The 2005 Orange Bowl was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season and was played on January 4, 2005, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game matched the USC Trojans against the Oklahoma Sooners. Both teams entered with undefeated, 12–0 records. Despite only being a 1-point favorite, USC defeated Oklahoma by a score of 55–19 to repeat as national champions and clinch their first consensus national title since 1972, led by quarterback Matt Leinart. ESPN named Leinart's performance as one of the top-10 performances in the first ten years of the BCS system.Ted Miller, Young's double delivery highlights memorable BCS performances, ESPN.com, May 19, 2008, Accessed May 19, 2008.
The game featured many firsts regarding the Heisman Trophy. It was the first college game to have two Heisman winners on the same field (and on opposite teams): Leinart won the 2004 Heisman Trophy, which was awarded in the month prior to the Orange Bowl, and Oklahoma quarterback Jason White had won the award the previous season. The game also featured four of the five Heisman finalists of 2004: Leinart (winner), Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson (first runner-up), White (second runner-up) and USC running back Reggie Bush (fourth runner-up); Bush would win the award the following season (although USC returned its copy of Bush's trophy and Bush forfeited the award following the institution of NCAA sanctions in 2010 but was returned to him in 2024).
On June 10, 2010, USC was forced to vacate all games from December 2004 to the end of the 2005 season among other sanctions as the result of an NCAA investigation into the school's football and men's basketball programs. NCAA investigators released a report stating that a USC player, Reggie Bush, was ineligible beginning in December 2004. The NCAA ordered USC to vacate every game in which Bush appeared, which included the final two games of the 2004 season (including this game), and every game of the 2005 season.Mark Saxon, NCAA delivers postseason football ban, ESPN, June 10, 2010.Blair Kerkhoff, Southern Cal stripped of 2005 Orange Bowl victory, The Kansas City Star, June 10, 2010 The 2005 Orange Bowl is the only BCS National Championship Game ever to be vacated by the winning team. However, USC did retain the Associated Press (AP) national title.
Scoring summary Scoring Play Score 1st quarterOkla – Travis Wilson 5-yard pass from Jason White (Garrett Hartley kick). 7:44OU 7–0USC – Dominique Byrd 33-yard pass from Matt Leinart (Ryan Killeen kick). 4:27Tie 7–7USC – LenDale White 6-yard run (Killeen kick). 0:17USC 14–7 2nd quarterUSC – Dwayne Jarrett 54-yard pass from Leinart (Killeen kick). 11:46USC 21–7USC – Steve Smith 5-yard pass from Leinart (Killeen kick). 9:17USC 28–7Okla – Hartley 29-yard FG 3:10USC 28–10USC – Smith 33-yard pass from Leinart (Killeen kick). 1:56USC 35–10USC – Killeen 44-yard FG 0:03USC 38–10 3rd quarterUSC – Smith 4-yard pass from Leinart (Killeen kick). 10:42USC 45–10USC – Killeen 42-yard FG 4:01USC 48–10 4th quarterUSC – White 8-yard run (Killeen kick). 9:46USC 55–10 Okla – Safety (Leinart downed in End Zone) 6:34USC 55–12Okla – Wilson 9-yard pass from White (Hartley kick). 3:59USC 55–19
Game records Team Performance vs. Opponent YearMost points scored 55, USC vs. Oklahoma 2005Individual Performance, Team vs. Opponent YearPassing TDs 5, Matt Leinart, USC vs. Oklahoma 2005Receiving TDs 3, Steve Smith, USC vs. Oklahoma 2005
Entertainment The national anthem was performed by JoJo.
The halftime show featured Kelly Clarkson, who performed "Since U Been Gone", and Ashlee Simpson, who performed "La La". Simpson's performance—coming on the heels of a lip-syncing incident that occurred during her appearance on Saturday Night Live in October 2004—was poorly-received, with Simpson receiving a shower of jeers from the crowd at its conclusion. ESPN writer D'Arcy Maine described Simpson as having "[tortured] those in the crowd with each attempt at a note, sounding more and more like a shrieking hyena as she went on", and considered it justification for "why she preferred to lip-sync".
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