First look

A comparison of USC and Texas, who will play Jan. 4 at the Rose Bowl in the BCS championship game:

OFFENSES

* USC’s high-scoring attack has rolled over defenses all season behind running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White and quarterback Matt Leinart. The Trojans lead the nation in total yards per game and are coming off a 679-yard effort in a 66-19 victory over UCLA on Saturday. Bush rushed for 260 yards against the Bruins and leads the country in all-purpose yards. Wide receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith both could finish with over 1,000 yards receiving this season.

* Texas is the highest scoring team in the nation and put 70 points on the scoreboard in a victory over Colorado on Saturday. Quarterback Vince Young, a threat to pass and run, has completed nearly 63% of his passes for 2,576 yards and 23 touchdowns. Young also leads the Longhorns in rushing with 793 yards and eight touchdowns. Jamaal Charles and Ramonce Taylor give Texas a strong 1-2 punch at running back and wideout Billy Pittman leads the team in receiving yards.

DEFENSES

* The Trojans’ defense has been shaky this season but they did a good job shutting down UCLA. Linebacker Oscar Lua controls the middle with safeties Darnell Bing and Scott Ware providing big hits in the secondary. Ends Lawrence Jackson and Frostee Rucker do a good job of applying pressure on quarterbacks, while cornerbacks Josh Pinkard, Justin Wyatt and John Walker are decent covermen. The key to the Trojans’ defense is creating turnovers and they’ve forced 37 this season.

* The Longhorns’ defense has been consistent this season and gave up only three points to Colorado. Michael Griffin and Michael Huff are considered two of the best defensive backs in the nation and lineman Rod Wright can be disruptive.

COACHES

* Mack Brown coached Texas to a thrilling victory over Michigan in last season’s Rose Bowl game and has led the Longhorns to 19 consecutive victories. This year, Brown defeated Oklahoma for the first time since he arrived at Texas. Pete Carroll has led USC to 34 consecutive wins and his Trojans have won their last three bowl games, including a convincing victory over Oklahoma a year ago.

-- LONNIE WHITE

*--* TEAM STATISTICS

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*--* CATEGORY TEXAS USC Points per game...50.9 50 First downs...291 346 Rushing attempts...569 484 Average per rush...5.8 6.6 Average per game...273.8 264.3 Rushing touchdowns...50 47 Average per catch...15.0 13.4 Average per game...234.7 316.0 Touchdown passes...26 31 Totals offense...6,101 6,963 Average per game...508.4 580.3 Fumbles-Lost...31-8 18-6 Penalties-Yards...95-818 88-797 Avg. Time of Possession...31:08 32:23

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*--* SCORE BY QUARTERS

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*--* 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot. USC 146 142 164 148 600 Opponents 67 68 35 86 256

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*--* 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot. Texas 160 202 151 98 611 Opponents 59 45 44 27 175

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