Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush tell story of the 'Bush Push' in USC win over Notre Dame
As USC readies to face Notre Dame tonight, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush recounted one of the most famous moments of the age-old rivalry. Back in 2005, the ‘Bush Push’ would become immortalized in history.
Ahead of tonight’s game between the Trojans and Fighting Irish, Leinart and Bush explained their sides of the play.
“I turn to Matt and I say, what’re you going to do?” recounted Bush. “He says, ‘I’m going to sneak it.’ At that moment, I was like ‘Aw, damn,’ either this is going to be one of the greatest plays ever, or we’re walking out of the stadium with a loss.”
“I never saw any doubt in Matt’s face. I never let him know that there was any doubt inside of me. I’m sure both of us had a lot of doubt in that moment.”
Leinart called his own number, but Notre Dame knew what was coming. When the Trojans got to the line, Leinart and Bush looked across and saw a hungry Fighting Irish defense ready to come after them.
“I’ll never forget — I get up to the line, and I see like nine Notre Dame defenders,” stated Leinart. “So I snap the ball, and that’s when just like — two or three seconds, I have no idea what happened.”
Bush: ‘All I could think about was helping my teammate get into that end-zone.’
After Notre Dame initially stuffed Leinart‘s surge, Bush made the move that would immortalize the play in history. History for USC, history for Notre Dame and the history of college football.
“His initial surge gets kind of knocked backwards towards me,” started Bush. “So me being the competitor that I am, all I could think about was helping my teammate get into that end-zone. I didn’t even think, I just reacted. I ran up to him, pushed him, gave him everything I had in my body — every ounce of energy I had. Pushed him across the line.”
Leinart scored, and USC left South Bend victories. However, the USC quarterback had no clue Bush assisted him until after the game was over.
“I swear to this day, I didn’t know he pushed me in until after the game when we’re celebrating he like, ‘I pushed your a– in there!'” recounted Leinart. “I didn’t know, I had no clue until I watched it back on film.”
Emotions were running high, and the thrill of victory was evident throughout the Trojans locker room. The duo detailed the reaction of their teammates to the legendary play.
“There was a handful of guys on our team who were crying in the locker room,” said Lienart. “It was like the one-tear cry .. you’re just so emotional.”
Finally, Bush summed it up perfectly — reminding the world that football is a game of inches.
“There’s something to be said for when you give 110% on the field of battle. You literally leave everything on the football field,” stated Bush. “It’s truly a game of inches, and sometimes it comes down to the last second on the clock. That’s what makes this game so special.”