USC Is Better Than OK for Title Win

Somewhere amid the long passes, dazzling runs and leaping interceptions, one of the most-anticipated bowl games in college football history turned into a coronation.

In a matchup of undefeated teams, No. 1 USC overwhelmed No. 2 Oklahoma at the Orange Bowl on Tuesday night, winning, 55-19, and leaving no doubt they are this season’s national champion.

The victory, before a crowd of 77,912 at Pro Player Stadium, assured the Trojans the top spot in the bowl championship series. It also gave them their second consecutive national title and 11th in school history, dating back to 1928.

The game was expected to be close, pitting teams that had been atop the rankings since August. Instead, it was a blowout by halftime, when USC roared to a 38-10 lead -- the most points it had ever scored in one half of a bowl game.

“It was really that kind of a night for us, a fantastic night,” said USC Coach Pete Carroll, who guided the Trojans to a 13-0 record in his fourth season. “It all happened exactly as we pictured it.”

The Trojans dominated because quarterback Matt Leinart, winner of the 2004 Heisman Trophy as his sport’s best player, threw for 332 yards and an Orange Bowl-record five touchdowns.

In addition, their defense stonewalled Oklahoma’s vaunted attack, holding star freshman running back Adrian Peterson, the Heisman runner-up, to 82 yards and forcing the Sooners into costly turnovers.

“We were dead set not to let him run the football,” said defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, referring to Peterson. “We were going to hit him before he got started.”

The victory capped a streak in which USC has gone 36-3 over the last three seasons, a run that includes last season’s Rose Bowl victory, which earned the Trojans a share of the national title.

Earlier this week, Carroll was asked whether his team should be considered a dynasty.

“The big ‘D’ word,” he said with a laugh, quickly deflecting the suggestion.

If nothing else, Tuesday night’s victory was convincing enough to quiet the controversy that had been a subtext to this game.

There had been harsh disagreement over the system that designates which teams meet for the title. Now in its seventh year, the bowl championship series, or BCS, uses a complex formula of polls and computer ratings to determine rankings.

Last season, USC was the odd team out, finishing the regular season atop the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls but No. 3 in the BCS standings. So even though the Trojans defeated Michigan in the Rose Bowl, they had to share the title with Sugar Bowl-winner Louisiana State.

This year, No. 3 Auburn complained mightily about not being chosen for the title game at the Orange Bowl.

Less than 24 hours after that team’s Sugar Bowl victory in New Orleans, Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville showed up at Pro Player Stadium to do some campaigning.

“Somebody’s going to pick us as national champions,” he said before kickoff. “It might be Golf Digest, but somebody’s going to do it.”

But even Tuberville must have sensed what was coming. He talked about the weeks that USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow had to prepare for this game.

“Chow is not a guy you want to face with a month off,” he said.

The USC offense kicked into high gear midway through the first quarter. The Trojans had surrendered a quick touchdown to Oklahoma, but Leinart responded with a series of quick pass completions, including a 33-yarder to tight end Dominique Byrd, who made a one-handed catch in the end zone to tie the score.

With the Trojans gaining steam, Oklahoma appeared to panic.

It started when the Sooners’ Mark Bradley fumbled a punt return. Then quarterback Jason White, the 2003 Heisman Trophy winner, threw interceptions on consecutive possessions.

The result?

A short touchdown run by USC tailback LenDale White, a 54-yard scoring pass to receiver Dwayne Jarrett and a five-yard touchdown pass to receiver Steve Smith.

The Trojans scored on six consecutive possessions to take a 28-point halftime lead.

“To come out and dominate them every snap of the game,” said tight end Alex Holmes, was “just incredible.”

There was more than pride at stake. With the BCS supported by massive television contracts, each team in the Orange Bowl was to receive more than $14 million. USC must share that money with the other schools in the Pacific 10 Conference but gets an extra allotment to cover expenses.

Winning benefits the school in other ways. Increased ticket sales and television revenue have helped to pay for sports that do not generate profits. Two years ago, an alumnus was so inspired by the Trojans’ success that he donated $35 million toward a new basketball arena.

Any thoughts of a miraculous second-half Sooner comeback Tuesday night were dashed quickly.

Leinart threw yet another touchdown pass to Smith a few minutes after halftime and the defense continued to clamp down.

USC had its back-to-back championships in hand, matching a feat accomplished by the school’s so-called “Thundering Herd” in 1931 and ’32.

And it was clear the Trojans had returned to their glory days after a dry spell during the 1980s and 1990s.

The turnaround began when Carroll took over after the 2000 season, his tenure beginning sluggishly with a 6-6 season, but then quickly taking off.

The USC fans in attendance celebrated during the game’s final minutes, even as Oklahoma fans began to file out in the third quarter.

And there would be no arguing about which college football team should be No. 1

“There is nothing you can say,” said Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops, “except we just got whupped.”