Time has taken the edge off the pain. Former USC quarterback John David Booty answers an inquiry with a laugh.
“Why do y’all always want to talk about that game?” Booty says over the phone.
Ten years have passed since that game, known in the USC-UCLA rivalry simply as “13-9,” a crushing memory for the Trojans.
USC’s calculus was simple: win its final game, and the Trojans would be 10-1 and set for a date against Ohio State in the Bowl Championship Series title game, their third championship game appearance in three seasons.