2004 USC TROJANS GAME NOTES FOOTBALL SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE • HER 103 • LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90089-0601 TELEPHONE: (213) 740-8480 FAX: (213) 740-7584 WWW.USCTROJANS.COM TIM TESSALONE, DIRECTOR FOR RELEASE: Dec. 20, 2004 2004 USC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (12-0) NO. 1 USC MEETS NO. 2 OKLAHOMA IN ORANGE BOWL BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT FACTS Aug. 28 vs. Virginia Tech W 24-13 USC (12-0 overall, 8-0 Pac-10) vs. Oklahoma (12-0, 8-0 Big 12), BCS Championship Game, FedEx Sept. 11 Colorado State W 49-0 Orange Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 8:20 p.m. EST/5:20 p.m. PST, Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Fla. Sept. 18 at BYU W 42-10 Sept. 25 at Stanford W 31-28 THEMES Oct. 9 California W 23-17 What a high-powered, star-studded match-up this BCS Championship Game in the 2005 Or- Oct. 16 Arizona State W 45-7 ange Bowl will be: top-ranked and defending national champion USC versus No. 2 Oklahoma, Oct. 23 Washington W 38-0 which played in last year’s BCS contest. It’s a meeting of 2 of college football’s most historic Oct. 30 at Washington State W 42-12 programs. These teams have met just 8 times, and it’s been a dozen years since the last faceoff. Nov. 6 at Oregon State W 28-20 Each USC-OU game has featured a ranked team…and oftentimes a highly-ranked team. In Nov. 13 Arizona W 49-9 fact, it’s not the first time the No. 1 Trojans met the No. 2 Sooners (in 1981, USC won in the last Nov. 27 Notre Dame W 41-10 seconds). Oklahoma is one of only 2 teams to ever beat a No. 1 Trojan team. And OU is the last Dec. 4 at UCLA W 29-24 team to hold the No. 1 ranking before USC’s current run of 17 consecutive polls. This is a familiar Jan. 4 Oklahoma 8:20 p.m. (ABC-TV) trip for USC, which won the 2003 Orange Bowl, and Oklahoma, which has played in 17 Orange (Orange Bowl) Bowls (it won the 2000 national title there). This is the second time Pete Carroll has coached PAC-10 STANDINGS against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The teams are mirror images: Heisman winners at quarterback and finalists at running back, deep receiving corps, staunch defenses with a Cody PAC-10 OVERALL anchoring the line, exciting returners, and the game’s top head coaches in USC’s Pete Caroll W L W L and OU’s Bob Stoops. The teams also are very similar statistically. Questions abound: Can USC 8 0 12 0 USC’s stingy defense stop Oklahoma’s balanced offense? Can USC’s potent multidimensional CAL 7 1 10 1 offense have success against OU’s testy defense? Will the game turn on special teams? Can ASU 5 3 8 3 anybody halt USC’s Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush or LenDale White or Dwayne Jarrett? Or OU’s OSU 5 3 6 5 Jason White or Adrian Peterson or Mark Clayton or Antonio Perkins? How do you contend with UCLA 4 4 6 5 the likes of Troy’s Shaun Cody or Mike Patterson or Matt Grootegoed or Lofa Tatupu? Or ORE 4 4 5 6 Oklahoma’s Lance Mitchell or Dan Cody or Donte Nicholson? The game in Miami’s 72,230-seat WSU 3 5 5 6 STAN 2 6 4 7 Pro Player Stadium is sold out and it will be shown live nationally in prime time on ABC-TV. ARIZ 2 6 3 8 RANKINGS WASH 0 8 1 10 USC is ranked first by AP and USA Today/ESPN. Oklahoma is second in both polls. AP POLL USA TODAY/ESPN POLL SERIES USC holds a 5-2-1 lead in its series with Oklahoma, with all contests occurring in the regular 1. USC 1. USC season. The Trojans have won the last 4 meetings (23-7 in 1988 in Los Angeles, 12-0 in 1982 in 2. Oklahoma 2. Oklahoma Norman, 28-24 in 1981 in L.A. and most recently 20-10 in 1992 in Norman when Troy scored 20 3. Auburn 3. Auburn unanswered points in the fourth quarter) and they are unbeaten in the last 5 contests (a 7-7 tie 4. California 4. California in 1973 in the Coliseum). In every meeting, at least one of the teams was ranked by AP . In fact, 5. Utah 5. Texas USC was No. 1 in 3 of its games against the Sooners (1963-73-81). Also, USC has twice beaten a 6. Texas 6. Utah 7. Louisville 7. Georgia No. 2 Oklahoma squad (in 1981 and 40-14 in 1964 in Norman), while Oklahoma has gone 1-1-1 8. Georgia 8. Louisville against top-ranked USC squads (winning in 1963, 17-12, in the Coliseum while