Leinart leads Trojans to 51-24 rout of Huskies

By J.E.  |   Saturday, October 22, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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After a month of sluggish first-half play and a close call at Notre Dame that left many sports analysts wondering how long USC could hold on to their #1 ranking, the Trojans finally looked like their old dominating selves in Saturday's 51-24 victory over the Washington Huskies. The USC Trojans have now won 29 games in a row, and they improved their record to 7-0 this season. The loss drops the Huskies to 1-6 on the year.

After being virtually shut down for 58 minutes a week ago by the Notre Dame defense, USC quarterback Matt Leinart came out firing today. Leinart connected with junior wide receiver Steve Smith for an 8-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter, and never looked back from there. He hooked up with Dwayne Jarrett for three scoring strikes, including one that involved a spectacular catch from the sophomore standout. Leinart was 19-of-25 for 197 yards and 4 TDs before giving way to backup John David Booty in the fourth quarter. Leinart's 4 TD passes put him in first place on the Pac-10's all-time touchdown list. Jarrett finished the day with 7 receptions for 94 yards and 3 scores.

Junior running back Reggie Bush, who was the workhorse in last week's victory over Notre Dame, carried the ball just 8 times today for 51 yards. He also scored two touchdowns on the day. One came on a 6-yard run in the second quarter, and the next came less than 2 minutes later on a 60-yard punt return and showed just why Bush leads the nation in all-purpose yards and why he's a top candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

LenDale White also saw some action out of the backfield for the USC Trojans. He rushed for 61 yards on 17 attempts, including a long of 14.

The Washington Huskies drew first blood in the game, but couldn't match the Trojans' scoring output for all four quarters. Washington's Marlon Wood returned the opening kickoff 92 yards to give quarterback Isaiah Stanback and the rest of the offense excellent field position at the USC 8. After two consecutive running plays moved the ball just 5 yards, Stanback was sacked on third down. The Huskies settled for a field goal to go up 3-0. The Huskies would score 14 more points in the first half to keep the game within reach, but then managed just 7 points in the second half.

Stanback completed 14-of-18 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown on the day. Backup Johnny DuRocher also took some snaps for the Huskies. He threw for 66 yards on 11 attempts.

James Sims Jr. was Washington's leading rusher with just 25 yards on 10 carries, while wide receiver Cody Ellis hauled in two catches for 57 yards.

Next up: USC will host the Washington State Cougars. Washington will visit Arizona State to take on the Sun Devils.
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