USC Trojans Legend Reggie Bush Recaps 'Bush Push' in Win Over Notre Dame

The 6-5 USC Trojans play host to the No. 5 ranked 10-1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this Saturday. The battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh is one of the longest-running rivalry games in the country and happens to be between two of the most successful programs in college football history. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 49-37-5, but since 1951, the series has been much closer at 34-30-3, with Notre Dame still holding the lead.

With a rivalry as storied as this one, there are iconic moments that hold a place in college football lore. In 2005, No. 1 USC and No.9 Notre Dame faced off in South Bend in one of the most memorable college football games ever. The controversy-riddled ending featured Heisman winner running Reggie Bush (arguably illegally) pushing Heisman winner quarterback Matt Leinart into the endzone after a quarterback sneak was initially stuffed, with three seconds remaining to take a 34-31 victory.

October 15, 2005 — one of the most iconic moments in USC history…

🍿🔥✌️ @MattLeinartQB pic.twitter.com/JWbMFFoWRg
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 27, 2024

On the "Games With Names" podcast hosted by former New England Patriots Super Bowl Champion Julian Edelman, former USC Trojans icon Reggie Bush joined the show & ended up detailing the origins of the “Bush Push." The play is now infamous because of Bush and the Philadelphia Eagles that have replicated the move widely known as the “Tush Push” that spawned from that classic Notre Dame game 19 years ago.

“Before that play, we’ve been in the huddle and it’s a timeout. Everything is going crazy. Matt [Leinart] just gets knocked out of bounds…I go to Matt [Leinart] and I say what are you going to do? He’s like I’m going to sneak it. So he hikes the ball and he starts getting knocked backward on a quarterback sneak. . . . I just shove his ass, push him as hard as I can over the line," said Bush.

Reggie Bush revisits the Bush Push game on @gameswithnames podcast.

Reggie had that “relentless mentality” to help secure the win for USC.

Going to need to see that mentality from everyone this Saturday ✌️ pic.twitter.com/1rssPuwFMQ
— Trojan Football ✌️fan (@TrojanFBx) November 26, 2024

USC is trying to play spoiler this weekend as Notre Dame is playing to clinch a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The stakes aren’t as high as they were in 2005, but winning a game like this can be the turning point in the ever-present search to return to those glory days. The Trojans need a win to provide some proof of concept.

Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who clinched the Heisman Trophy with his performance against the Fighting Irish in 2022, will be in attendance as he gets honored by the university. Maybe some of that signature Williams luck can rub off on the Trojans and outweigh the luck of the Irish.

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