Brigham Young University
Sep 18 | 08:00 PM
10 - 42
University of Southern California
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LaVell Edwards Stadium

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Kyle Chilton | Posted: 19 Sep 2004 | Updated: 2 Aug 2023
Kyle Chilton

Cougars Fall to Top-ranked USC

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Postgame Notes

PROVO -- No. 1 ranked USC gained 528 yards of total offense as the Trojans cruised to a 42-10 win over the BYU Cougars Saturday.

USC running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White had 124 and 110 yards rushing respectively to lead the Trojan attack. Both rushed for a touchdown and Bush add another on a pass reception. It was the first time USC had two players run for over 100 yards since 1996 against Oregon State.

USC coach Pete Carroll credited the offensive line for the big night on the ground.

"I loved the way the offensive line played," Carroll said. "We really thought we were going to come in here and run the football tonight."

Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Leinart had a stellar night, completing 22 of 35 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Leinart also added another touchdown on the ground.

BYU coach Gary Crowton said he was impressed with the Trojans and their versatility on offense.

"You can see why they're the No. 1 team in the country," he said. "Our defense did really well at times, but with them having so many weapons it was hard to maintain our momentum."

John Beck led the BYU offense with 194 yards and one touchdown pass while completing 18 of 34 attempts. Beck also threw three interceptions. Todd Watkins scored his first touchdown as a Cougar and caught six passes for 94 yards.

Despite the loss, Crowton felt Beck made progress.

"I felt like it was good for Beck to play the whole game and watch him develop," Crowton said. "I think it's only the second time in his career that he's had a whole game under his belt. He'll continue to develop and get better and better."

The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie as both defenses held strong. It was the first time USC failed to score in the opening quarter since Nov. 30, 2002 against Notre Dame. John Burbidge picked off a Leinart pass on the Trojan's opening drive, Leinart's first interception in 111 pass attempts. USC held the Cougars to 38 yards of total offense and picked off a Beck pass.

In the second quarter, the Cougars struck first on a 42-yard Matt Payne field goal. Payne is now a perfect four-of-four on field goals this season.

The lead was short lived. BYU's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds and an encroachment penalty gave USC the ball on its own 40. Facing third and ten, Leinart connected with Dwayne Jarrett on a 20-yard pass to keep the drive alive. After another first down, Leinart found Bush on a short screen pass over the middle, and Bush scampered 21-yards into the end zone for a 7-3 lead.

The Trojans did not stop there. With 2:21 left in the first half, USC took possession of the ball on their own 27-yard line. After a seven-yard passing play, Bush did the rest himself, running 66 yards down the sideline to put USC up 14-3.

BYU's hopes of making something happen before the end of the half were short lived. On the first play of the drive, USC's Lofa Tatupu recovered a Beck fumble, giving the Trojans the ball on the Cougar 20-yard line. Two plays later, the Trojans were in the endzone once again when Leinart hooked up with Dwayne Jarrett on a 15-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-3.

The Cougars looked to make a move to get back into the game in the third, shutting out USC and adding seven points of their own. After a missed Trojan field goal, BYU took possession and on the first play of the drive, Beck hit Watkins in stride for a 69-yard touchdown pass to put the score at 21-10, USC.

The rest of the game was all USC as the Trojans scored three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first score came on a one-yard Leinart plunge early in the quarter. Less than four minutes later, LenDale White scrambled 43-yards for a touchdown, putting him over 100-yards rushing. The last touchdown of the game was a nine-yard run by Lee Webb making the final score 42-10.

The Cougars, now 1-2, will look to get back on track Friday at Boise State. The Broncos own the longest winning streak in the nation at 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. (MST).

