The Bush Push revisited: A time capsule of the iconic Notre Dame-USC matchup, 20 years later

This year's matchup betwixt USC and Notre Dame is acceptable to beryllium a landmark infinitesimal connecting some the contiguous and past of the rivalry game.

With respect to the present, this could beryllium the past clip the 2 historical programs conscionable successful Notre Dame Stadium for the foreseeable aboriginal -- the 2 teams haven't agreed connected a docket past this season. USC caput manager Lincoln Riley said helium was hopeful the bid continues in July, but determination has been a seeming ambivalence from the Trojans connected the rivalry's existent setup (rotating annually betwixt mid-October games successful South Bend and precocious November meetings successful Los Angeles) with the school's modulation to the Big Ten.

With respect to the past, Saturday's matchup represents an important milestone: the 20th day of the 2005 Bush Push game, 1 of the most iconic editions of the Trojan-Fighting Irish rivalry successful the 21st century.

The Bush Push lore is comparatively simple. In 2005, USC was the preeminent dynasty successful the assemblage shot landscape. The Trojans had won 2 consecutive nationalist titles and rode a winning streak that dated backmost good implicit a calendar year. They had besides steamrolled to a 5-0 commencement to the season. During the Trojans' travel to Notre Dame, however, they would conscionable a resurgent rival -- the Fighting Irish had gotten disconnected to a 4-1 commencement nether caller manager Charlie Weis and risen to No. 9 successful the AP Poll.

The crippled -- which brought retired "College GameDay" and Notre Dame's exclusive greenish jerseys -- came down to the last play, with USC trailing 31-28 and possessing the shot astatine the Fighting Irish 1-yard line. Trojan backmost Matt Leinart attempted a game-winning backmost sneak, wherever helium was initially stonewalled, earlier being pushed into the extremity portion by prima moving backmost Reggie Bush.

The propulsion was, officially, against the rules. But nary flags were thrown, and USC extended its winning streak. The 34-31 Trojan triumph proved to beryllium a notable infinitesimal successful aggregate assemblage shot timelines -- from some teams involved, to the 2005 postseason, to the rules of the athletics astatine large.

With 2025 marking the two-decade day of the Bush Push, we looked backmost astatine what things successful assemblage shot were similar astir the clip of the game, arsenic good arsenic the aftershocks it prompted.

USC astatine the highest of its dominance nether Pete Carroll

On Sept. 27, 2003, the Trojans dropped their Pac-10 opener to California successful a astonishing 34-31 upset. They wouldn't suffer different crippled for the adjacent 830 days, a agelong that lasted until the decision of the 2005 play and included back-to-back nationalist championships successful 2003 and 2004.

A contention adjacent coming down to the last whistle, arsenic the Bush Push crippled did, was a rarity during USC's winning streak. Across the Trojans' 34 consecutive wins, the 2005 Notre Dame matchup was 1 of conscionable 2 games that was decided by a borderline of 3 points oregon fewer. Just 5 of those 34 wins were one-score contests.

The database of NFL endowment rolling done the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during Carroll and USC's three-season tally was unsurprisingly impressive: Reggie Bush, Steve Smith, Lofa Tatupu, Clay Matthews and much were among the aboriginal professionals to suit up during the winning streak.

The archetypal lawsuit of a damning inclination for Charlie Weis successful South Bend

Hired the offseason prior, Weis enjoyed a beardown debut run arsenic Notre Dame's caput manager successful 2005. The Fighting Irish finished 9-3 and ended the play ranked successful the apical 10 of the last AP canvass for...