CRUSHIN’ FRONT

No one said it would be that easy, at least not publicly.

Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll and his players spent two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl lauding the Denver Broncos, quarterback Peyton Manning and their seemingly unstoppable offense.

However, privately Carroll and his players and staff believed a rout of the Broncos was possible.

Actually, probable.

On Sunday, in front of 85,529 at MetLife Stadium, the Seahawks made it happen, dominating Manning and the Broncos in every phase in a 43-8 victory.

“It happened exactly the way we pictured it,” Carroll said.

The Seahawks’ first Super Bowl title was a crowning moment for Carroll, who was fired by the NFL’s New York Jets and New England Patriots in the 1990s before restarting his career at USC and becoming one of the most successful coaches in college football history.

The blowout was reminiscent of the finish to USC’s 2004 season, when Carroll unleashed the Trojans in a 55-19 rout of Oklahoma to win the Bowl Championship Series title game in Miami.

“It feels very much the same,” said Carroll, only the third coach to win a college football national title and a Super Bowl. “I know this is the NFL and all that, but the way the team came together, the way they performed under this kind of scrutiny very much resembled the stuff we’ve seen before.”

No one had seen much of Percy Harvin this season as the speedy receiver sat out all but a few games while recovering from hip surgery and then suffering a concussion.

But after the Seahawks took advantage of a safety and two interceptions to build a 22-0 halftime lead, Harvin put the game out of reach by returning the second-half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.

The victory put a finishing touch on a season that began with the Seahawks regarded as Super Bowl front-runners.

They lived up to the billing, finishing the regular season with a 13-3 record before dispatching the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers to reach their first Super Bowl since the 2005 season.

“At the beginning of the season, I told our guys, ‘Hey, why not us?’ ” said Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who passed for two touchdowns. “We believed we could get there. We had the talent. We had the coaching staff. We have the best fans in the National Football League.”

On Sunday, the Seahawks were without their ear-busting “12th Man” crowd that fills CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

But in the first half, Manning kind of filled the role of an extra Seattle player, assisting the Seahawks with errant throws that resulted directly or eventually in touchdowns.

“We were who we were,” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “We didn’t change anything.”

Manning, the five-time NFL most valuable player, could only watch helplessly as the game’s first snap sailed over his head and into the end zone, where Denver running back Knowshon Moreno fell on the ball for a Seattle safety.

The Seahawks added two first-quarter field goals, then their front pressured Manning into poor throws that were intercepted by safety Kam Chancellor and linebacker Malcolm Smith, resulting in 14 Seattle points.

The interception by Chancellor, part of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” secondary, set up a 37-yard drive to the game’s first touchdown. Then Smith, who made the game-saving interception in the NFC championship game victory over the 49ers, returned one 69 yards for a touchdown that made it 22-0. Smith later recovered a fumble, en route to being voted the game’s most valuable player.

Manning did establish one Super Bowl record by completing 34 passes. But he had only 280 yards, his only touchdown pass coming on the last play of the third quarter.

“We played a great football team,” said Manning, who fell short of adding another Super Bowl title to the one he won with Indianapolis. “We needed to play really well in order to win, and we didn’t come close to that.”

Not against a Carroll-coached team that seems to thrive on a positive-reinforcement, let-individuals-be-themselves mentality.

After he was fired by the Patriots, Carroll spent the 2000 season out of coaching but studying John Wooden’s career path and philosophies. He also honed his own, preparing for his next chance.

It came at USC.

Despite being the fourth choice for the job, he returned the Trojans to prominence, winning the Associated Press national championship in 2003 and demolishing Oklahoma in the BCS title game the following year. Carroll turned down several opportunities to return to what he called the “No Fun League,” before Seahawks owner Paul Allen lured him to Seattle.

Four years later, the Seahawks are Super Bowl champions.

Carroll, though, stopped short of claiming vindication.

Instead, he simply said, “I’m really proud.”

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gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimesklein

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

[1] SEAHAWKS 8, BRONCOS 0

THE BIG NUMBER

49

Temperature at kickoff, the third-coldest Super Bowl according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Super Bowls VI (39) and IX (46), both held outdoors at Tulane Stadium in Louisiana, were colder. Dallas beat Miami, 24-3, in the coldest game, and Pittsburgh beat Minnesota, 16-6, in the other.

