USC Trojans football under Larry Smith

Larry Smith was the coach of the University of Southern California's football team from 1987 to 1992. His teams won three Pacific-10 Conference titles and went to five bowl games, winning one. He amassed a record of 44–25–3 and was succeeded by John Robinson.

Contents 1 1987 2 1988 2.1 Team players drafted into the NFL 2.2 Awards and honors 3 1989 3.1 Team players drafted into the NFL 4 1990 5 1991 6 1992 7 References

1987

1987 USC Trojans football
Pacific-10 Champion
Rose Bowl, L 17–20 vs. Michigan State
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#17
AP	#18
1987 record	8–4 (7–1 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons « 1986 1988 »

1987 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#18 USC §	7	–	1	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
#9 UCLA §	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Washington	4	–	3	–	1			7	–	4	–	1
#20 Arizona State	3	–	3	–	1			7	–	4	–	1
Oregon	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Stanford	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Arizona	2	–	3	–	3			4	–	4	–	3
California	2	–	3	–	2			3	–	6	–	2
Washington State	1	–	5	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Oregon State	0	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
§ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The Trojans lost their inaugural game of Larry Smith's tenure to Michigan State in the first night game ever played at Spartan Stadium. USC secured a Rose Bowl berth by tying UCLA for the Pacific-10 championship and winning the head to head match. They faced Michigan State again, and lost 17–13.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 7	at #17 Michigan State*	#19	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	L 13–27	77,922
September 19	Boston College*		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 23–17	46,205
September 26	at California		California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA	W 31–14	62,000
October 3	Oregon State		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 48–14	47,979
October 10	at Oregon		Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR	L 27–34	39,587
October 17	at Washington		Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 37–23	71,678
October 24	#10 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Notre Dame – USC rivalry)	L 15–26	59,075
October 31	Washington State		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 42–7	24,834
November 7	Stanford		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 39–24	58,922
November 14	Arizona		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 12–10	51,428
November 21	#5 UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell)	W 17–13	92,516
January 1	vs. #8 Michigan State*	#16	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	L 17–13	103,847
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1988

1988 USC Trojans football
Pac-10 Champions
Rose Bowl, L 14–22 vs. Michigan
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference Pacific-10
Ranking
Coaches	#9
AP	#7
1988 record	10–2 (8–0 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons « 1987 1989 »

1988 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#7 USC †	8	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
#6 UCLA	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
#16 Washington State	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Arizona	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Arizona State	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Washington	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Oregon	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Oregon State	2	–	5	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Stanford	1	–	5	–	2			3	–	6	–	2
California	1	–	5	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
† – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The Trojans won their first 10 games of the season, running the conference table and beating third-ranked Oklahoma at home. They were ranked second in the nation before their match with number-one ranked Notre Dame. After losing to the Fighting Irish in their final regular-season game, they faced Michigan in the Rose Bowl, losing 14–22.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 1	at Boston College*	#8	Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA	W 34–7	32,000
September 10	at Stanford	#6	Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, CA	W 24–20	59,000
September 24	#3 Oklahoma*	#4	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 23–7	86,124
October 1	at Arizona	#3	Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 38–15	52,314
October 8	#18 Oregon	#3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 42–14	63,452
October 15	#16 Washington	#3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 28–27	62,974
October 29	at Oregon State	#3	Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR	W 41–20	31,117
November 5	California	#2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 35–3	73,937
November 12	at Arizona State	#2	Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ	W 50–0	72,023
November 19	at #6 UCLA	#2	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell)	W 31–22	100,741
November 26	#1 Notre Dame*	#2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Notre Dame – USC rivalry)	L 10–27	93,829
January 2	vs. #11 Michigan*	#5	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	L 14–22	101,688
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Team players drafted into the NFL

The following players were claimed in the 1989 NFL Draft.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Erik Affholter	Wide Receiver	4	110	Washington Redskins
Rodney Peete	Quarterback	6	141	Detroit Lions
Chris Hale	Defensive Back	7	193	Buffalo Bills
Paul Green	Tight End	8	208	Denver Broncos
Derrell Marshall	Tackle	12	332	Buffalo Bills

^[1]

Awards and honors

• Rodney Peete, Second in Heisman Trophy voting
• Rodney Peete, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award^[2]

