USC saves its best for last and deserves a reward

Fifth-ranked Trojans can still win an Associated Press poll national championship.

Bill Plaschke

January 2, 2009

You saw it, you vote it.

In the wake of a monumental Rose Bowl scrubbing Thursday, the challenge now lies with the rolled-up sleeves of the Associated Press poll.

USC cannot win the Bowl Championship Series national title, but the fifth-ranked Trojans can still win an AP national championship.

After a breathtaking Pasadena afternoon marked by streaks of cardinal flying over lumps of white, couldn't they?

Unless something more inspiring happens in the final week of the bowl season, shouldn't they?

You say crazy. I say, they just beat the crew cuts off a sixth-ranked Penn State team that was one point from playing in the national championship game, a 38-24 victory that didn't feel nearly that close.

You say, what about the lousy Pacific 10 Conference? I say, the conference is 5-0 in bowl games, and if the quality of the neighborhood mattered a month ago, it should matter now.

You say, what about the four one-loss teams ahead of USC? I say, if Texas and Alabama both struggle in bowl games, and if the national title game between Florida and Oklahoma is a dud, nothing will be as impressive as this.

I'm guessing nobody will beat a higher-ranked team worse. I'm certain nobody will dominate another one-loss team more.

It was 31-7 at halftime, the Trojans gaining nearly twice as many yards with nearly three times as many first downs.

It was 38-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Trojans outgaining the Nittany Lions, 497-280, before using the rest of the game to celebrate.

It was receivers open from here to Miami, it was linebackers hitting with a sound you don't hear much in the Big 12, it was the sort of swaggering energy that would feel right at home in the Southeastern Conference.

It was Joe Paterno looking as lost as I'd ever seen him, saying something about an opponent I never thought I'd hear him say.

"I think Southern Cal has every right to say they're as good as anybody else in the country," he said.

It was Pete Carroll looking as happy as I'd ever seen him, saying something that he hasn't believed until now.

After offering respect to the teams playing for the national title, he then said, "I don't think anybody can beat us. This is a terrific finishing program. We can play 'D.' We can throw the ball if we have to. We can run the ball if we have to. We're just really, really hard to beat right now."

They are really hard to beat at the end of every season, but, aside from the BCS national title victory over Oklahoma, this may be Carroll's best finish yet.

Give him a month, he'll make a memory. Hand the championship to the team that is playing the best at the end, and the Trojans arguably could have won six of the last seven national titles.

In November, Mark Sanchez was being questioned as a quarterback and leader.

On Thursday, after accounting for all five touchdowns with four passes and a run, he stood on the famed band ladder and listened to fans literally beg him -- "One more year, one more year" -- to stay for his senior season.

"It's going to be hard to say goodbye to this place," he said later. "I don't think I can do it."

A month ago, Damian Williams was a promising receiver without a 100-yard game or a Mike Williams-type moment.

On Thursday, he had both, catching 162 yards worth of passes, including the trend-setting first touchdown when he simply ran away from this poor outmatched safety named Anthony Scirrotto.

"Playing on this kind of national stage, this kind of win should say a lot," Damian Williams said.

Playing in a fourth consecutive Rose Bowl against another Big Ten tomato can, I thought USC would be bored. Instead, the Trojans bored, directly into the psyche of the overmatched Nittany Lions, hitting them with Kyle Moore jabs and Kaluka Maiava crosses and more speed than you find on the Glendale Freeway at midnight.

"You could see it right away, they were really caught off-guard, they don't see a lot of this in the Big Ten," said linebacker Brian Cushing. "Even in the first quarter, they started getting tired."

Playing in a no-win situation in their first virtually meaningless game in a year, I though USC would be restless. Instead, the Trojans were relentless, scoring 24 points in less than a dozen minutes in that second quarter, sending Penn State running.

"I remember coming to the line and hearing one of their coaches shouting to the defensive backs, 'Back up! Back up!' " recalled receiver Ronald Johnson. "Those guys just bailed."

At the end of a season in which many suspected that USC has the ability to be the best team in the country, the Trojans finally acted like it.

There was the USC team bouncing on to the field in an impromptu celebration -- with nearly two hours left in the game.

There was a touchdown ball being grabbed and pumped and paraded down the sidelines -- by Carroll.

This was so crazy at one point, all of USC's demons disappearing, all of their potential roaring, that Carroll claimed an unnamed football executive called the officials at halftime and ordered them to give his team a 15-yard penalty if they didn't halt the sideline celebrations.

