Southern Cal Trojans ©	Texas Longhorns
The Rose Bowl Played January 4, 2006 at the Rose Bowl Pasadena, California

  

 

Teams' Belt Records

 

Team	Belt Reigns	Overall Record				Home Record				Away Record				Neutral Record
		W	L	T	PCT	W	L	T	PCT	W	L	T	PCT	W	L	T	PCT
Southern Cal ©	9	70	10	3	.861	31	3	2	.889	31	6	1	.830	8	1	0	.889
Texas	1	2	1	0	.667	1	1	0	.500					1	0	0	1.000

 

                        Previous Belt Meetings:       None

The top-ranked, 12-0 Southern Cal Trojans of coach Pete Carroll were attempting to become the first Belt holder to successfully defend The Belt in 2 consecutive BSC Championship games.  While the Trojans dominated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl the previous season, this season’s opposition was a much more balanced offensive unit in the 2^nd ranked, 12-0 Texas Longhorns of coach Mack Brown.  All season, pundits had pointed to this game as “the” game that everyone wanted to see & amazingly it lived up to those expectations.  The teams combined for 1130 offensive yards but Texas' All-American QB Vince Young led his team from a 12-point deficit with just 6:42 to play for a 41-38 win to claim The Belt & the BCS National Championship ending the reign of the favored Belt holders at 25 games; the 2^nd longest reign in Belt history.  Texas forced Southern Cal to punt on their first drive but Longhorns' CB Aaron Ross fumbled on the return & Southern Cal's S Scott Ware recovered at the Texas 46-yard line.  Four plays later, Trojans' RB LenDale White scored on a 4-yard touchdown run & Southern Cal had a 7-0 lead.  Early in the 2^nd quarter, the Trojans appeared to be driving for another score when All-Pac 10 QB Matt Leinart hit All-American RB Reggie Bush for a 35-yard gain but Bush tried to lateral to WR Brad Walker who was not expecting the ball.  Texas' All-American S Michael Huff recovered the ball & the Longhorns had the ball at their own 18-yard line.  Texas' PK David Pino connected on a 46-yard field goal as the Longhorns closed to 7-3.  As the Trojans were driving for another score, Longhorns’ CB Michael Griffin intercepted a Leinart pass at the goal line.  The play was ruled out-of-bounds on the field but replay showed that Griffin had caught the ball in-bounds before touching his toe on the goal line.  Seven plays later from the Southern Cal 22-yard line, Young ran left to the Southern Cal 10-yard line & pitched the ball to RB Selvin Young who carried it the final yards for a touchdown giving Texas a 9-7 advantage.  Replays showed that Vince Young’s knee had touched down before he pitched but due to a technical malfunction, it was not reviewed.  The rush to beat the video review may have caused Pino to miss the extra-point attempt.  Texas got a the ball back at their own 49-yard line after a short punt & RB Ramonce Taylor scored on the 4^th play with a 30-yard touchdown run to push the Texas lead to 16-7.  Southern Cal's PK Mario Danelo hit a 43-yard field goal as time expired in the 1^st half with Texas leading 16-10.  The Trojans drove 62 yards in 7 plays on their opening drive of the 3^rd quarter with White scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run to give Southern Cal a 17-16 lead.  Vince Young scored on a 14-yard touchdown run after a 7-play, 80-yard drive as Texas retook the lead at 23-17.  White’s 12-yard touchdown run put Southern Cal back in the lead at 24-23 with 4:07 left in the 3^rd quarter.  Pino missed a 31-yard field attempt as the 4^th quarter started & Southern Cal drove 80 yards in 9 plays with Bush scoring on a 26-yard run to push the Southern Cal lead to 31-23.  Pino connected on a 34-yard field goal as Texas closed to with 5 points at 31-26 but four plays later, Leinart hit All-American WR Dwayne Jarrett on a 22-yard touchdown pass for a 38-26 lead with just 6:42 to play.  Vince Young passed for 61 yards & ran for 8 yards on the next scoring drive hitting WR Limas Sweed on a 6-yard touchdown pass but with 3:58 to play, Texas still trailed 38-33.  The Trojans then went to work on the clock but facing 4^th & a short 2 at the Texas 45-yard line with just 2:13 to play, Carroll decided to run for the 1^st down instead of punting.  The Longhorns’ defense held White inches short of the 1^st down & Vince Young had a chance to win the game with 2:09 to play from his own 44-yard line.  Early in the drive on 3^rd & 12, Young completed a pass to WR Quan Cosby for 7 yards but a 5-yard incidental facemask penalty gave Texas the 1^st down.  Young then hit WR Brian Carter for a 9-yard gain, ran for a 7-yard gain, & hit Carter for a 17-yard gain for a first down at the Southern Cal 13-yard line.  Facing 4^th & 5 from the Southern Cal 8-yard line, Young dropped to pass but unable to find an open receiver he ran to his right the final 8 yards for the go-ahead score.  Young ran up the middle to complete the 2-point conversion for a 41-38 lead with just 0:19 to play.  Leinart’s final pass to Jarrett was high & the Longhorns had defeated the Belt holding Trojans.  Young finished with 267 yards passing as well as 200 yards rushing while being named Rose Bowl MVP & TE David Thomas added 10 catches for 88 yards.  Leinart finished with 365 yards passing with a touchdown & interception.  White finished with 124 yards rushing & Jarrett added 10 catches for 121 yards for the Trojans.  Southern Cal finished the season 0-1 which includes 12 wins vacated as a result of Bush being declared ineligible by the NCAA; Pac 10 Champions & ranked 2^nd nationally while the Longhorns finished 13-0, Big 12 Champions & National Champions.  Southern Cal had not played for The Belt again.