Box Score (Final)

 

Southern California vs Brigham Young (Sep 18, 2004 at Provo, UT)

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score

----------------- -- -- -- -- -----

Southern California. 0 21 0 21 - 42 Record: (3-0)

Brigham Young....... 0 3 7 0 - 10 Record: (1-2)

Scoring Summary:

2nd 10:30 BYU - PAYNE, Matt 46 yd field goal, 10-48 3:39, USC 0 - BYU 3

08:30 USC - Bush, Reggie 21 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 8-60 2:00, USC 7 - BYU 3

02:03 USC - Bush, Reggie 66 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 2-73 0:18, USC 14 - BYU 3

01:05 USC - Jarrett, Dwayne 15 yd pass from Leinart, Matt (Killeen, Ryan kick), 3-20 0:53, USC 21 - BYU 3

3rd 11:16 BYU - WATKINS, Todd 69 yd pass from BECK, John (PAYNE, Matt kick), 1-69 0:11, USC 21 - BYU 10

4th 14:16 USC - Leinart, Matt 1 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 10-71 2:54, USC 28 - BYU 10

10:22 USC - White, LenDale 43 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 4-71 0:48, USC 35 - BYU 10

02:30 USC - Webb, Lee 9 yd run (Killeen, Ryan kick), 11-43 6:42, USC 42 - BYU 10

USC BYU

FIRST DOWNS................... 26 11

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 50-291 24-27

PASSING YDS (NET)............. 236 194

Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 35-22-1 34-18-3

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 85-527 58-221

Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0

Punt Returns-Yards............ 2-7 1-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 1-38 1-26

Interception Returns-Yards.... 3-37 1-23

Punts (Number-Avg)............ 4-44.0 8-48.2

Fumbles-Lost.................. 0-0 3-1

Penalties-Yards............... 8-73 7-54

Possession Time............... 36:53 23:07

Third-Down Conversions........ 12 of 19 4 of 15

Fourth-Down Conversions....... 1 of 1 0 of 0

Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 3-5 1-1

Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 3-27 2-17

RUSHING: Southern California-Bush, Reggie 14-124; White, LenDale 17-110; Reed, Desmond 7-21;

Dennis, Hershel 3-18; Leinart, Matt 7-10; Webb, Lee 1-9; Team 1-minus 1. Brigham Young-TAHI, Naufahu

7-27; BROWN, Curtis 6-15; HUDSON, Ray 1-1; COLLIE, Austin 2-minus 3; BECK, John 8-minus 13.

PASSING: Southern California-Leinart, Matt 22-35-1-236. Brigham Young-BECK, John 18-34-3-194.

RECEIVING: Southern California-Smith, Steve 6-62; Bush, Reggie 4-42; McFoy, Chris 4-37;

Jarrett, Dwayne 3-58; Kirtman, David 2-19; Holmes, Alex 2-11; White, LenDale 1-7. Brigham

Young-WATKINS, Todd 4-94; COLLIE, Austin 4-36; COATS, Dan 3-25; TAHI, Naufahu 3-10; BROWN, Curtis

2-8; WILKERSON, Rodn 1-14; KUKAHIKO, Jason 1-7.

INTERCEPTIONS: Southern California-Bing, Darnell 1-8; Grootegoed, M. 1-0; Thomas, Terrell

1-29. Brigham Young-BURBIDGE, Jon 1-23.

FUMBLES: Southern California-None. Brigham Young-BECK, John 2-1; BROWN, Curtis 1-0.

Stadium: Edwards Stadium Attendance: 63467

Kickoff time: 8:19 End of Game: 11:39 Total elapsed time: 3:20

Officials: Referee: Gerald Wright; Umpire: Kevin Matthews;

Linesman: Brian Matthew; Line judge: Jack Lynch; Back judge: Craig Clark;

Field judge: Tom Beller; Side judge: Mike McCabe;

Temperature: 77 Wind: SW 5mph Weather: Partly Cloudy

Southern California vs Brigham Young (Sep 18, 2004 at Provo, UT)

SACKS (UA-A): Southern California-Cody, Shaun 2-0; Schweiger, Jeff 1-0. Brigham Young-WHITE,

Spencer 1-0; POPPINGA, Brady 1-0.