1989

1989 USC Trojans football
Pacific-10 Champions Rose Bowl Champions
Rose Bowl, W 17-10 vs. Michigan
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference Pacific-10
Ranking
Coaches	#9
AP	#8
1989 record	9-2-1 (6-0-1 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons « 1988 1990 »

1989 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#8 USC †	6	–	0	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
#23 Washington	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Oregon	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
#25 Arizona	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Arizona State	3	–	3	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Oregon State	3	–	4	–	1			4	–	7	–	1
Washington State	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Stanford	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
UCLA	2	–	5	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
California	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
† – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 season was intended to start historic fashion, with USC set to play Illinois in Moscow in what was dubbed the Glasnost Bowl. However, the plan to play the game at Dynamo Stadium fell through, and the game was rescheduled at Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans lost the game as the Illini scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

USC won their third consecutive conference championship and gained their 600th program win in a victory against Oregon State. They played third-ranked Michigan in the Rose Bowl and won giving Larry Smith his only bowl victory as head coach.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 4	#22 Illinois*	#5	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 13–14	54,622
September 16	Utah State*	#13	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 66–10	50,249
September 23	#20 Ohio State*	#12	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 42–3	69,876
September 30	at #19 Washington State	#11	Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA	W 18–17	38,434
October 7	Washington	#9	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 24–16	58,410
October 14	at California	#10	California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA	W 31–15	52,000
October 21	at #1 Notre Dame*	#9	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Notre Dame – USC rivalry)	L 24–28	59,075
October 28	Stanford	#10	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 19–0	67,411
November 4	Oregon State	#9	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 48–6	65,430
November 11	at #25 Arizona	#9	Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 24–3	52,606
November 18	UCLA	#8	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell)	T 10–10	86,672
January 1	vs. #3 Michigan*	#12	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	W 17–10	103,450
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Team players drafted into the NFL

The following players were claimed in the 1990 NFL Draft.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Junior Seau	Linebacker	1	5	San Diego Chargers
Mark Carrier	Safety	1	6	Chicago Bears
Dan Owens	Defensive End	2	35	Detroit Lions
Tim Ryan	Defensive End	3	61	Chicago Bears
William Schultz	Guard	4	94	Indianapolis Colts
Leroy Holt	Running Back	5	137	Miami Dolphins
Scott Galbraith	Tight End	7	178	Cleveland Browns
Aaron Emanuel	Running Back	7	191	New York Giants
Brad Leggett	Center	8	219	Denver Broncos
Ernest Spears	Defensive Back	10	216	New Orleans Saints

^[3]

1990

1990 USC Trojans football
John Hancock Bowl, L 16–17 Michigan State
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#20
1990 record	8–4–1 (5–2–1 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons « 1989 1991 »

1990 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#5 Washington †	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
#20 USC	5	–	2	–	1			8	–	4	–	1
Oregon	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
California	4	–	3	–	1			7	–	4	–	1
Arizona	5	–	4	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
UCLA	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Stanford	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Arizona State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Washington State	2	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Oregon State	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
† – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

USC began the season by beating Syracuse in the eighth Kickoff Classic. They also won non-conference games against Penn State and Ohio State, the latter of which was suspended with 2:36 remaining because of severe thunderstorms. The Trojans would finish second in the Pac-10 and lost to Michigan State in their bowl game in an outcome reminiscent of their 1987 season.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
August 31	vs. Syracuse*	#9	Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic VIII)	W 34–16	57,293
September 15	Penn State*	#6	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 19–14	70,594
September 22	at #21 Washington	#5	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	L 0–31	72,617
September 29	at #12 Ohio State*	#18	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	W 35–26	89,422
October 6	Washington State	#15	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 30–17	59,357
October 13	at Stanford	#16	Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, CA	W 37–22	62,000
October 20	Arizona	#15	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 26–35	68,212
October 27	at Arizona State	#21	Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ	W 13–6	64,717
November 3	California	#21	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	T 31–31	62,974
November 10	at Oregon State	#23	Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR	W 56–7	18,795
November 17	at UCLA	#19	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell)	W 45–42	98,088
November 24	#7 Notre Dame	#18	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Notre Dame – USC rivalry)	L 6–10	91,639
December 31	vs. #22 Michigan State*	#21	Sun Bowl Stadium • El Paso, TX	L 16–17	50,562
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1991