Momentum: The Seahawks earned the fastest points in Super Bowl history when a miscommunication on the Broncos’ first snap ended in a safety. Knowshon Moreno ran back into the end zone to recover the errant shotgun snap 12 seconds into the game. Seattle followed with two field-goal drives. The Broncos failed to earn a first down. Kam Chancellor intercepted a Peyton Manning pass to set up an early second-quarter touchdown.

Did you notice? Seattle nearly had a touchdown on the second field-goal drive. Jermaine Kearse had two hands on a Russell Wilson pass in the end zone, but Broncos linebacker Nate Irving reached in to knock the ball free. . . . On Chancellor’s interception, a leaping Bobby Wagner was in Manning’s face, forcing the errant throw. Seattle had nearly forced a turnover on the previous play when Chris Clemons stripped the ball from Moreno, but Denver guard Zane Beadles recovered.

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[2] SEAHAWKS 22, BRONCOS 0

THE BIG NUMBER

13

Years since a team had been shut out in the first half of a Super Bowl. The Broncos didn’t even get a first down until 10:30 was left in the quarter. In Super Bowl XXXV, the New York Giants trailed the Baltimore Ravens, 10-0, at the half. The Ravens went on to win that game, 34-7.

Momentum: After intercepting a Manning pass in the first quarter, Seattle capitalized by scoring the first touchdown on Marshawn Lynch’s one-yard run. The Seahawks had faced third and goal from the six before Golden Tate drew a pass-interference penalty in the end zone, setting up Seattle at the one. Seattle’s defense was at it again on Denver’s next drive, Malcolm Smith intercepting a Manning pass and returning it 69 yards for a score. The Broncos then drove to the Seahawks 19 but stalled on downs.

Did you notice? Tony Carter clearly interfered with Tate, never turning to play the ball and shoving the receiver. . . . As with the first interception, Seattle was in Manning’s face. Cliff Avril pushed into the backfield and got a piece of Manning’s arm, the pass popping high in the air and into Smith’s arms. . . . Seattle’s Clemons deflected Manning’s pass on fourth down to stall Denver’s last drive.

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[3] SEAHAWKS 36, BRONCOS 8

THE BIG NUMBER

12

The Broncos’ only highlight came on the last play of the quarter, when Demaryius Thomas caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning, the receiver’s Super Bowl-record 12th reception of the game. Thomas finished with 13 catches for 118 yards.

Momentum: Percy Harvin grabbed the second-half kickoff on one bounce and returned it up the gut for an 87-yard score to give the Seahawks a 29-0 lead 12 seconds into the second half. The Broncos finally moved the ball on their second possession of the half, but Demaryius Thomas fumbled deep in Seattle territory, Denver’s third turnover, and Smith, the game most valuable player, recovered. Kearse’s 23-yard touchdown reception completed Seattle’s next drive.

Did you notice? Denver’s Brandon Marshall and Irving were the closest of many special-teams players who missed tackles on Harvin’s return. . . . Tony Carter, Danny Trevathan, Wesley Woodyard and Duke Ihenacho all missed tackles inside the 10 on Kearse’s touchdown reception. . . . Interference on third down by Seattle’s Byron Maxwell kept the Broncos’ only scoring drive alive. Earlier Maxwell had forced the fumble by Thomas.

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[4] SEAHAWKS 43, BRONCOS 8

THE BIG NUMBER

26.4

Average age of Seattle’s roster, making theSeahawks the youngest team to win a Super Bowl. The 1971 Miami Dolphins also had an average age of 26.4 but lost Super Bowl VI, 24-3, to the Dallas Cowboys. Miami came back to win the next Super Bowl, beating the Washington Redskins, 14-7.

Momentum: When Zach Miller recovered Denver’s onside kick to start the fourth quarter, Seattle’s victory practically was assured. The Seahawks followed that recovery with a 52-yard touchdown drive. On the Broncos’ next possession, they were stopped on downs again, this time when Michael Bennett hit Manning and he delivered a pass too low for Montee Ball to handle.

Did you notice? The Broncos’ tackling problems continued, this time on Doug Baldwin’s 10-yard touchdown catch. Woodyard, Mike Adams and Ihenacho all missed Baldwin, who ducked under the defenders inside the 10 to slip into the end zone. . . . Clemons was a nuisance to Broncos left tackle Chris Clark all evening, including on the Broncos’ last possession when he knocked the football from Manning’s grasp before he could make a fourth-down pass.

-- Athan Atsales