"I was going to get the penalty called on us just so we could get a penalty called on us for having too much fun," Carroll said. "I forgot."

Will the journalist voters forget?

They shouldn't. They didn't forget when USC won the Associated Press vote and split the national title after the 2003 season. They never forget when they have a chance to stick it to the BCS.

Voters now have less reason to hold the loss against Oregon State against USC, and no reason to hold their lack of fulfilled potential against them.

Once again, the Trojans have waited until their final kick to show their best stride. Once again, it is more powerful than anything anybody has shown until now.

You say, isn't it too late? I say, it never is.

Like usual, Carroll's Trojans saved their best for last

PASADENA, Calif. -- At long last, we've uncovered the real reason BCS officials are so reticent to stage a college football playoff.

If they did, USC might win it every year.

"With all due respect to [Oklahoma and Florida]," Trojans coach Pete Carroll said after his fifth-ranked team's 38-24 Rose Bowl dismantling of No. 6 Penn State on Thursday. "... I don't think anybody can beat us."

Carroll's team may slip up a time or two during the regular-season, as it did on that fateful Thursday night at Oregon State, but nobody dominates January as consistently as the Trojans. Thursday's rout marked USC's sixth win in seven BCS games under Carroll, all of them blowouts and all of them following nearly the exact same script:

1) USC teases its overmatched opponent into thinking it has a chance. (The score was tied 7-7 after the first quarter). For previous examples, see the 2007 Rose Bowl against Michigan (3-3 at halftime) and the 2005 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma (7-7 with seven seconds left in the first quarter).

2) The Trojans suddenly remember who they are and unleash a relentless blitzkrieg like Thursday's 24-point second quarter (as many points as the Nittany Lions had allowed in a game all season) to go up 31-7. See: their 16 straight third-quarter points to put away the Wolverines and their 48-3 outburst against the Sooners.

3) USC's quarterback and receivers -- in this case junior QB Mark Sanchez and sophomores receivers Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson -- turn the stadium into their own personal playground.

Like Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and John David Booty before him, Sanchez shredded Penn State's fifth-ranked defense to the tune of 28-of-35 passing for a career-high 413 yards and four touchdowns. Like Mike Williams, Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett before them, former Arkansas transfer Williams (who had not previously posted a 100-yard game) caught 10 passes for 162 yards while Johnson (who had just 488 yards on the season) caught touchdown passes of 19 and 45 yards.

"A 4-foot-10 guy could have caught some of the passes Mark was throwing," said Penn State cornerback Lydell Sargeant. "It's the best I've seen Mark play out of all the games he played this year."

For the third straight year, USC (12-1) saved one of its sharpest, most thorough performances of the season for the Rose Bowl, sending yet another dazed Big Ten foe back east feeling far humbler than when it arrived and cruelly teasing its fans with another exercise in "What if?"

What if the Trojans' otherwise impregnable defense hadn't gotten Jacquizzed in Corvallis? What if the media hadn't written off the entire Pac-10 (which, if you hadn't noticed, finished its bowl season 5-0) by late September, thus turning the Trojans into an afterthought in any BCS conversation? What if USC's previously inconsistent offense had more frequently played the way it did Thursday so as to wow the voters with more "style points?"

The well-oiled machine on display here Thursday sure looked capable of beating Florida, Oklahoma or any other opponent one might care to throw its way -- particularly given Carroll's track record of preparedness for these postseason contests. Only a Herculean performance by Texas QB Vince Young three years ago has stood in the way of the Trojans achieving BCS immortality.

"We've been this way a lot of times at the end of the season," said Carroll. "This is a terrific finishing program, and right now there are so many things we can do, as you saw tonight. We can play D, we can throw the football if we have to, we can run the ball. ... [Oklahoma and Florida] have earned every bit of it, they're fantastic teams and well coached. I just wish we could keep playing."

Instead, USC will have to make do with yet another Rose Bowl trophy, its fourth 12-win season in the past six years (in the other two, they won a measly 11) and the knowledge that nearly half their starting lineup will likely be signing seven-figure NFL contracts this spring.

The big question following his masterful performance Thursday night is whether Sanchez, who has a year of eligibility remaining, will be one of them.

"I'm going to celebrate this victory first and worry about it somewhere down the line," said the fourth-year junior, who has been receiving draft information from Carroll's NFL contacts for some time. "I'm telling you right now, it's going to be hard to say goodbye to this place. I don't know if I can do it."