1991 USC Trojans football
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
1991 record	3–8 (2–6 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons « 1990 1992 »

1991 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#2 Washington †		8	–	0					12	–	0
#8 California		6	–	2					10	–	2
#19 UCLA		6	–	2					9	–	3
#22 Stanford		6	–	2					8	–	4
Arizona State		4	–	4					6	–	5
[[{{{school}}}|Washington State]]		3	–	5					4	–	7
[[{{{school}}}|Arizona]]		3	–	5					4	–	7
USC		2	–	6					3	–	8
Oregon		1	–	7					3	–	8
[[{{{school}}}|Oregon State]]		1	–	7					1	–	10
† – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

After a disappointing loss to Memphis State (now University of Memphis) the Trojans shocked number five Penn State by winning 21–10. The win was a rare bright spot as USC would finish 3–8, including a six-game losing streak to end the season.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 2	[[{{{school}}}|Memphis State]]*	#16	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 10–24	55,637
September 14	#5 Penn State*		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 21–10	64,758
September 21	[[{{{school}}}|Arizona State]]	#22	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 25–32	59,623
September 28	at Oregon		Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR	W 30–14	45,948
October 12	at [[{{{school}}}|Washington State]]		Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA	W 34–27	23,997
October 19	Stanford		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 21–24	61,265
October 26	at #5 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Notre Dame – USC rivalry)	L 20–24	59,075
November 2	at #10 California		California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA	L 30–52	70,000
November 9	#2 Washington		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 3–14	59,320
November 16	at [[{{{school}}}|Arizona]]		Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ	L 14–31	41,053
November 23	#25 UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell)	L 21–24	84,623
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1992

1992 USC Trojans football
{{{alt}}}, L 7–24 vs. [[{{{school}}}|Fresno State]]
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
1992 record	6–5–1 (5–3 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons « 1991 1993 »

1992 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#11 Washington §	6	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
#9 [[{{{school}}}|Stanford]] §	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
#15 Washington State	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
USC	5	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	1
[[{{{school}}}|Arizona]]	4	–	3	–	1			6	–	5	–	1
[[{{{school}}}|Arizona State]]	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Oregon	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|UCLA]]	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|California]]	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Oregon State]]	0	–	7	–	1			1	–	9	–	1
§ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

USC's hundredth football season was also Larry Smith's last. Though they placed third in the Pac-10 and secured a bowl berth, they lost their last three games including their rivalry games against Notre Dame and [[{{{school}}}|UCLA]]. Smith was replaced at the end of the season by John Robinson, who returned to USC for a rare second tenure as head coach.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 5	at [[{{{school}}}|San Diego State]]*		Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, CA	T 31–31	52,168
september 19	at #13 [[{{{school}}}|Oklahoma]]*		Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK	W 20–10	70,215
October 3	at #1 Washington	#20	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	L 10–17	73,275
October 10	Oregon	#20	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 32–10	46,343
October 17	[[{{{school}}}|California]]	#18	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 27–24	54,476
October 24	#13 Washington State	#15	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 31–21	54,038
October 31	at [[{{{school}}}|Arizona State]]	#13	Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ	W 23–13	51,096
November 7	at #21 [[{{{school}}}|Stanford]]	#11	Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, CA	L 9–23	72,571
November 14	#9 [[{{{school}}}|Arizona]]	#18	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 14–7	53,849
November 21	at [[{{{school}}}|UCLA]]	#15	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell)	L 37–38	80,568
November 28	#5 Notre Dame*	#19	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Notre Dame – USC rivalry)	L 23–31	90,063
December 29	vs. [[{{{school}}}|Fresno State]]*	#23	Anaheim Stadium • Anaheim, CA	L 7–24	50,745
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

References

1. ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1989.htm
2. ^ http://www.goldenarmfoundation.com/past-winners.html
3. ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1990.htm

• 2009 USC Trojans football media guide

USC Trojans football Venues Bovard Field (?–1922) Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923–present) Howard Jones Field (practice) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Notre Dame (Jeweled Shillelagh) UCLA (Victory Bell) Culture & lore Traveler George Tirebiter "Fight On" Spirit of Troy Tommy Trojan People Head coaches Starting quarterbacks Seasons 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 National championship seasons in bold