ranked No. 3, 9. Virginia Tech 9. Virginia Tech then getting the tie in 1973 and losing in 1981). That 1981 contest saw No. 1 USC score the 10. Boise State 10. Boise State game-winning touchdown with 2 seconds to play (a 7-yard pass from QB John Mazur to TE Fred 11. Iowa 11. LSU Cornwell) to beat No. 2 Oklahoma, 28-24, in the Coliseum. USC’s only other loss to Oklahoma 12. LSU 12. Michigan was in 1971, 33-20, in Norman. The Sooners have scored only 24 points against USC in the last 14 13. Michigan 13. Iowa quarters. USC’s 1982 shutout snapped Oklahoma’s then-NCAA record consecutive game scoring 14. Miami (Fla.) 14. Miami (Fla.) streak at 181 games. 15. Tennessee 15. Florida State 16. Wisconsin 16. Wisconsin RADIO-TV—Live national TV : 5 p.m. (PST), ABC-TV, USC ONLINE—The USC athletic department has an 17. Florida State 17. Tennessee Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Lynn Swann, Todd Harris. official “home page” on the World Wide Web, fea- 18. Virginia 18. Virginia Live national radio: 5 p.m. (PST), ESPN Radio, turing current and historical information about Trojan 19. Pittsburgh 19. Florida Ron Franklin, Mike Gottfried, Erin Andrews. sports. For access, type www.usctrojans.com. 20. Florida 20. Pittsburgh Live local radio: 1:30 p.m. (PST), KMPC-AM (1540 21. Arizona State 21. Texas Tech The Ticket), Pete Arbogast, Paul McDonald, John IT’S NOT SOUTHERN CAL—Note to the media: In edi- 22. Texas A&M 22. Ohio State Jackson, Mark Willard, Suzy Shuster and Harvey Hyde torial references to athletic teams of the University of 23. Texas Tech 23. West Virginia (includes 3-and-a-half hour pre-game and 2-hour Southern California, the following are preferred: USC, 24. Ohio State 24. Arizona State post-game shows). Eight other stations are included Southern California, So. California, Troy, Trojans and 25. Boston College 25. Texas A&M on the USC radio network: KSPA-AM 1510 in Ontario/ (for women’s teams) Women of Troy. PLEASE do not Orange County, XEMM-AM 800 in San Diego, KGEO- use Southern Cal. AM 1230 in Bakersfield, KXPS-AM 1010 in Palm Springs, KVEN-AM 1450 in Ventura, KSZL-AM 1230 in Barstow, PAC-10 ONLINE—Pac-10 information, press releases, KSFB-AM 1220 in San Francisco and KFSN-AM 1140 in statistics and links to all league schools are available Las Vegas. Fans also can hear the live KMPC broad- online at www.pac-10.org. USC FOOTBALL cast on www.usctrojans.com, on SIRIUS satellite ra- dio or by dialing 1-800-846-4675 ext. 5933. 10 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Live local Spanish-language radio: 5 p.m. (PST), 27 BOWL VICTORIES KMXE-AM (830), John Laguna, Pepe Mantilla. USC Insider Show : 7 p.m. (PST), Tuesdays, KMPC- 135 ALL-AMERICANS AM (1540), Pete Arbogast, Petros Papadakis. 6 HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS USC Trojan Talk: 7 p.m. (PST), Sundays, KDWN- 380 NFL PLAYERS AM (720), Harvey Hyde, Chuck Hayes. Fans also can 22 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS hear the live KDWN broadcast on www.usctrojans.com. 1 2004 TROJAN FOOTBALL FOOTBALL POWERS meeting between the teams in 26 years and USC VS. OKLAHOMA (5-2-1) USC and Oklahoma have 2 of the top grid- the first trip to the Orange Bowl for either YEAR AP RANK RESULT PLACE iron heritages in the country. USC has won 10 school. It also was Troy’s first win ever in Florida 1963 1-3 L 12-17 H national titles (1928-31-32-39-62-67-72-74-78- in 5 tries and came against the ninth AP- 1964 NR - 2 W 40-14 A 2003) and Oklahoma has 7 (1950-55-56-74-75- ranked squad the Trojans played in the 2002 1971 17- 8 L 20-33 A 1973 1- 8 T 7- 7 H 85-2000). Oklahoma is third in career winning season. And USC scored at least 30 points for 1981 1- 2 W 28-24 H percentage among Division I-A schools (.714), a school-record eighth consecutive game. 1982 18-NR W 12- 0 A while USC is ninth (.697). In all-time victories, USC dominated the Hawkeyes statistically, 1988 4- 3 W 23- 7 H Oklahoma is eighth (749) and USC is 10th (719). getting more total yards (550-323), first downs 1992 NR-13 W 20-10 A USC has appeared in 42 bowls (with 27 wins), (30-18), plays (80-58) and possession time while Oklahoma has been in 37 bowls (with (38:06-21:54). It was the ninth game in a row USC’s Rose Bowl Record 23 wins).