Matt Leinart had as good a backfield with him during his collegiate career as any quarterback could hope for. The casual fan remembers Reggie Bush and all the highlights from those national title-winning USC teams in the early 2000s. But USC fans know just how special Bush’s backfield partner, LenDale White, was to USC’s success.

White ran for 754 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman on the 2003 USC squad that beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and won a national title. He was in a backfield-by-committee and managed 14 touchdowns from scrimmage.

A year later, he had 1,103 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns. He topped 100 yards five times. More than 60% of his yardage came after contact that season.

“He would come to practice when he wanted, he was kinda one of those (players). And he wouldn’t be mad at me for saying that,” Leinart said this week on the Saturday Down South Podcast.

USC faced No. 2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4, 2005. The Trojans were looking to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country and win a second consecutive national title. Leinart said White showed up to the game about 20 pounds overweight.

“We were getting ready to play OU in the national championship game and this dude didn’t practice all bowl season. Like, three weeks,” Leinart said. “He shows up at that game — I remember he weighed at like 255 or 256 — and this guy ran for (118 yards), looked like he ran a 4.3, and I remember saying, like, ‘Only you could pull that off, dude.'”

On a field that featured Jason White (the 2003 Heisman winner), Leinart (the 2004 Heisman winner), Bush (the 2005 Heisman winner), and Adrian Peterson, White more than held his own. He ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries to help USC win 55-19.

In 2005, White had arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage in his left ankle before spring ball, sat out spring practices, and then produced 1,521 yards of offense and 26 total touchdowns.

Baller.

“He was kind of a free spirit, marched to his own drum,” Leinart said. “But I’ll tell you what, man, when the lights turned on, that dude was one of the best football players I’ve ever played with. He was one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with.”