1990 USC Trojans football team

1990 USC Trojans football
John Hancock Bowl, L 16–17 Michigan State
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#22
AP	#20
1990 record	8–4–1 (5–2–1 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith (4th year)
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (c. 92,516, grass)

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

The 1990 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach Larry Smith, the Trojans compiled an 8–4–1 record (5–2–1 against conference opponents), finished in second place in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 348 to 274.^[1]

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.

Quarterback Todd Marinovich led the team in passing, completing 196 of 322 passes for 2,423 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Mazio Royster led the team in rushing with 235 carries for 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns. Gary Wellman led the team in receiving with 66 catches for 1,015 yards and five touchdowns.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	4:30 PM	vs. Syracuse*	#9	Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic)	Raycom	W 34–16	57,293
September 15	12:30 PM	Penn State*	#6	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	ABC	W 19–14	70,594
September 22	3:30 PM	at #21 Washington	#5	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	Prime	L 0–31	72,617
September 29	12:30 PM	at #12 Ohio State*	#18	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	ABC	W 35–26	89,422
October 6	7:30 PM	Washington State	#15	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	Prime	W 30–17	59,357
October 13	12:30 PM	at Stanford	#16	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	ABC	W 37–22	62,000
October 20	3:30 PM	Arizona	#15	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	Prime	L 26–35	68,212
October 27	12:30 PM	at Arizona State	#21	Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ	ABC	W 13–6	64,717
November 3	3:30 PM	California	#21	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	Prime	T 31–31	62,974
November 10	3:30 PM	at Oregon State	#23	Parker Stadium • Corvallis, OR	Prime	W 56–7	18,795
November 17	12:30 PM	at UCLA	#19	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell)	ABC	W 45–42	98,088
November 24	5:00 PM	#7 Notre Dame	#18	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Notre Dame–USC rivalry)	ABC	L 6–10	91,639
December 31	11:30 AM	vs. #22 Michigan State*	#21	Sun Bowl Stadium • El Paso, TX (John Hancock Bowl)	CBS	L 16–17	50,562
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll.

References

1. "Southern California Yearly Results (1900-1994)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
2. "1990 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.