Trail First, Blaze Later

All through training camp and their first two games, USC players spoke of establishing their own identity, of leaving the legacy of two national championship teams behind.

But on Saturday, the top-ranked Trojans found themselves in familiar territory.

Just like the previous two seasons, they were on the road for a Pacific 10 Conference opener. They had played sluggishly for most of the first two quarters. They were trailing by 13 points.

So the Trojans reverted to a familiar pattern.

They stopped making mistakes. The defense took over. And the offense hit its stride.

USC scored on seven consecutive possessions en route to a 45-13 victory over No. 24 Oregon in front of a record crowd of 59,129 at Autzen Stadium.

The Trojans improved to 3-0 overall and extended their winning streak to 25 games, tying a school and conference record.

Just as it did through nearly all of the 2003 and 2004 seasons, USC made minor adjustments at halftime and won the game in the last two quarters.

In last year’s Pac-10 opener at Stanford, the Trojans trailed by 11 points at the break but came back to win a game that served as a turning point in what became a perfect season.

Saturday night’s 13-10 halftime deficit, therefore, proved to be no great obstacle.

“Our history has shown us that we’re really a good second-half football team and we’re particularly strong in the fourth quarter,” Coach Pete Carroll said. “Our guys are counting on that, we know that.”

Running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White each rushed for more than 100 yards and scored two touchdowns and quarterback Matt Leinart shook off a slow start to finish with 315 yards passing and three touchdowns as USC overcame its own mistakes and defeated the previously unbeaten Ducks (3-1).

“It was a game for a half, and it wasn’t a game for the second half,” Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti said.

After averaging more than 66 points in routs of Hawaii and Arkansas, Carroll and his players said they welcomed the opportunity to prove their mettle.

“You always need a game like that -- it’s a reality check,” said White, who ran for 111 yards.

“We’re not always going to come out firing and scoring 28 points in the first quarter,” said Bush, who rushed for 122 yards and finished with 267 all-purpose yards. “Sometimes, like today, it’s going to take us a little bit longer. It’s going to take us all four quarters to score 45 or 50 points.”

The vaunted Trojan offense, which finished with 593 yards, can thank the defense for shutting down an Oregon team that came into the game averaging 40.7 points out of its new no-huddle spread attack.

For the third game in a row, USC’s first-unit defense allowed only one touchdown.

Oregon went ahead, 13-0 -- equaling the biggest deficit USC has faced during the 25-game streak -- on a 37-yard field goal by Paul Martinez, a 36-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kellen Clemens to receiver Demetrius Williams and a 48-yard field goal by Martinez.

The Trojans, who last season also trailed Oregon State by 13 points, helped the Ducks by committing nine penalties and dropping passes. The Trojans turned the ball over when a punt hit William Buchanon on the leg and was recovered by Oregon to set up its first field goal. A pass from Leinart to split end Dwayne Jarrett in the end zone went off Jarrett’s hands and into the arms of Oregon defensive back Aaron Gipson, setting up the Ducks’ only touchdown.

“We were killing ourselves,” said Leinart, who finished 23 for 39 and was sacked once.

But USC then scored 45 unanswered points while a defense with two new starters and a depleted secondary held Oregon to 262 yards, 228 below its average.

Linebackers Keith Rivers and Oscar Lua each made eight tackles and end Frostee Rucker had three tackles for losses.

“We knew the offense would come around,” said nose tackle Sedrick Ellis, who had two tackles for losses and also broke up a pass. “We knew if we kept holding them to field goals, our offense would do what they do.”

Leinart’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Bush with just over five minutes left in the second quarter and Mario Danelo’s 36-yard field goal -- the first of his career -- brought the Trojans to within three points at halftime.

White, Bush and offensive lineman Fred Matua were among the players who spoke up at the break.

“Everybody said, ‘Stop talking and do the walk,’ ” White said.

While the defense stifled the Ducks, Leinart shook off first-half struggles. He passed 11 yards to Jarrett for one touchdown and, after White rushed one yard for a score, threw six yards to Jarrett for another touchdown for a 31-13 lead by the end of the third quarter.

Oregon looked as if it might get back into the game when it drove from its 20-yard line to the Trojan three. But USC stopped running back Terrell Jackson for no gain, dropped Clemens for a three-yard loss and then forced him to throw incomplete. The Ducks appeared to have scored a touchdown when receiver James Finley ran the ball in from the six, but Jackson was called for an illegal block, and Clemens threw incomplete on fourth down from the 16.

USC answered with an 84-yard, five-play drive to score on an 11-yard touchdown run by Bush, who reversed his field and traversed the width of the field.

Safety Josh Pinkard intercepted a pass for the second time in as many games, setting up White’s one-yard touchdown run to make the score 45-13.

“This game showed a lot about the team’s character,” safety Scott Ware said. “We answered a lot of questions about what kind of makeup we have.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Two-minute drillA quick look at the Trojans’ 45-13 victory at Oregon:

BY QUARTERS

*--* 1 2 3 4 F USC 0 10 21 14 45 Oregon 10 3 0 0 13

*--*

KEY PLAYER

* Reggie Bush had 267 all-purpose yards -- 122 rushing, 43 receiving, 75 on kickoff returns, 27 on punt returns -- and two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.

TURNING POINT

* USC began the second half with a 76-yard drive ending in Matt Leinart’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Jarrett to take the lead for the first time (and for good), 17-13.

KEY STAT

* The Trojans outrushed Oregon, 278 yards to 65, averaging 6.6 a carry. Both Bush and LenDale White (111) surpassed 100 yards, and White rushed for two touchdowns.

OFF ROADING

Games in which USC trailed at halftime the last two seasons:

*--* 2004 Date Time Half Final Aug. 28 Virginia Tech* 7-10 24-13 Sept. 25 at Stanford 17-28 31-28 Nov. 6 at Oregon St. 7-13 28-20 2005 Sept. 24 at Oregon 10-13 45-13 *at Landover, Md., in the Black Coaches Assn. Classic

*--*