There are some football plays which will stand the test of time. The Play - the Cal-Stanford lateral from 1982 - is certainly one. Doug Flutie's Hail Mary for Boston College in 1984 is another. If there is a short list of all-time college football plays, the Bush Push merits consideration. USC-Notre Dame 2005 was and is and always will be an unquestioned classic. It is no surprise that 21 years later, ESPN is still writing about it. Heather Dinich reflected on the play and why USC remains Notre Dame's foremost enemy in college football:
"Two words: Bush Push. It might be the most famous, controversial play in rivalry history and is a microcosm of the bitter relationship between the programs. In 2005, defending national champ and No. 1 USC scored a last-second touchdown to beat Notre Dame -- depending on where you sit. Trailing 31-28, USC quarterback Matt Leinart had the ball inside the 10-yard line with less than 20 seconds to play when he scrambled to his left to try to score. The ball popped out of his hands, though, as he was approaching the goal line. The clock expired, and the Notre Dame faithful assumed the game was over, with some running onto the field to celebrate -- until officials determined the ball went out of bounds and the clock should have stopped. With the ball at the 1-yard line, Leinart was stuffed, but running back Reggie Bush pushed his quarterback into the end zone for one of the sport's most memorable wins."
Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: ESPN is still writing about the Bush Push, 21 years after it happened
Leave a Comment