The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
In Their Words: The 2005 National Championship Game
09.16.2017 | Football
by James Rodriguez
The individual plays have become so iconic, so indelible in the collective memory of Texas football, that it can often seem as if the final result were scripted.
Michael Griffin plants one foot firmly in-bounds as he intercepts a pass from Matt Leinart.
The Longhorn defense stuffs USC running back LenDale White on fourth-and-two, giving the offense one last chance to take the field before time expires.
Vince Young rushes into the end zone on fourth-and-five to seal the win.
These are the moments that have flashed across TV screens and highlight reels ever since Texas hoisted the national championship trophy on the field of the Rose Bowl nearly 12 years ago.
As a new generation of Longhorns prepares to face USC on Saturday, that 2005 battle between No. 1 and No. 2 continues to loom large in the memories of fans and former players alike.
To hear the lettermen from the 2005 team tell it, the confidence on their side never wavered over the course of the game. But the battle between the top two teams in the nation was a back-and-forth affair in which both teams traded substantial blows. With six minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the contest and the Longhorns trailing by 12, a Texas victory was far from certain.
And, as Young was quick to point out, the game began in less than ideal fashion when Aaron Ross, a Thorpe award winner who went on to win two Super Bowls, fumbled a punt before the Texas offense had the chance to take the field.
"It took a while for us to get out there because Aaron Ross fumbled the punt," Young said with a laugh. "It was like, we had to start all over again as an offense, getting warmed up again and things like that."
For his part, Ross took the miscue in stride.
"A couple of guys joked around and said, 'Hey, y'all just wanted to stay out there a little longer and play a little more defense," Ross said. "I didn't really have a chance to get down on myself, and that speaks to the team chemistry that we had."
Despite the fact that Texas entered the game with a spotless 12-0 record, the majority of pundits and fans pointed to the Trojans, who were seeking their third straight title, as the clear favorites.
"All of the storylines were, 'After USC wins this national championship, how good they are compared to the greatest teams in history,'" former safety Michael Huff said. "Nobody outside of our locker room, outside of Texas, really gave us a chance. Deep down in our hearts, we knew what kind of team we had. We knew if we played Texas football, we could play with anybody."
USC held a 7-0 lead going into the second quarter, but the momentum shifted when Reggie Bush, the Trojans' star running back, attempted to extend a play by pitching the ball back to an unsuspecting teammate. The ball dropped to the ground, and Huff fell on the ball to secure the fumble recovery.
"I think it kind of just caught him off guard that people were running with him and he tried to make some miraculous throw," Huff said. "When he pitched it back, I was like, 'Did he really just do that?' And then I saw the ball land on the ground so I just did whatever it took to get on the ball."
Texas converted the miscue into a field goal, and forced another turnover on the ensuing USC drive when Michael Griffin made an acrobatic interception in the end zone, cementing his place in Longhorn lore.
"I think he changed the tide when he caught the interception," Young said. "A lot of people were shocked. Even Matt Leinart, he still talks about it to this day. When I talk to Matt he's like, 'Man, that guy Michael with the interception, he was on one side of the field and he ran all the way to the other side and picked the ball off."
Following the interception, Young guided the offense down the field for a touchdown and the first Texas lead of the night. The Longhorns claimed a 16-10 advantage at halftime.
USC flexed its offensive muscle in the second half, utilizing a combination of Bush and fellow running back LenDale White to overpower the Texas defense. White had already scored three touchdowns when the Trojans lined up at the Texas 45-yard line on fourth-and-two with two minutes and 13 seconds left to play. A first down would likely bury the Longhorns, who trailed 38-33.
The Longhorns saw Bush on the sideline and White in the backfield. The Trojans' game plan was clear.
"With them having Reggie Bush on the sideline, all of our focus could be on LenDale," Ross said. "We knew we had to get a stop on fourth-and-two. We stacked the box and gave our best one-on-one move and everybody just dove and spit and grinded and did whatever they could to get the stop."
White took the ball and ran headfirst into a wall of Burnt Orange & White. As the referees extended the chains to make the final call, the Longhorn faithful in the stands erupted in cheers.
"When we made the stop and they told us the ball was going back the other way to offense, we just all ran off the field ecstatic," defensive lineman Tim Crowder said. "I knew if we could get the ball back to (Young), we were going to win that game. He kept on telling us on the sideline, 'Just get us the ball back.'"
As the clock ticked down, Young and company drew closer to the end zone for a final shot at victory. Offensive lineman Justin Blalock can't remember the exact play, or the routes that the wideouts took, on the legendary fourth-and-five QB scramble. But he does remember the block he made on an opposing safety that helped clear a path for Young to sprint into the end zone.
"I execute my block, the guy falls down and Vince runs by me," Blalock said. "I see his back going into the end zone and everyone celebrates. It was a pretty good moment."
As the celebration began in earnest among the burnt orange-clad fans, offensive lineman Kasey Studdard remained stoic. Nineteen seconds remained on the clock, and the Longhorns were only ahead by one as they lined up for the two-point conversion following Young's run.
"A lot of people forget about the two-point conversion, but after the two-point conversion was really when us as an offense celebrated," Studdard said. "We knew we're only up one after the touchdown, got to get the two-point conversion to go up three."
Young dove into the end zone for the additional two points, and the offense could finally breathe. Wide receiver Quan Cosby stood for a moment to take it all in.
"I love seeing excitement," Cosby said. "That's what it's about, whether you're a kicker or receiver, lineman. Everyone was just ecstatic. It was awesome to see."
The members of the 2005 team, like the game itself, are immortalized at The University of Texas. For the players that now have children of their own, that legacy now has an added weight.
"When people talk about games in college football history, that game against USC is always going to be at the top of their mind," Ross said. "Being a part of that and now having a kid, to be able to bring him back to The University of Texas and knowing that his papa was a part of a national championship game and possibly one of the best games to ever be played on a college football field, it means a lot. It means the world."
Over a decade has passed since Texas left Southern California with a national championship in tow. But the sheer visuals of the game — Texas in their traveling "icy" whites, USC in cardinal and gold — will be enough to evoke memories of that national championship game. Young has a simple message for the current team.
"I just want the guys to understand how big Texas Football is," Young said. "You're not just wearing that jersey because of your last name. You're actually representing a whole state, as well as all the lettermen that came before us and wore that jersey."