All week, players from both sides insisted the Nittany Lions (11-2) were fast and athletic enough to keep up with the Trojans, and for a quarter, it appeared they were right. After USC drove 86 yards to score its first touchdown on a pretty 27-yard Sanchez-to-Williams strike across the middle, the Nittany Lions responded with an 80-yard drive of their own in which QB Daryll Clark went nearly untouched on a nine-yard touchdown draw up the middle.

After one quarter, Penn State had outgained USC 112 yards to 105 -- but that changed soon enough. The Trojans racked up 236 yards on four straight second-quarter scoring drives; the Nittany Lions gained 60 yards in the second and third quarters combined. After throwing just six passes in the first quarter, Sanchez went 14-of-17 for 219 yards, 100 of them to Williams, who seemed to be perpetually running clear of any Penn State defensive back.

"That was the plan coming in -- we thought there would be opportunities to throw the ball around a little bit," said departing Trojans offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, calling his last game before taking over full-time at Washington. "In one-on-one matchups, we made plays."

Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions didn't help themselves with a uncharacteristic slew of self-inflicted wounds -- their season-high nine penalties included an offsides call that wiped out a potential sack and forced fumble against Sanchez, and an illegal shift negated a long catch-and-run by receiver Deon Butler. Meanwhile, with Penn State down 24-7 late in the first half, freshmen tailback Stephfon Green -- pressed into action when starter Evan Royster went down early with a left leg injury -- broke off a 30-yard catch-and-run only to fumble, allowing USC to tack on another touchdown 36 seconds before halftime on a 20-yard C.J. Gable slip screen.

"I felt it was kind of slipping away from us when they started to get into rhythm and we couldn't quite get them out of snyc," said Penn State coach Joe Paterno. "But you know, until they got to 31, that last touchdown [before the half], I thought we had a shot at it."

The Trojans -- never short on swagger -- chose that occasion to begin their celebration. During the timeout prior to the next kickoff, about half the team came out onto the field in front of their sideline and began jumping up and down. Star linebacker Rey Maualuga drew rousing boos from the Penn State half of the crowd when he made a point of running into the Nittany Lions' end zone and making a kicking gesture. (After halftime, he also planted the USC flag on the "P" in the same end zone).

Carroll, apparently unaware of the flack Georgia coach Mark Richt took over a similar situation last season, joked it would have been "awesome" had his team "[gotten] a penalty called on us for having too much fun."

The Trojans may have gotten a little too confident. Penn State, to its credit, chipped away at the deficit throughout the fourth quarter, closing a 38-14 margin to 38-24. Twice in the final three minutes, the Nittany Lions got the ball back with a chance to cut the lead to one score. But it didn't take much to wake up USC's defense. Trojans defensive backs Will Harris and Cary Harris each picked off Clark passes, the last one in the end zone on the game's final play.

"You've got to hand it to [Penn State]," said Carroll," But we stopped them. Our defense came through one more time just like they've done all year."

Ultimately, the 2008 Trojans will be remembered for fielding one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory. Even with Penn State's second-half effort, Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Taylor Mays and Co. finished the season having allowed just 14 touchdowns in 13 games.

Carroll admitted afterward that the defense's dominance throughout the season prompted the Trojans to play close-to-the-vest offensively at times, including a 17-10 win at Arizona and 17-3 win at Cal. While that approach got the job done, it also created the impression of USC as an inconsistent offensive team. In a year marked by the aerial shootouts of the Big 12 and Florida's never-ending string of lopsided SEC wins, it may have cost the Trojans a shot at the BCS title game.

"This is a terrific offense," said Carroll, who could welcome back 10 of its starters next season. "We've got all kinds of weapons. Mark is a great quarterback, as you saw tonight. There's times we've run to win the games and times we throw the football and play defense. Having that kind of flexibility showed up here tonight."

Indeed. Whenever you can combine a quarterback capable of throwing for 400 yards against a top-five defense with four different tailbacks that have gone over 100 yards in a game and the nation's most dominant defense, you have all the makings of ... a might-have-been national champion.

USC's offense explodes in Sarkisian's final game at the helm

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Southern California's offense went high-powered in the Rose Bowl, a reminder of how much the Trojans could miss Steve Sarkisian when he's running Pac-10 rival Washington's program next season.

USC's 38-24 victory over No. 6 Penn State on Thursday marked the end of Sarkisian's career as an assistant, including seven seasons with the Trojans under coach Pete Carroll, the last two as offensive coordinator.