TACKLES (UA-A): Southern California-Tatupu, Lofa 2-5; Leach, Jason 5-0; Grootegoed, M. 3-1;

Ashton, Collin 3-1; Bing, Darnell 1-3; Cody, Shaun 3-0; Wyatt, Justin 2-1; Thomas, Terrell 2-0;

Wright, Eric 2-0; Rivers, Keith 1-1; Nunn, Ronald 1-1; Rucker, Frostee 1-1; Wright, Manuel 0-2;

Ting, Ryan 1-0; Patterson, Mike 1-0; Arbet, Kevin 1-0; Schweiger, Jeff 1-0; Drake, John 1-0;

Jackson, L. 0-1; Barrett, Chris 0-1; Ware, Scott 0-1; Sartz, Dallas 0-1. Brigham Young-FRANCISCO,

Aaro 8-8; BURBIDGE, Jon 7-4; HEANEY, Brandon 4-6; SOELBERG, Natha 5-4; JENSEN, Cameron 2-6; WHITE,

Spencer 2-5; POPPINGA, Brady 1-4; DENNEY, John 0-5; BROWN, Manaia 2-2; BUCHANAN, Kayle 2-0; PAONGO,

Hala 2-0; FEULA, Vince 1-1; NUA, Shaun 1-1; LUETTGERODT, Ju 0-2; MARQUARDT, Dani 0-2; ALBA, MICHA

1-0; HALE, Chris 1-0; COLLIE, Austin 1-0; PAYNE, Matt 1-0; CARLSON-MADDUX 0-1; BAUMAN, Matt 0-1;

STAFFIERI, Mark 0-1; ANDERTON, Judd 0-1.

Individual Statistics (Final)

The Automated ScoreBook

Southern California vs Brigham Young (Sep 18, 2004 at Provo, UT)

Southern California

Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg

--------------------------------------------

Bush, Reggie 14 130 6 124 1 66 8.9

White, LenDale 17 112 2 110 1 43 6.5

Reed, Desmond 7 21 0 21 0 7 3.0

Dennis, Hershel 3 18 0 18 0 10 6.0

Leinart, Matt 7 27 17 10 1 9 1.4

Webb, Lee 1 9 0 9 1 9 9.0

Team 1 0 1 -1 0 0 -1.0

Totals... 50 317 26 291 4 66 5.8

Passing Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack

--------------------------------------------

Leinart, Matt 35-22-1 236 2 24 2

Totals... 35-22-1 236 2 24 2

Receiving No. Yds TD Long

-----------------------------------

Smith, Steve 6 62 0 24

Bush, Reggie 4 42 1 21

McFoy, Chris 4 37 0 18

Jarrett, Dwayne 3 58 1 23

Kirtman, David 2 19 0 15

Holmes, Alex 2 11 0 7

White, LenDale 1 7 0 7

Totals... 22 236 2 24

Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20

-----------------------------------------

Malone, Tom 4 176 44.0 54 2

Totals... 4 176 44.0 54 2

Punts Kickoffs Intercept

All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg

---------------------------------------------

Bush, Reggie 2 7 5 1 38 38 0 0 0

Grootegoed, M. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Bing, Darnell 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 8

Thomas, Terrell 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 29 29

Totals... 2 7 5 1 38 38 3 37 29

Field goal attempts

----------------------------------------

Killeen, Ryan 2nd 14:09 43 yds - Missed

Killeen, Ryan 3rd 11:27 49 yds - Missed

FUMBLES: Southern California-None. Brigham Young-BECK, John 2-1; BROWN, Curtis 1-0.

