Beyond the Call: The Bush Push - A Look Back at the 2005 USC vs. Notre Dame Game

A strong running play typically requires a big push up front from the offensive line to succeed. But when the Southern Cal Trojans needed a big push during their most crucial game of the 2005 regular season, it came from behind when a Hall of Fame tailback went Beyond the Call.

Notre Dame woke up the echoes for an October visit from back-to-back defending champion USC. The Irish broke out their green jerseys for the first time in years as new head coach Charlie Weiss attempted to wake up the echoes. In addition to the green jerseys, Notre Dame legend Joe Montana gave a pre-game pep talk to fire up a team that had lost three straight games to USC, each by 31 points.

The talk worked as Notre Dame outplayed USC for most of the game, except for containing Reggie Bush. Bush opened the scoring on a touchdown run to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead, but the Irish were able to go into the locker at halftime with a 21-14 lead thanks to a Tom Zbikowski 60-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Coming into the second half with Matt Leinart banged up from a strong Notre Dame pass rush, Bush put the offense on his back, gaining most of his 208 total yards and scoring two touchdowns. The first, a 45-yard sprint tied the score at 21. The second came on a short sprint to the sideline that put USC up 28-24 with just over five minutes to play.

On the touchdown, Bush felt a twinge in his knee, and he was a little less explosive the rest of the way. That meant everything was going to fall on Leinart if the defense could not hold Brady Quinn and the Irish offense.

Mixing runs and passes, Quinn hit Jeff Samardzija for a big gain and later watched Darius Walker burst through the line to bring the Irish near the goal line. Quinn fooled the Trojans with a quarterback keeper to score and give the Irish back the lead with two minutes to play.

Things looked particularly dire for the Trojans when Leinart took a sack and USC faced a 4th and 9 from their own 26-yard line with no chance to get the ball back if they failed. Shaking off the pressure of the moment, Leinart hit his best pass of the day, a 64-yarder down the left sideline to Dwayne Jarrett.

After a handful of plays, the Trojans were inside the five. With Bush still feeling out of sorts, Leinart took a gamble and kept the ball, trying to outrace the Irish to the pylon. He was met at the goal but did not break the plane. As the clock hit 0:00, hundreds of Notre Dame fans sprinted onto the field as Charlie Weiss and the Irish sideline erupted with joy! The streak was over, and the champion was slain.

But as the referees got into a huddle, NBC replays showed that Leinart fumbled the ball when hit and it flew backward out of bounds. That meant the clock should have stopped. As the referees conferred, Leinart asked Bush, “You think I should go for it?” Bush, still feeling gimpy according to the LA Times, said: “Man, you go for it.”

The referees requested the game clock be set to seven seconds while Charlie Weiss argued about the ball placement. The officials put the ball at the one-yard line, where Leinart’s forward progress was stopped instead of at the three-yard line where the ball flew out of bounds.

With the fans cleared from the field but making a racket, Leinart took the snap and attempted to bull over the middle, but the push by the Irish defense was stronger than that by the Trojan line. Leinart was knocked back and slid to his left with linebacker Brandon Hoyte gripping his jersey and safety Tom Zbikowski in his face. Leinart suddenly felt contact from behind and the momentum threw him over the goal line. Tailback Reggie Bush had sprinted in from his position and “pushed” Leinart over the goal line in what will be forever known as the “Bush Push.”

The score gave the Trojans a hard fought 34-31 victory, their 28th consecutive win, and set them up for a third straight national championship game appearance.

Unfortunately, this victory and many others would be vacated by the Trojans due to NCAA violations. But what cannot be changed is the thrill fans can feel when they watch replays of two ancient rivals battling to the final play in a game in which Reggie Bush’s quick action will forever be synonymous with his Hall of Fame career. 

Don't forget to watch our latest episode of Beyond the Call on YouTube, where we dive into the unforgettable 2005 USC vs. Notre Dame game and the legendary 'Bush Push' play.