Sarkisian is now free to devote his full attention to reviving a Washington program that went 0-12 this season. He got the job with the Huskies on Dec. 6, but wanted to call plays for USC one more time in the Rose Bowl.

"It's been a great run," Sarkisian said on the field as the USC band blared in front of him. "I'm going to cherish this one for awhile."

Under Sarkisian, the fifth-ranked Trojans (12-1) opened up against the Nittany Lions (11-2) in a game that had been expected to be low scoring because of both teams' defensive prowess.

"We went in with the mindset of, 'Let's just go for it and see what happens,"' he said.

USC's offense came into its fourth consecutive Rose Bowl appearance averaging 37.5 points. The Trojans scored nearly that many by halftime to lead 31-7.

Mark Sanchez hit Ronald Johnson and C.J. Cable with touchdown passes 48 seconds apart in the second quarter. That sent USC's players jumping up and down in a jubilant huddle in front of Penn State's band that was waiting to take the field at halftime.

"We're just celebrating with our team and having fun," wide receiver Damian Williams said.

The Trojans had taken a more conservative offensive approach this season compared to recent years, relying on a senior-laden defense that had allowed just 7.8 points per game.

That went out the window Thursday.

Sanchez aired it out in the fourth quarter, hitting Johnson again with a 45-yard touchdown pass that extended USC's lead to 38-14. Sanchez finished 28-of-35 for 413 yards, four TDs and no interceptions in one of the best Rose Bowl performances in the game's 95-year history.

"Offensively, we just wanted to show people that we wanted to be at the top," Williams said, citing the acclaim that the offenses of Texas and Oklahoma enjoy. "We have to elevate our game to their level."

The Trojans ended the season on a 10-game winning streak during which they gave up just 73 points, with three shutouts.

"Our kids played really well," Sarkisian said. "They had a great understanding of what they were getting."

Washington fans tuning in for the traditional Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup surely liked what they saw, knowing Sarkisian is headed their way.

"He's going to be a big part that we're going to miss," Gable said.

Asked what he's going to take from his years with USC, Sarkisian smiled and said, "You got to recruit really well."

USC embarrassed another lackadaisical Big Ten foe

PASADENA, Calif. -- Penn State didn't want any of USC. That much was apparent before the game, as the Trojans ran onto the field and running back Marc Tyler planted USC's flag in the Penn State end zone while other USC players began taunting Penn State's white clad fans.

Considering Penn State's players trailed USC's by mere feet, I figured there might be an altercation or at the very least one of the Nittany Lions would remove the USC flag. They never did. They looked at it, walked around it and never touched it. It would be reminiscent of Penn State's defensive strategy against Damian Williams and USC's other receivers, which finished the game with over 400 yards.

After the Trojans essentially put the game away by taking a 31-7 lead in the second quarter (entering the game, USC had given up only 22 total points in the second half this season), Trojan players jumped up and down near Penn State's end zone, before Rey Maualuga ran and kicked the end zone a few times as if he were sweeping up trash. He later planted the USC flag in Penn State's end zone before the second half. On both occasions, Penn State players simply stood and watched. Never once showing an ounce of fire or pride against a team clearly disrespecting them.

At least Notre Dame and UCLA players fought back and had to be restrained by officials and coaches when USC taunted them in a similar fashion. Sure, it might not have helped them on the final scoreboard, but at least they stood up for themselves and their fans.

Penn State's lackadaisical reaction to being disrespected and insulted was an extension of the way the Nittany Lions played throughout the Rose Bowl and really the way the Big Ten has played in BCS games the past three years (0-5 since 2006).

All the talk about the disparity between USC and the Big Ten teams it has beaten up in the recent past -- including Ohio State this year -- was quickly reaffirmed. Penn State hadn't given up more than 24 points all year and could do nothing as USC rolled up 31 first-half points. USC's offense, which had struggled for much of the year, looked like it did in blowouts of Virginia and Ohio State to start the season, easily scoring more first-half points than in any of its previous 33 Rose Bowl appearances.

Mark Sanchez and Damian Williams, who hemmed and hawed this week about leaving early for the NFL, looked like first-day draft picks, picking apart Penn State's secondary with ease. It was the best game both had this year, as Williams had 127 yards and a touchdown before halftime and Sanchez became only the third player in Rose Bowl history to throw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns.