Brigham Young

Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg

--------------------------------------------

TAHI, Naufahu 7 27 0 27 0 13 3.9

BROWN, Curtis 6 16 1 15 0 7 2.5

HUDSON, Ray 1 1 0 1 0 1 1.0

COLLIE, Austin 2 0 3 -3 0 0 -1.5

BECK, John 8 16 29 -13 0 8 -1.6

Totals... 24 60 33 27 0 13 1.1

Passing Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack

--------------------------------------------

BECK, John 34-18-3 194 1 69 3

Totals... 34-18-3 194 1 69 3

Receiving No. Yds TD Long

-----------------------------------

WATKINS, Todd 4 94 1 69

COLLIE, Austin 4 36 0 20

COATS, Dan 3 25 0 13

TAHI, Naufahu 3 10 0 8

BROWN, Curtis 2 8 0 10

WILKERSON, Rodn 1 14 0 14

KUKAHIKO, Jason 1 7 0 7

Totals... 18 194 1 69

Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20

-----------------------------------------

PAYNE, Matt 8 386 48.2 79 2

Totals... 8 386 48.2 79 2

Punts Kickoffs Intercept

All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg

---------------------------------------------

BURBIDGE, Jon 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 23 23

MAHUIKA, Bryce 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

HARRIS, Antwaun 0 0 0 1 26 26 0 0 0

Totals... 1 0 0 1 26 26 1 23 23

Field goal attempts

----------------------------------------

PAYNE, Matt 2nd 10:30 46 yds - Good

FUMBLES: Southern California-None. Brigham Young-BECK, John 2-1; BROWN, Curtis 1-0.

FUMBLES: Southern California-None. Brigham Young-BECK, John 2-1; BROWN, Curtis 1-0.

Defensive Statistics (Final)

The Automated ScoreBook

Southern California vs Brigham Young (Sep 18, 2004 at Provo, UT)

Southern California

## Player Solo Ast Tot TFL/Yds FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

58 Tatupu, Lofa 2 5 7 1/1 . 1-0 . 1 . / .

27 Leach, Jason 5 . 5 . 1 . . . . / .

59 Ashton, Collin 3 1 4 . . . . . . / .

6 Grootegoed, M. 3 1 4 . . . 1-0 . . / .

20 Bing, Darnell 1 3 4 . . . 1-8 . . / .

84 Cody, Shaun 3 . 3 2/19 . . . . . 2/19 2

24 Wyatt, Justin 2 1 3 3/3 . . . . . / .

28 Thomas, Terrell 2 . 2 . . . 1-29 . . / .

25 Wright, Eric 2 . 2 . . . . . . / .

55 Rivers, Keith 1 1 2 . . . . . . / .

90 Rucker, Frostee 1 1 2 1/1 . . . . . / .

23 Nunn, Ronald 1 1 2 . . . . . . / .

92 Wright, Manuel . 2 2 . . . . . . / .

39 Ting, Ryan 1 . 1 . . . . . . / .

30 Arbet, Kevin 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . / .

54 Schweiger, Jeff 1 . 1 1/8 . . . . . 1/8 .

73 Drake, John 1 . 1 . . . . . . / .

99 Patterson, Mike 1 . 1 . . . . . . / 1

9 Barrett, Chris . 1 1 1/1 . . . . . / .

42 Sartz, Dallas . 1 1 . . . . . . / .

96 Jackson, L. . 1 1 . . . . . . / .

29 Ware, Scott . 1 1 . . . . . . / .

Brigham Young

## Player Solo Ast Tot TFL/Yds FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

33 FRANCISCO, Aaro 8 8 16 . . . . 1 . / .

37 BURBIDGE, Jon 7 4 11 1/4 . . 1-23 . . / .

34 HEANEY, Brandon 4 6 10 . . . . 1 . / .

13 SOELBERG, Natha 5 4 9 . . . . 1 . / .

35 JENSEN, Cameron 2 6 8 2/4 . . . . . / .

24 WHITE, Spencer 2 5 7 1/8 . . . . . 1/8 .

49 POPPINGA, Brady 1 4 5 1/9 . . . . . 1/9 .

92 DENNEY, John . 5 5 . . . . . . / .

99 BROWN, Manaia 2 2 4 . . . . . . / 1

70 PAONGO, Hala 2 . 2 . . . . . . / .

43 BUCHANAN, Kayle 2 . 2 . . . . . . / .

94 FEULA, Vince 1 1 2 . . . . . . / .

56 NUA, Shaun 1 1 2 . . . . . . / .

41 LUETTGERODT, Ju . 2 2 . . . . . . / 1

77 MARQUARDT, Dani . 2 2 . . . . . . / .

22 ALBA, MICHA 1 . 1 . . . . . . / .

38 PAYNE, Matt 1 . 1 . . . . . . / .

9 COLLIE, Austin 1 . 1 . . . . . . / .

29 HALE, Chris 1 . 1 . . . . . . / .

45 ANDERTON, Judd . 1 1 . . . . . . / .

97 CARLSON-MADDUX . 1 1 . . . . . . / .

52 BAUMAN, Matt . 1 1 . . . . . . / .

36 STAFFIERI, Mark . 1 1 . . . . . . / .

58 AH YOU, Matt . . . . . . . 1 . / .

 

