Flashback #62: Reggie Bush Push (2005)

As of 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary on January 3rd, the station has begun to reveal (in chronological order) the Top 100 Chicago Sports Stories that have occurred since they first went on the air 20 years ago. Once all 100 of these "flashbacks" have been revealed, fans will be able to vote for which stories they believe are the most significant in the 20 year history of The Score. To see all of the Flashbacks that The Score has posted so far, please visit 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary page.

October 15, 2005 - Reggie Bush Push

To some, the game between Notre Dame and USC in 2005 was set to be the game of the century.

The No.1-ranked Trojans marched to Notre Dame stadium boasting a 27-game winning streak that included three wins over Notre Dame by 31 points each. The No. 9 Irish, however, were ready to end a three-game home losing streak.

The game was back and forth for the first three quarters as the start of the fourth quarter was met with a 21-21 tie.

With just over two minutes to play, Irish quarterback Brady Quinn ran five yards for a touchdown, giving the Irish a 31-28 lead.

On the Trojans' next possession, they faced a fourth-and-nine situation on their own 26-yard line with only 1:32 left in the game. That's when USC quarterback Matt Lienart threw a short fade to Dwayne Jarrett down the sideline, just out of the reach of Irish cornerback Ambrose Wooden. Jarrett slipped away down to the Irish 13-yard line.

After two rushes by Reggie Bush, the Trojans were on the Notre Dame 2-yard line. On the next play, Leinart scrambled toward the sideline, where linebacker Corey Mays caused him to fumble the ball out of bounds.

The fumble out of bounds stopped time on the field with seven seconds remaining, but the stadium timekeeper let the scoreboard clock run. When the time ran out, the Notre Dame student section began to rush the field. After a brief delay to clear the field and reset the clock, play resumed with seven seconds on the clock.

On the next play of the game, Leinart tried a QB sneak to get into the end zone. When he was stopped well short of the goal line, Bush pushed him into the end zone for the winning score. The Trojans went on to win the game 34-31, extending their winning streak to 28 games.

The Score will continue to release a new Flashback each weekday until they reach 100. Check back tomorrow for a new one, or check out all of the previous Flashbacks: 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary »