The legacy and legality of the Bush Push 20 years later

ON THE SIDELINE astatine Notre Dame Stadium, USC manager Pete Carroll frantically waved for backmost Matt Leinart to spike the ball. The Trojans trailed 31-28, inches from the extremity enactment with 7 seconds left.

"[Leinart] was to look backmost astatine [offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian] connected the sidelines, and if we wanted to sneak it, we could sneak it," Carroll said this week. "And helium had to constituent astatine him. So, we archer him to sneak it. So, helium points astatine the line, and helium looks astatine the enactment of scrimmage, and helium goes, 'There's nary way, they're each jammed up.' And helium looks backmost astatine us, and Reggie [Bush] yelled thing astatine him, 'Go for it. Go for it.'"

Moments earlier, Leinart had fumbled retired of bounds wrong the 1. The timepiece mistakenly ran out, and NBC's Tom Hammond declared, "Notre Dame has won," arsenic Notre Dame manager Charlie Weis raised his arms and fans stormed the field.

When play resumed, the Trojans would person 1 past accidental to widen their winning streak to 28 games.

Leinart sneaked near from nether center, but helium was bounced backward into a fractional rotation and into the way of Bush, who famously shoved him crossed for the winning score.

"It was astir arsenic saccharine a decorativeness arsenic you could person successful a large concern to support the streak live and each that, too," Carroll said.

Twenty years ago, the "Bush Push" would go 1 of the astir unforgettable moments successful assemblage shot past -- and 1 of its astir controversial. In the container score, it was the touchdown that preserved USC's dynasty and allowed for the Rose Bowl matchup with Texas that became an all-time classic. In the rulebook, though, it was illegal.

Except, it was astir ne'er called. In fact, the regularisation had go a moving gag among officials.

"You were teased if you made the call," said erstwhile NCAA authoritative and existent ESPN expert Matt Austin. "It was specified a uncommon occurrence."

In the years that followed, an obscure regularisation became a flashpoint. It was debated, tweaked and, eventually, led to strategical evolution.

THE "HELPING THE Ball Carrier" regularisation had been portion of the NCAA rulebook for decades. Its connection was virtually identical successful each variation dating backmost to astatine slightest 1950.

"No [teammate] shall grasp, pull, push, assistance oregon complaint into him to assistance him successful guardant progress."

The thought is believed to person originated arsenic a mode to differentiate shot from rugby. Teammates could artifact defenders, but erstwhile the shot bearer was engaged, the play was meant to beryllium his alone. Anything much -- a shove, a tug, a assistance -- was considered an unfair advantage.

It was astir intolerable to enforce successful short-yardage piles, wherever pushes and blocks blur together, particularly adjacent the extremity line.

Steve Shaw remembers that occupation well. Now the NCAA's nationalist coordinator of officials, Shaw spent much than 2 decades connected the field, and helium has seen conscionable astir everything. But successful the 2000 season, his unit made a rare, yet memorable call.

It happened during a Middle Tennessee-UConn game. Late successful the contest, a Middle Tennessee lineman reached retired and grabbed his moving back, helping resistance him toward the extremity zone. Shaw's enactment judge, Mike Taylor, threw the flag.

"At the extremity of the year, there's a study listing each punishment called nationally," Shaw said. "Under aiding the runner, determination was 1 -- and it was ours. We gave him a hard clip for calling it, but it was the close call."

The regularisation technically existed, but astir cipher enforced it. And erstwhile it was flagged, it was usually due to the fact that a subordinate was being pulled, not pushed.

So erstwhile Bush shoved Leinart crossed the extremity enactment successful 2005, the officials did what astir would person done: They kept the emblem successful their pockets. In fact, aft Leinart's touchdown, the Pac-10 officiating unit huddled up to sermon the play ...