Trojans plan to bring their best to the table

Rey Maualuga has heard the talk, seen the highlights.

More important, USC’s All-American linebacker spent the season smack dab in the middle of it all.

So when college football observers describe USC’s defense as the best of the Pete Carroll era, and perhaps one of the top units in college football history, Maualuga just shrugs his broad shoulders.

“The best is yet to come,” he said matter-of-factly.

Fifth-ranked USC (11-1) probably will have to be at its very best today when it plays sixth-ranked Penn State (11-1) in a Rose Bowl game that is expected to be a defensive battle.

Statistically, Penn State is a near mirror image of USC, which rode its defense to a seventh consecutive Bowl Championship Series berth.

And like USC, one stumble cost Big Ten Conference co-champion Penn State a chance to play for the BCS title.

USC Coach Pete Carroll and his players spent the run-up to the Rose Bowl emphasizing that the Nittany Lions were only one point away from playing next week in South Florida instead of today in Pasadena.

However, Penn State Coach Joe Paterno said the Pacific 10 Conference champion Trojans might be the nation’s top team, despite its loss to an Oregon State squad that Penn State annihilated.

“I’m not trying to blow smoke,” Paterno says. “I think Southern Cal is as good as any football team in the country.

“If you told me they were going to play Florida, Texas, Oklahoma tomorrow and you said, ‘Which is the best?’ I think Southern Cal might be the best team of them all.”

There is little debate about USC’s defense, at least from a statistical standpoint.

The Trojans rank first nationally in total defense, first against the pass and fifth against the run. USC recorded three shutouts and gave up only a field goal in three other games.

Maualuga, All-American safety Taylor Mays and linebacker Brian Cushing have been the defensive poster boys for a team that is a 9 1/2 -point favorite going into USC’s fourth consecutive Rose Bowl appearance. After losing to Texas in the 2006 BCS title game, the Trojans passed, ran and blitzed Big Ten opponents Michigan and Illinois out of the Arroyo Seco the last two years.

“It’s their stage; we’re just visiting it,” Penn State linebacker Navarro Bowman said. “We’ve been underdogs, and we feel like we’ve got a lot to prove.”

But Bowman also noted, “People counting us out real early -- they’ll be in for a rude awakening.”

USC intends to shut down Penn State by stopping running back Evan Royster and controlling quarterback Daryll Clark, a mobile and accurate passer in the Nittany Lions’ “Spread HD” offense.

But multipurpose threat Derrick Williams also is a major concern for the Trojans.

The 6-foot, 199-pound Williams lines up wide, in the slot and in the backfield. He has run and passed after taking direct snaps and also returns kickoffs and punts.

“I always think that I can be the X-factor,” Williams said.

Carroll views Williams the same way.

“He’s the problem for us,” Carroll said, comparing Penn State’s use of Williams to the way the Trojans utilized Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

Only Bush never played quarterback, a role Williams might assume as a change of pace for the Nittany Lions, or if Clark is injured or ineffective.

“I saw a play where he threw a perfect dart to a receiver 20 yards downfield, just threaded the needle,” USC defensive lineman Clay Matthews said. “So he can do it all.”

Penn State’s defense also has impressed.

The Nittany Lions, featuring All-American end Aaron Maybin, a talented linebacker corps and a veteran secondary, rank fifth nationally.

“They’re as solid as anybody we’ve ever played,” Carroll said.

The Nittany Lions lack the Trojans’ glitz, but it doesn’t seem to bother them.

“It’s never been our style to be too flashy anyway,” said Maybin, a sophomore who has 12 sacks. “Just go out and bring your hard hat to work everyday.”

Said senior linebacker Tyrell Sales: “We’re not worried about publicity; we know what we’re capable of. As far as how important we are to ESPN, that’s not something we have much focus on.”

Penn State will concentrate on stopping tailbacks Stafon Johnson, C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight and keeping quarterback Mark Sanchez and his stable of receivers in check.

“I don’t think you’re going to find a more balanced offense,” Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said of the Trojans.

Under Carroll, USC’s team speed has helped the Trojans to a 5-0 record against Big Ten opponents, with no victory by fewer than 14 points. In the 2008 Rose Bowl, USC blew out Illinois, 49-17. In September, the Trojans beat Ohio State, 35-3.

USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt would prefer another blowout but does not expect one against the Nittany Lions.

If today’s game turns into the expected defensive battle, it might not be decided until late in the fourth quarter.

“That’s kind of fun for the coaches,” Holt said, chuckling, “but also nail-biting.”

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gary.klein@latimes.com