Trojans at Home Away From Home

USC ended its rigorous midseason road trek Saturday in one of college football’s most scenic settings.

And on a clear and breezy, picture-postcard day in the Pacific Northwest, freshman tailback Reggie Bush and the fifth-ranked Trojans gave another performance worth remembering.

A week after winning at Notre Dame for only the second time in two decades, USC defeated Washington, 43-23, in front of 72,015 for its first victory at Husky Stadium since 1993.

The Trojans, playing their fourth road game in five weeks, improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference heading into next Saturday’s game against Washington State at the Coliseum.

The Rose Bowl, and possibly the Sugar Bowl, remain within reach for the Trojans with three of the last four regular-season games to be played at home.

“It’s been a grind for us,” Coach Pete Carroll said.

“Our guys have done a marvelous job handling the road situations, but it really, really feels good to know we’re going to come home for a number of weeks now with the one road game down the stretch.”

USC, which rolled up 551 yards against Notre Dame, amassed 565 yards against the Huskies, who were coming off an upset victory over Oregon State and boasted the third-best defense in the Pac-10.

Quarterback Matt Leinart started a bit more slowly than last week but still completed 19 of 29 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.

“We keep opening the playbook up more and more every week,” said Leinart, who has passed for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns with one interception in the last four games. “We just want to keep going and keep adding on.”

Bush has added multiple dimensions to the Trojan offense.

Last week against Notre Dame, he scored on a 58-yard run and also had a 38-yard reception that set up a touchdown.

On Saturday, Bush showed a faster motor than most of the boats cruising just outside the stadium on Lake Washington.

He rushed for 81 yards in 12 carries, caught five passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns and returned two kickoffs for 57 yards. His 132 yards receiving were the most by a running back in USC history.

“Reggie did it all,” offensive lineman Lenny Vandermade said. “I wish I could see everything he’s doing, but I’m usually on the ground. I look up, and he’s gone.”

USC wasted several scoring opportunities en route to a 20-14 halftime lead before Bush gave the Trojans some breathing room five plays into the third quarter.

On third and six at the USC 40-yard line, Bush lined up in the backfield to Leinart’s right. On the snap, he curled into the middle of the field, where he caught a short pass before sprinting straight for the goalpost for a 60-yard touchdown.

“I just saw daylight and I ran,” Bush said. “I wasn’t trying to shake anyone. I didn’t really see anyone.”

Washington answered with a 40-yard field goal by Evan Knudson to make the score 26-17 before USC scored 17 unanswered points on a 20-yard field goal by Ryan Killeen, a 52-yard touchdown pass from Leinart to fullback Brandon Hancock and a 37-yard touchdown pass from Leinart to Bush for a 43-17 lead.

“It doesn’t really matter what happens early,” Carroll said. “We know we’re going to finish right.”

Bush wasn’t the only USC tailback to confound the Huskies.

Sophomore Hershel Dennis rushed for a team-high 98 yards in 14 carries and caught one pass for 10 yards. Freshman LenDale White rushed for 29 yards in nine carries and scored on a 21-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Wide receiver Mike Williams caught six passes for 43 yards and flanker Keary Colbert had three receptions for 91 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown.

“I don’t think we tackled particularly well,” Washington Coach Keith Gilbertson said. “but those people can flat-out make you miss.”

With linebacker Matt Grootegoed at home resting a high ankle sprain and with defensive lineman Omar Nazel limited to reserve role because of a dislocated thumb, USC’s defense was tested early by Washington quarterback Cody Pickett and wide receivers Reggie Williams and Charles Frederick.

But cornerback Ronald Nunn came up with a big play when he returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown for a 14-7 lead with 2:54 left in the first quarter.

Frederick suffered a rib injury on the play and did not return. Meanwhile, cornerback Will Poole started to clamp down on Reggie Williams, who caught nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, but was shut out in the second half.

“I knew I was going to cover him man-to-man all week,” said Poole, who made a team-high nine tackles. “He got a few at the start, but as the game went on, I was putting pressure on him at the line and that was throwing him off a little bit.”

Pickett completed 22 of 42 for 274 yards and a touchdown.

“In the first half, it was tough because they were throwing quick routes,” said USC defensive end Kenechi Udeze, who had a sack, forced a fumble and deflected a pass. “But as our offense kept putting points on the board, it enabled us to get a pass rush because they had to go more than six-yard routes.”

The Trojans began their arduous road stretch with a triple-overtime defeat at California. They finished it with victories at Arizona State, Notre Dame and Washington.

The victory over the Huskies has them rolling into a home stretch in which they will play three of their final four games at the Coliseum.

Safety Jason Leach is among the Trojans who cannot wait. “This has been long,” he said. “I’m tired, so going home and playing in front of our home crowd is going to be real good.”

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Comparing Quarterbacks

USC quarterback Matt Leinart’s statistics are better than 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer’s through their first eight starts:

*--* CARSON PALMER, 1998-99 Cmp % Rating W-L Yards TD Int 63.3 133.4 5-3 1,692 7 8 MATT LEINART, 2003 Cmp % Rating Record Yards TD Int 62.4 162.9 7-1 2,175 21 7

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-- Roy Jurgens