Matt Leinart: USC Heisman Trophy profile
You can say that Matt Leinart had it all at USC: He had the defense, he had Reggie Bush, he had Dwayne Jarrett, he had Steve Smith, he had LenDale White, he had Pete Carroll.
That’s the point.
USC was a complete team with Leinart being a very big part of it. Sure, Leinart had help, but his presence at quarterback made the whole thing work. No Leinart, no 34-game winning streak. No Leinart, no back-to-back nationalk championships and a great Rose Bowl performance which easily could have given USC a third straight title, had it not been for Vince Young putting on his Superman cape to rescue the Texas Longhorns.
Leinart’s value to USC emerged the year after he left. John David Booty wasn’t a bad quarterback … but he wasn’t Matt Leinart. USC fell short of the national championship game.
Leinart, who grew up in the 2003 Auburn win and just kept getting better from that point onward, grew into his position at USC and worked hard to gain everything he had.
Yes, he had it all … and he worked to get to that point. That’s the key detail to absorb as we reflect on Leinart’s Heisman Trophy-winning career during “USC Heisman Week.” We celebrate past Trojan Heisman winners before Caleb Williams becomes Heisman winner No. 8 on Saturday evening in New York.
Enjoy this retrospective on Matt Leinart’s shimmering, sparkling USC journey:
ELITE
Oct. 15, 2005; South Bend, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart celebrates USC’s 61-yard pass play late in the fourth quarter of their 34-31 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday Oct. 15 at Notre Dame Stadium. The play set up Leinart’s game-winnning touchdown. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2005 Matt Cashore
Matt Leinart became USC’s sixth Heisman Trophy winner after winning the award in 2004.
DESTINED FOR SUCCESS
Jan 1, 2004; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart (11) in action against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2004 Rose Bowl at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans defeated the Wolverines 28-14. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Network
Matt Leinart was named the California Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior, throwing for 2,870 yards and 28 touchdowns at football powerhouse Mater Dei.
HEISMAN HANDOFF
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 03: Matt Leinart #11 of the USC Trojans celebrates with USC head coach Pete Carroll and other assistant coaches after USC scored a touchdown to take a 52-6 lead in the third quarter against the UCLA Bruins December 3, 2005 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Matt Leinart was the backup to Carson Palmer, another USC Heisman Trophy winner.
2003 WASN'T HALF-BAD
Jan 1, 2004; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart (11) in action against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2004 Rose Bowl at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans defeated the Wolverines 28-14. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Network
Leinart threw for 3,556 yards and 38 touchdowns as the Trojans won the 2003 national title. He also finished sixth in the Heisman voting that season.
TOP OF THE SPORT
Dec 4, 2004; Pasadena, CA, USA; USC quarterback #11 Matt Leinart celebrates after the Trojans’ 29-24 win over UCLA on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Joe Robbins-USA TODAY Sports
(c) 2004 by Joe Robbins
Matt Leinart had 2,990 yards and 28 TDs with just 6 interceptions in 2004 as he went on to win the Heisman Trophy.
HIS NIGHT
NEW YORK – DECEMBER 11: Quarterback Matt Leinart of the University of Southern California Trojans wins the 2004 Heisman Trophy on December 11, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
Matt Leinart beat out the following players in the Heisman Trophy race: Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma QB Jason White, Utah QB Alex Smith and USC RB Reggie Bush.
VALIDATING THE AWARD
Jan 04, 2005; Miami, FL, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart and head coach Pete Carroll following USC’s 55-19 win in the 2005 Orange Bowl over the Oklahoma Sooners. Leinart, who threw 5 touchdowns, was named the game’s MVP.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Preston Mack-USA TODAY Sports (©) Copyright 2005 by Preston Mack
Matt Leinart led USC to the national title with 332 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-19 win over Oklahoma to clinch a second-straight national title.
THEN CAME 2005
Oct. 15, 2005; South Bend, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart runs the ball into the endzone for the game-winning score against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday Oct. 15 at Notre Dame Stadium. USC won 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2005 Matt Cashore
Leinart returned to USC and threw 3,815 yards and 28 touchdowns in his final season, finishing behind Vince Young and teammate Reggie Bush in the Heisman trophy race.
NFL
Oct 28, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (7) talks with Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt Leinart (7) after the game at Arrowhead Stadium. Oakland won the game 26-16. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Leinart was taken 10th overall in the 2006 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals and played for the following teams in his NFL career: the Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, and Buffalo Bills.
TODAY
Sep 16, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Deontay Burnett (80) gets a hand shake from former player Matt Leinart after catching a touchdown pass in the first overtime in the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Leinart now does college football commentary for Fox.
34-GAME WINNING STREAK
Jan 4, 2005; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart (11) congratulates tailback LenDale White during 55-19 victory over Oklahome in FedEx Orange Bowl in the BCS National Championship at Pro Player Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
USC forged a 34-game winning streak during Leinart’s historic run as a Trojan quarterback.