 

 
Anonymous | Posted: 14 Sep 2004 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Anonymous

Cougars to Host Top-ranked USC

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BYU TO TAKE ON NO. 1 RANKED USC

Following a 37-10 loss at Stanford last weekend, BYU returns to LaVell Edwards Stadium to face No. 1 ranked and returning National Champion USC. The Trojans enter the game with a 2-0 record following a victory over Virginia Tech in the BCA Classic and a 49-0 rout of Colorado State. The Cougars enter the contest at 1-1 following an opening-game victory over Notre Dame at home and the loss to Stanford last weekend. This will be the second meeting between the two schools. USC holds a 1-0 lead in the series following a 35-18 victory over BYU last year at the Coliseum.

SETTING THE GAME

KICKOFF: 8 p.m. (MST)

SITE: LaVell Edwards Stadium (64,050)

TELEVISION (National): ESPN; Ron Franklin, Mike Gottfried, and Erin Andrews

RADIO (Local): KSL-Radio; 1160 AM (Greg Wrubell, Marc Lyons, Bill Riley)

RADIO (National): Westwood One (John Castleberry, Foge Fazio)

INTERNET WEBCAST: http://www.byucougars.com/football

THE SERIES: USC leads 1-0

IN PROVO: First-ever meeting in Provo

LAST MEETING: Sept. 6, 2003 (USC 35-18)

LAST MEETING IN PROVO: First-ever meeting in Provo

BYU AGAINST THE PAC-10

During Gary Crowton's tenure at BYU, the Cougars have posted a 1-3 victory against the Pac-10. BYU's only victory over a Pac-10 team came against Cal in the 2001 season. Last year BYU lost to both Stanford and USC of the Pac-10. The Cougars have played every team in the Pac-10 at least once, posting a 26-53-1 (.329). Current Pac-10 teams Arizona and Arizona State competed against BYU in the WAC until the two teams jointed the Pac-10.

OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?

When the Cougars face off against USC this weekend, it will not only be a match-up between two college football teams, but also of two brothers. BYU wide receiver Todd Watkins will face off against his brother Travis, a Trojan offensive lineman. Besides the Watkins connection, BYU also boasts four sets of brothers on this year's roster: wide receivers Austin and Zac Collie, junior college transfers Gary and Greg Lovely, defensive linemen Michael and Daniel Marquardt, and Quinn and David Gooch. The Collies' father, Scott, also played football at BYU from 1979 to 1982 and later for the Hamilton Tigercats of the CFL. The Gooches' father, Gary, also has ties to BYU. Gary Gooch suited up for the Cougar basketball team from 1958 to 1959.

RECORD AGAINST THE RETURNING NATIONAL CHAMPION

Saturday's meeting between BYU and USC will be the third time BYU has faced off against the reigning National Champion. The first was BYU's stunning victory over the No. 1 ranked University of Miami in 1990. The Cougars defeated the Hurricaines behind the passing of junior quarterback Ty Detmer, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy later that year. BYU's second game against the defending National Champion came in 2000 when the Cougars sqaured off against 1999 National Champion, Florida State. The Seminoles defeated the Cougars 29-3 in the 2000 season-opening game for both teams.

COMPLETE BROADCAST PLANS

TELEVISION: Saturday's game will be broadcast to a national audience on ESPN. The game will be broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. MST. Ron Franklin will be calling the action with Mike Gottfried serving as color commentator and Erin Andrews will be reporting from the sideline.

