Booty and a feast

TEMPE, Ariz. -- John David Booty heard the boos at the Coliseum.

He played through the pain of a broken finger and then stoically endured skeptical fans and columnists who questioned whether he should be replaced as USC’s starting quarterback.

For some, even after he sat out three games and then came back with two fair performances, the jury remained out on the fifth-year senior.

But Thursday night, Booty delivered one of the most productive games of his career, passing for four touchdowns and running for another as 11th-ranked USC kept its Rose Bowl hopes alive with a 44-24 victory over seventh-ranked Arizona State in front of a national television audience and an announced 71,706 at Sun Devil Stadium.

“I know where I am, and I know how dedicated I am to helping this team win,” Booty said. “When you’re not 100%, it makes it that much more difficult. But I’m getting back. It might have taken longer than I would have liked, but I’m getting there.”

On a warm and clear desert evening, USC stayed in contention for a sixth consecutive Pacific 10 Conference title by playing its most complete game of the season.

Defensive end Lawrence Jackson had four of the Trojans’ six sacks as USC overpowered the Sun Devils and improved to 9-2 overall and 6-2 in the Pac-10.

“We blew them out,” freshman defensive end Everson Griffen said. “We just showed the nation what we could do on both sides of the ball and dominated.”

USC Coach Pete Carroll and his players said they could sense it coming after finally returning to near-full strength following a barrage of injuries that contributed to losses against Stanford and Oregon.

“It’s really a great statement for our guys,” said Carroll, who improved to 23-0 in November games at USC. “They know. They know now. They know what they’re capable of doing.”

USC, 11th in the Bowl Championship Series standings, will move up after defeating the Sun Devils, who were sixth before the loss that dropped their record to 9-2 and 6-2 in the Pac-10.

“They played like they haven’t played all year,” Arizona State Coach Dennis Erickson said of the Trojans, “and obviously, they’re healthy.”

To reach the Rose Bowl, USC must defeat UCLA in its conference finale Dec. 1 and hope that Oregon stumbles Saturday against the Bruins or in its final game against Oregon State.

Even if Oregon wins out, the Trojans could possibly qualify for a berth in another BCS game such as the Fiesta Bowl.

“We’re starting to play like the team people thought we’d be,” junior linebacker Brian Cushing said. “This program is based on finishing, and that’s what we’re doing.”

USC finished off the Sun Devils by scoring 27 unanswered points to break a 17-17 second-quarter tie. It was Trojans’ biggest offensive performance since they routed Notre Dame, 38-0, on Oct. 20.

Booty completed 26 of 39 passes for 375 yards and finished without an interception for the third consecutive game. He distributed the ball to eight receivers and threw touchdown passes to wide receiver Vidal Hazelton, fullback Stanley Havili, tailback Joe McKnight and tight end Fred Davis.

“This week, it just seemed like he was confident and he had a chip on his shoulder going into the game,” Havili said of Booty. “He came to make plays, and that’s what he did.”

So did Jackson, who led the expected surge against an Arizona State offensive line that had given up 43 sacks.

“We knew they were going to throw the ball deep and make the quarterback eat the ball,” said Jackson, who has 9 1/2 sacks this season.

Jackson sacked Arizona State’s Rudy Carpenter on consecutive second-quarter possessions, and USC capitalized with a field goal and a touchdown sneak by Booty to take a 27-17 halftime lead.

Griffen and nose tackle Sedrick Ellis also recorded sacks and helped stuff the Sun Devils’ rushing attack.

“They came to hit tonight,” said Carpenter, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown. “That is the one thing they did do. They hit me, and they hit me good.”

The game looked as if it would be close after USC scored on the first possession and Arizona State’s Rudy Burgess returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

But USC’s 10-point halftime lead grew when David Buehler kicked his third field goal of the night and Booty connected with McKnight on a seven-yard touchdown pass and with Davis on a 34-yard scoring play.

Arizona State scored a fourth-quarter touchdown after blocking a punt, but the Sun Devils could do nothing more against a defense that gave up only 16 rushing yards after Carpenter’s 38 yards in losses were factored in.

The defense’s performance was reminiscent of its nine-sack performance against Oregon State on Nov. 3.

“When you have a team like Arizona State and Oregon State, where they have NFL-style offenses and they drop back and let routes develop downfield, I think that shows the true nature of the athletes we have on defense,” Jackson said.

Booty said his true nature has been on display throughout his career. The criticism goes with the territory, he said, and so does the way he handles it.

“I know who I am and the type of player that I am,” he said. “I don’t let any of that interfere with what I do and how I prepare or change me in any way.

“Next week, I’ll be the same as I was this week and how I’ve been all year.”

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gary.klein@latimes.com