Green puts arm to good use

Garrett Green arrived at USC as a quarterback last season, switched to safety and then moved to wide receiver this season.

The sophomore finally got to put his arm to good use Tuesday in sixth-ranked USC’s 49-17 victory over 13th-ranked Illinois in the Rose Bowl.

Green caught a ball thrown backward by quarterback John David Booty and then lofted a 34-yard touchdown pass to running back Desmond Reed to give the Trojans a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

“It was going well in practice -- you never know how it’s going to go in the game,” Green said of a play that had been designed for injured receiver Patrick Turner.

Green had been on the field for two plays, “to get them kind of used to seeing me,” he said.

After Trojans linebacker Rey Maualuga intercepted a tipped pass, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian called for the trick play.

Green lined up to Booty’s left and drifted back after the ball was snapped. After catching the toss from Booty, Green threw to a wide-open Reed near the right pylon.

Reed caught the pass and then executed a flip into the end zone, drawing a penalty for excessive celebration.

Said Reed: “Some of the referees and guys that I’ve talked to said they give me a 9.5, so I’m happy.”

It took three consecutive carries with the game already well in hand, but USC got Hershel Dennis the touchdown he was craving.

The sixth-year senior, a starter early in his career who was buried deep on the depth chart as the years went on, scored for the first time this season -- and first time since 2004 -- on a three-yard run with 5 minutes 47 seconds to play.

And then was buried by an avalanche of well-wishers who sprinted onto the field from the Trojans’ bench.

The celebration earned USC a 15-yard penalty, but no one seemed to care.

Dennis said he received “a lot of love from guys on the team who look up to me. They were just happy to see me finally get into the end zone.”

The former Long Beach Poly High star finished with 30 yards in six carries.

Scoring, he said, “took a big burden off my shoulders. I was afraid I was going to leave here without any touchdowns. Coach [Pete] Carroll and the coaches, they looked out for me and made sure I touched the end zone before I left.”

Rashard Mendenhall turned in the longest run and pass play against USC since 2004.

His 79-yard touchdown run on Illinois’ second offensive play of the second half was the longest against USC since an 82-yard run by Stanford’s J.R. Lemon, and his 55-yard pass reception only a few minutes later was the longest since a 69-yard gain by Brigham Young.

Mendenhall established school records this season with 1,999 all-purpose yards, eight 100-yard rushing games, and 114 points.

Illinois kicker Jason Reda came into the game ranked third nationally in field-goal accuracy, having made 15 of 16 attempts -- including three from 50 yards or more.

But in the first quarter against USC, he lined up for a 29-yard attempt and, kicking from the right hash mark, hooked the ball wide left.

He made a 28-yard effort in the second quarter to become Illinois’ all-time scoring leader.

“None of us have been in an environment like this before,” he said. “It’s hard to stay focused . . . definitely a learning experience.”

The Illini might have known they were in trouble when their punter had a career day and their two leading tacklers were defensive backs.

Freshman Anthony Santella punted six times for a personal-best average of 44.7 yards.

And with the USC offense making plays downfield, cornerback Vontae Davis had 13 tackles and safety Kevin Mitchell had 10.

The lopsided score might leave Rose Bowl officials open to criticism for going out of their way to stay with tradition in arranging Tuesday’s matchup between the Pacific 10 and Big Ten conferences.

After all, the selection committee bypassed several higher-ranked teams to go with 13th-ranked Illinois.

But any critics might want to check past results. In 2002, Miami beat Nebraska, 37-14, and the following year Oklahoma defeated Washington State, 34-14.

Linebacker Kaluka Maiava suffered a broken thumb, defensive end Kyle Moore a sprained knee ligament and running back Allen Bradford an ankle sprain, a USC official said. . . . USC improved to 30-16 in all bowl games and 23-9 in the Rose Bowl -- a record for victories by one school in a particular bowl game. . . . USC is the first major-college football program with six consecutive 11-win seasons. . . . USC had 633 yards, its most since having 679 in a 66-19 victory over UCLA in a Pac-10 game at the Rose Bowl in 2005. . . . The Trojans scored a season-high 28 points off turnovers after scoring 78 in their first 12 games.

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gary.klein@latimes.com

mike.hiserman@latimes.com

david.wharton@latimes.com