RADIO: Fans can tune into KSL Radio--the 50,000-watt home of the Cougars--and follow the action with the broadcast team of Greg Wrubell, Marc Lyons and Bill Riley. The game can also be heard on Dish Network channel 980. The game will also be broadcast to a national audience on the Westwood One radion network. John Castleberry will handle the play-by-play, while Foge Fazio will offer expert analysis.

INTERNET: A live webcast of the game, which includes play-by-play and up-to-the-minute statistics , can be viewed by logging on to: http://www.byucougars.com/football

In addition to the webcast, a live audio stream will be available on the following URLs:

http://ksl.com and http://www.byuradio.org

CHOW RETURNS TO EDWARDS STADIUM FOR FIRST TIME

Former BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chow will return to coach in LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time since he left BYU following the 1999 season. Chow, who is now the offensive coordinator at USC, coached alongside LaVell Edwards at BYU for 27 seasons, beginning his career with the Cougars as a graduate assistant in 1983. He was named the offensive coordinator in 1982 and helped tutor Cougar greats, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer and Steve Sarkisian. During Chow's time as an offensive coordinator at BYU, the Cougars led the nation in total offense three times.

TALE OF THE TAPE

BYU's projected starting offensive line averages an enormous 6-foot-4 and 312 pounds. They will face a Trojan defensive line that averages 6-foot-3 and 273 pounds. When USC has the ball, Cougar defensive linemen that average 6-foot-4 and 293 pounds will face a Trojan front five that are listed at 6-foot-4 and 317 pounds, including two players weighing in at 350 or greater.

COUGARS FACE TOUGH SCHEDULE

BYU is scheduled to play the ninth toughest non conference schedule based on opponents' winning percentage last season. The Cougars non conference schedule includes Notre Dame, Stanford, co-National Champion and preseason No. 1 USC and Boise State who combined for a 34-16 record. The overall record of BYU's opponents including Mountain West Conference teams is 82-54 (.603). Five of the Cougars' 11 opponents went to a bowl game last year. The teams finished with a 3-2 bowl record, including USC's victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl that earned the Trojans a share of the National Title. Following the second week of the season, BYU's opponents are 13-8, with their non-conference opponents posting a 7-1 record through Sept. 11.

LAST WEEK: BYU AT STANFORD

Stanford forced seven BYU turnovers and scored the final 37 points of the game as the Cardinal defeated the Cougars 37-10 Saturday night. BYU was led for much of the night by third-string quarterback Jason Beck, who replaced starter Matt Berry mid-way through the first drive after Berry suffered a hand injury. Beck led the Cougars to 10 first-quarter points on a Fahu Tahi run and a field goal by Matt Payne. Following Payne's field goal, the Cardinal took over. Stanford returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and held BYU scoreless for the remainder of the game. In his first-ever Division I appearance, Beck completed 23-of-46 passes for 232 yards and three interceptions. On the night, the Cougars used four quarterbacks. Besides Beck and Berry, BYU used first-string quarterback John Beck, who was listed as possible going into the game, and Jackson Brown. BYU struggled with turnovers all night, finishing the game with seven turnovers the most turnovers by a Cougar team since 2001 against Hawaii when BYU also committed seven turnovers.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

After two games of the 2004 season, BYU ranks 24th in the nation in passing offense with 275.5 yards per game. Junior college transfer Todd Watkins has benefited from the Cougars passing offense as he ranks 22nd in the nation and third in the MWC in receiving yards per game. BYU will face a tough defense this week when USC comes into LaVell Edwards stadium. The Trojans rank 29th in the nation in total defense, but are only 49th best out of 117 teams against the pass. USC's defense has also been tough to score on. The Trojans rank fifth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing a paltry 6.5 points per game. USC has also forced a Pac-10 leading eight turnovers

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Defensively, the Cougars rank seventh in the nation against the rush, allowing just 41.5 yards rushing per game. BYU also ranks first in the conference and 45th in the nation in total defense. They will face an offense that boasts running backs LenDale White, who is 30th in the nation in rushing with 100.5 yards per game and Reggie Bush, who is seventh in the nation in scoring with a 12 p.p.g. average. The Trojans also sport Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Leinart, who ranks 15th in the nation in pass efficiency.