The biggest misconceptions about this year's Rose Bowl coming into the game was that the Trojans would come out flat since they were disappointed about playing in their fourth straight Rose Bowl (and fifth in the last six years) after having their sights set on the BCS National Championship Game in Miami.

While it's true USC wasn't initially thrilled to be in the Rose Bowl, the fact is the Trojans have always played well in "The Grandaddy of The All" under Pete Carroll (4-1 in the game, with the lone loss coming to Texas in one of the greatest college football games ever) and have a 28-1 nonconference record since 2003. They've beaten their last six Big 10 opponents by an average margin of three touchdowns.

There was no reason to think this wouldn't be the rout that it was. The Trojans' biggest weakness since 2005 hasn't been underperforming in big games, but rather overlooking weaker conference opponents. Think about it: If USC had beaten UCLA (2006), Stanford (2007) and Oregon State (2008) -- all unranked Pac-10 teams that were double-digit underdogs against USC -- they would have been playing in the past five national championship games. Playing in big games against ranked teams has never been an issue for USC, it's those other pesky games that have tripped them up. This year it was also the lack of playing in enough big games that cost them a chance to play fellow one-loss teams Oklahoma or Florida in the national title game.

So USC will have to "settle" for another Rose Bowl rout of a Big Ten team and wonder what if. What if their offense went up against Oklahoma's defense? What if their defense went up against Florida's offense? It's a nagging question they will continue to ask as long as they continue to slip up against unranked conference teams. What if?

What could have been: Haunting lone loss proves chinks in Trojans' armor

By Dennis Dodd
CBSSports.com Senior Writer

PASADENA, Calif. -- Make fun of the Big Ten all you want. Get in line with the rest of the hack comics (Take my league, please!) You'll read plenty of that yang over the next few days with the Rusted Belt now 1-5 in the postseason.

Go ahead and drop the f-bomb (fraud) regarding Penn State in the first half of the Rose Bowl. The Spread HD looked like Dead Analog falling behind 31-7.

Make your jokes about Nittany Lions' AD Tim Curley finding an out clause in JoePa's new three-year deal.

You are as misdirected as USC was on the night of September 27.

Sure, USC won another Rose Bowl, beat the poo out of a Penn State team a lot of us thought had more emotionally invested in this game than the Trojans. Great, fantastic, but USC should be kicking itself, not another Rose rag doll.

They know it. You know it. This USC team should be on a plane right now for South Florida to play in the BCS title game, except that it stumbled, bumbled and fumbled its season away three-plus months ago in Corvallis. The 27-21 Oregon State victory introduced the world to Jacquizz Rodgers and "doomed" the Trojans to another Rose Bowl.

"People were thinking we were upset, we have to go to the Rose Bowl ... " All-American safety Taylor Mays said. "We heard a lot of that."

That's what the Grandaddy has become in some respects to USC, a letdown. The Trojans will never say that. USC still had the same warm and fuzzies it has had in previous trips to Pasadena. The 38-24 win marked the first time a team has won three consecutive Rose Bowls. It has played in the past three Rose Bowls, beating its unfortunate Big Ten victims by a combined 60 points.

But let's not get as carried away as Pete Carroll did on the award stand. The network honk set him up with a question about fellow one-loss teams Florida and Oklahoma playing for a real championship a week from tonight.

"With all due respect, those are two great programs," Carroll blurted. "(But) I don't think anybody can beat the Trojans this year."

As outrageous as that sounds, Carroll had himself covered. The year is only one day old and no one in their right mind is going to have No. 5 USC in the championship conversation tomorrow, much less a week from now.

"I don't think anybody can beat us," Carroll said later when asked to clarify his statement. "I think we can beat anybody we play."

Except that you didn't beat everybody you played, Pete. Be honest, your Trojans underachieved this season. In those three Rose Bowls, the BCS title game was being played elsewhere each time. USC lost the 2006 Rose Bowl -- and national championship -- to Texas. Things haven't been the same in Troy since.

Pete Carroll is now 34-5 over the past three seasons. Four of the losses have come in jaw-dropping fashion to unranked teams. It's clear that Carroll's most difficult task is not getting to the Rose Bowl, it is keeping his players motivated to get beyond it.

"Obviously, they're a great team, but they're subject to be human like anyone else and have a letdown," Penn State's Deon Butler said. "I'm sure they'll think about that (Oregon State loss) for a long time."

