 Cushing returned a failed onside kick attempted by Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a late fourth-quarter touchdown on November 25, 2006.On January 1, 2007, Cushing was named the Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl Game, after recording 2½ sacks and forcing a third-quarter fumble that changed the momentum of the game.Cushing was named AP 2nd Team All-American as a senior despite having pedestrian statistics (73 tackles, 10½ tackles for loss, & 3 sacks).