Subtext isn’t roses

USC’s Rose Bowl performance against Penn State looked a lot like the Trojans’ season.

Prolonged periods of defensive dominance. Flashes of offensive brilliance. And a victory in the end.

But the fifth-ranked Trojans’ 38-24 win over sixth-ranked Penn State on Thursday also included the requisite dose of what-might-have-been.

What might have happened if the Trojans had showed up to play at Oregon State in September?

What might the offense have looked like had quarterback Mark Sanchez been turned loose as he was against the Nittany Lions?

And, finally, what would happen if USC played another one-loss team in the Bowl Championship Series title game?

USC Coach Pete Carroll did not have any doubt.

“I don’t think anybody could beat us,” said Carroll, whose team finished 12-1 after winning the Rose Bowl for the third consecutive year.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno seemed inclined to agree after the Trojans dropped the Nittany Lions to 11-2 on a clear and sunny day before 93,293.

“It would take a heck of a football team to beat Southern Cal the way they played today,” said Paterno, who coached from the press box because of recent hip replacement surgery.

In a game that featured the Trojans’ top-ranked defense and the Nittany Lions’ fifth-ranked unit, USC’s offense stole the show in Steve Sarkisian’s final game as offensive coordinator.

“We put a challenge on the offense to come out here and score some points and they answered the call,” Trojans middle linebacker Rey Maualuga said.

Sanchez accounted for five touchdowns, passing for four and running for another.

The junior from Mission Viejo keyed a 24-point second-quarter burst that propelled the Trojans to a 31-7 halftime lead, the most points Penn State had allowed in a game all season.

“We’re a silent but deadly offense,” Sanchez said. “If you think about the defense too much we’ll have a day like this.”

Sanchez, who will now weigh whether to turn pro or return to USC, had one of the greatest games by a quarterback in Rose Bowl history, completing 28 of 35 passes for 413 yards without an interception. He was selected the game’s offensive most valuable player.

Sanchez’s touchdown pass to Damian Williams on USC’s second possession gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead. His six-yard run on a quarterback draw put them in front, 14-7, and a David Buehler field goal and touchdown passes to Ronald Johnson and running back C.J. Gable extended the margin to 24 points.

Williams, the sophomore transfer from Arkansas, reaped the greatest benefit from Sanchez’s big day. Playing despite a sore shoulder, he sliced and diced his way through a senior-laden Penn State secondary, catching 10 passes for 162 yards.

“That’s our job, to go out there and play pitch and catch,” Williams said, later adding, “I think we knew deep down our offense was really good. And any time you get to be on a big stage, you kind of have to go out there and show what you’ve got.”

The Trojans did not show much after halftime.

“We got a little complacent,” senior linebacker Brian Cushing said.

A fumble ended one drive in the third quarter and they were forced to punt on another.

Meanwhile, Penn State came alive and scored 17 fourth-quarter points on a field goal and quarterback Daryll Clark’s short touchdown passes to Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood.

Norwood’s scoring catch with 4:24 left pulled the Nittany Lions to within 38-24, but USC safety Will Harris ended the comeback bid by intercepting a pass with just under three minutes left.

The game ended with cornerback Cary Harris intercepting a pass in the end zone.

“Sometimes in a game like this, you can get a little bit lethargic,” said Sarkisian, who will face the Trojans next season as Washington’s coach. “You feel like, ‘OK, the game is almost over,’ but in a sense we had a long way to go.

“But I’m proud of our kids. They played really, really well tonight.”

USC outgained Penn State, 474 yards to 410, despite rushing for only 61 yards.

Clark finished 21 for 36 for 273 yards with two touchdowns, but the Nittany Lions were held 16 points below their season average.

“We gave them a chance to keep the score close but it really wasn’t a very close football game,” Carroll said. “In all due respect, I think they’re a terrific team but we ran away with it.”

USC players complimented the Nittany Lions for playing hard throughout the game and making it close.

“They never gave up,” senior defensive end Kyle Moore said. “That was the difference between them and other Big Ten teams. They tried to rally to the end.”

Afterward, Carroll lamented the lack of a playoff system in college football.

Oklahoma and Florida, both one-loss teams, will play next Thursday in the BCS title game in South Florida.

Carroll said the winner of that game deserves the crystal ball trophy.

“I wish we could keep playing,” he said. “That’s all.”

What might have been.

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gary.klein@latimes.com

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A league of his very own

USC Coach Pete Carroll is 6-0 against Big Ten Conference teams, including 5-0 in bowls, and the Trojans have won by an average of 21.2 points:

*--* Date Score Jan. 2, 2003 USC 38, Iowa 17* Jan. 1, 2004 USC 28, Michigan 14** Jan. 1, 2007 USC 32, Michigan 18** Jan. 1, 2008 USC 49, Illinois 17** Sept. 13, 2008 USC 35, Ohio State 3 Jan. 1, 2009 USC 38, Penn State 24** *--*

* Orange Bowl; ** Rose Bowl

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By the Numbers

413

Yards passing by Mark Sanchez

12.4

Points per game given up by Penn State before Thursday

5-0

Pac-10’s record in bowl games this season

6-0

Pete Carroll’s record against the Big Ten

21.2

Average margin of victory in Carroll’s games vs. the Big Ten

2,564

Miles traveled by Penn State fans to get to Pasadena

27

The high temperature in State College, Pa., Thursday