Trojans, Sooners Go Two on Two

USC quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush will not have to wait until the bowl championship series title game to square off against Oklahoma quarterback Jason White and running back Adrian Peterson.

The four players, who will be on the field at Pro Player Stadium in Miami for the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4, were among the five Heisman Trophy finalists announced Wednesday.

Leinart, Bush, White, Peterson and Utah quar- terback Alex Smith will be in New York on Saturday when the 70th winner of college football’s most prestigious award will be announced during a nationally televised ceremony.

This is the first time in Heisman history that teammates from two schools are finalists. It also is the first time that two USC players have been among the finalists. White has a chance to become the second player to win twice.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to New York and be involved in the Heisman ceremony along with four other great players,” Leinart, a fourth-year junior, said in a statement. “And, of course, it’s great to get to go there with one of my teammates.... I think every one of the players has a good chance of winning. Everyone is deserving of it.”

Bush and Smith, who played together at Helix High in La Mesa, also are thought to be the first high school teammates to be in the same group of finalists, Heisman officials said.

“It’s an honor to be considered as one of the top players in the nation and to be with some of the nation’s greatest players,” Bush said in a statement. “I think it’s good for our program at USC too, because it shows the caliber of our program to have two players invited to New York. And it will be extra special to be there with my high school teammate, Alex Smith. Everyone who will be there has a good chance to win.”

Finalists were selected from a group of 923 “electors” that consists of 52 former Heisman Trophy winners, 870 national media members from six regions across the country and one collective fan vote resulting from a special promotion through a sponsor.

The vote is expected to be one of the closest in history, but Leinart said earlier this week that he was not concerned about splitting votes with Bush.

“Oklahoma has the same situation, so we’ll see what happens,” said Leinart, who finished sixth in balloting last season but was not invited to the ceremony. “I think [Bush] deserves all the votes, but we’ll see what the voters say.”

Bush, a sophomore, acknowledged that winning a Heisman was one of his goals.

“You don’t want to be selfish, but I’d love to win,” he said. “Obviously, at the same time, Matt’s put in the time and he’s put in the work and effort here over his career to win the award.”

According to the Scripps Howard News Service Heisman Trophy poll, which is conducted by the Rocky Mountain News and includes a select group of Heisman voters, White is projected to win for the second year in a row. The poll has accurately predicted the winner 15 times in 17 years.

Leinart finished second in the final poll. Bush and Peterson tied for third.

White, who could become the first two-time winner since Ohio State running back Archie Griffin, passed for 2,961 yards and 33 touchdowns this season. Last Saturday, he threw three touchdown passes in Oklahoma’s 42-3 victory over Colorado in the Big 12 Conference championship game.

Peterson, who could become the first freshman to win the Heisman, rushed for 1,843 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“I wouldn’t be the one to choose,” Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said. “It wouldn’t be fair.”

Smith passed for 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions and also rushed for 10 touchdowns while leading Utah to an 11-0 record and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl. Smith, however, is regarded as a longshot to win the Heisman.

Leinart, on the other hand, has been among the leading candidates for most of the season, which started and ended with USC ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press media and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls.

Many observers said Leinart vaulted to the forefront of Heisman discussion last month when he passed for five touchdowns and 400 yards in a victory over Notre Dame at the Coliseum. USC quarterback Carson Palmer clinched the Heisman in 2002 with a similarly impressive performance against the Fighting Irish.

Bush remained on the fringe of Heisman handicapping for most of the season because his multipurpose role in USC’s high-powered offense did not produce gaudy statistics. Last week against UCLA, however, he scored on spectacular runs of 65 and 81 yards in the Trojans’ 29-24 victory that capped a 12-0 regular season.

“I’ve been saying it all year, that he’s the best player and he deserves that trophy, but we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Leinart said in the locker room afterward. “But I know he opened a lot of eyes of voters today.”

Bush, who could become the first sophomore to win the Heisman, agreed.

“I guess I kind of shook up the voting polls,” he said.

Like Stoops, USC Coach Pete Carroll said he could not choose between his players.

“It’s hard to deny the guy that plays the quarterback position on a team like this, and Matt’s been a great player all year long. He’s the centerpiece of everything,” Carroll said after the UCLA game. “But Reggie had the respect of a lot of great coaches around the country. The coaches understand the factor that he brings and that’s about value.

“This season wouldn’t have been the same season without Reggie, that’s for sure. But it certainly wouldn’t have been the same season without Matt either. It’s a wonderful dilemma of sorts.”

Carroll said he was not concerned about his two players splitting the votes.

“All of that isn’t in our control,” Carroll said. “We’re certainly not disappointed by the fact that that might happen. It could happen.”

Defensive lineman Mike Patterson would be happy with either Leinart or Bush winning.

“As long as one of them gets it and comes back to SC with it, that’s OK with me,” he said.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Heisman Hopefuls

A look at the key statistics for the five Heisman Trophy finalists announced Wednesday:

REGGIE BUSH

USC RB

* Games...12

* Attempts...137

* Yards...833

* Avg. per carry...6.1

* Touchdowns...13

*

MATT LEINART

USC QB

* Games...12

* Comp.-att....251-377

* Yards...2,990

* Touchdowns...28

* Interceptions...6

*

ADRIAN PETERSON

Oklahoma RB

* Games...12

* Attempts...314

* Yards...1,843

* Avg. per carry...5.9

* Touchdowns...15

*

JASON WHITE

Oklahoma QB

* Games...12

* Comp.-att....231-354

* Yards...2,961

* Touchdowns...33

* Interceptions...6

*

ALEX SMITH

Utah QB

* Games...11

* Comp.-att....185-280

* Yards...2,624

* Touchdowns...28

* Interceptions...4