116 | 12.9 | 2 | 29 |
| Chris McFoy | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Fred Davis | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 | 17 |
| Patrick Turner | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 0 | 20 |
| Dominique Byrd | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Reggie Bush | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 10 |
| LenDale White | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 |
| Mike Brittingham | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Brandon Hancock | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 |
| David Kirtman | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
Arizona
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Thomas | 4 | 88 | 22.0 | 1 | 42 |
| Brad Wood | 4 | 52 | 13.0 | 1 | 19 |
| Anthony Johnson | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Gilbert Harris | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 1 | 7 |
| Syndric Steptoe | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
Show more stats (4 more categories)
Interceptions
USC
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Ting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Arizona
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilrey Fontenot | 1 | 34 | 0 |
Kicking
USC
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Danelo | 0/0 | 0.0 | 0 | 6/6 | 6 |
Arizona
No recorded stats in this category.
Punt Returns
USC
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie Bush | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Arizona
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syndric Steptoe | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 |
Punting
USC
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Malone | 2 | 87 | 43.5 | 0 | 0 | 46 |
Arizona
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Baugher | 6 | 276 | 46.0 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
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 252810030) · This game in the downloadable dataset