Synopsis
It was a turnaround so sudden, so dramatic and unexpected, that it took college football by storm. When USC routed Oklahoma at the 2005 Orange Bowl, the Trojans completed a meteoric transformation, rising from fallen powerhouse to two-time national champion in only four seasons. Conquest, written by two sportswriters who were with the team every step of the way, chronicles this journey by looking behind the scenes of the most successful college football program in the nation. Sit in on a closed-door meeting during the early days, as coaches decide to bench a struggling Carson Palmer. then change their minds at the last second, giving the young quarterback a chance to revive his career and win the Heisman Trophy. Find out what really happened in the locker room at halftime of the 2004 Stanford game, a comeback victory that served as a turning point for the Trojans undefeated campaign. Conquest begins with a once-proud USC football team in shambles after the 2000 season. A program that epitomized dominance during the sixties and seventiesproducing Heisman winners Mike Garrett, O. J. Simpson, Charles White, and Marcus Allenwas mired in mediocrity. The Trojans had gone more than two decades without a national title. Coach Pete Carrolltwice fired by NFL teamsseemed an unlikely choice to lead them back to glory. But the new coach silenced his critics with unsinkable enthusiasm, an innovative approach, and quick results: three straight trips to major bowl games, two Heisman-winning quarterbacks, and a 22-game winning streak that led to consecutive national championships. Conquest touches on all of the most dramatic moments in this saga. Learn previously undisclosed details of Carrolls hiring and how he lured passing guru Norm Chow to become his offensive coordinator. Step into the huddle as exhausted players coax each other through a goal-line stand against California. Be a fly on the wall as Carroll lashes out at his team before a UCLA game. Theres more. Carroll and Chow forge a sometimes uneasy but fabulously successful partnership, which ends with Chows abrupt departure to the NFL. Receiver Mike Williams embarks on a star-crossed odyssey. Quarterback Matt Leinart and tailback Reggie Bush emerge as superstars. These are but a few of the stories from four unforgettable seasons.