It almost made the stomach turn to hear muted speculation about No. 5 USC possibly gaining a split title in the AP poll. The Trojans would have to leap past the winner of the BCS title game.

Let's break this thing down, shall we? Florida lost by one at home to an Ole Miss team that is playing in the Cotton Bowl, then steamrolled the opposition. Oklahoma lost a top-five matchup with Texas, then steamrolled the opposition. USC lost to a bunch of Beavers who got 65 points hung on them at home with the Rose Bowl berth on the line. Oregon State then proceeded to scrape together a field goal and shut out Pittsburgh 3-0 in the Sun Bowl.

By itself, the Oregon State loss would be unfortunate. As part of a trend, it is troubling. How does a modern dynasty win at least a share of seven consecutive Pac-10 titles (and the accompanying seven BCS bowl games), win Heismans and lose to Oregon State twice in three years? It's not just that. It lost at home to Stanford in 2007. It failed to get into double digits against a 6-5 UCLA with a title game berth hanging in the balance in 2006.

"It's tough," USC linebacker Brian Cushing said of the Oregon State game. "We screwed up that night."

Cushing was part of a defense that was one of the best of all-time this season, giving up only 7.8 points per game and 11 touchdowns total before Thursday. For some reason, the offense lagged behind. There wasn't a go-to receiver. The offensive line struggled. Sanchez never really broke out. The backfield-by-committee thing was OK, not great.

Then something clicked against Penn State. Sanchez threw for a career-high 413 yards and added four touchdowns through the air. Receiver Damian Williams went for 162 yards on 10 catches.

If both players stay for their fourth seasons in college, we could be talking Matt Leinart-to-Dwayne Jarrett type stuff. If not, they'll think about what could have been in September.

"You can't dwell on the past," Williams said. "Everybody makes mistakes. We happened to make one that was really crucial."

The problem is that USC competes against itself as much as it does the opposition. Thursday's game was almost a microcosm of the season. The Trojans are so good that someone needs to nudge them now and then to keep them from nodding off. Penn State was blasted back to Happy Valley in the first half. The most resistance from the Nittany Lions camp came after hordes of Trojans began dancing on the sidelines as the margin increased. The Penn State crowd booed.

"I was going to get the penalty called on us just so we could get a penalty called on us for having too much fun," Carroll said.

The game was over at halftime, for USC. Mentally and physically. It had done enough. Even a small portion of its fans around the rim of the Rose Bowl left, content that another game was in hand. Those Penn Staters, filling almost half of the stadium, stayed in it the whole way. Their team gave them hope, cutting the margin to two touchdowns with 4½ minutes left.

"That's the hardest I've ever seen a team play, especially when they were down," Mays said. "I think we kind of thought it was over."

That seems to have happened too often lately at Troy.

USC makes its case in Rose Bowl win

By DAN WEBER
The Press-Enterprise

PASADENA - They can be so good, it takes your breath away. Just ask Penn State, the Big Ten champ that saw its defense get jumped by USC in the first half of the Rose Bowl, en route to the Trojans' convincing 38-24 victory.

So much for the critics who said a bored USC team that had been here the past four years wouldn't be ready.

"I don't know how you could have any more fun -- until halftime," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "Think about it. When have you ever seen anything else from us?

Story continues below

Photos By Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise

Clay Matthews Jr. and the Trojans deliver a knockout punch against Daryll Clark and Penn State in the first half of the Rose Bowl, as USC jumps out to a 31-7 lead on the Big Ten champs.

"People who say that don't get it."

However, Carroll knows that despite the fun of a 31-7 first half, USC's season ended with a fine win to cap a 12-1 season, but without a national title.

"I don't think anybody could beat us," Carroll said after racking up 474 yards, some 212 more than Penn State's fifth-ranked defense was giving up, and scoring more points in the first half than the Nittany Lions had given up in a game all season.

"But to guarantee that you get that chance, you have to win every game."

If they played like they did in Thursday's first half all season, they probably would have.

USC put the ball in the hands of Mark Sanchez and told him to heave it. And he did in a career day, turning in the best Rose Bowl performance by a USC quarterback, with 413 yards and four touchdowns on 28-of-35 passing, and also running for a score.

"I felt like I was really playing today," Sanchez said, confident that USC's passing schemes and outside speed would be a mismatch for the Lions' three-deep zone coverage. "And our O-line blocking and our backs were always at the right place at the right time, giving me perfect throwing lanes."

"Perfect" is also the way Carroll described it. The only thing he debated was what was better -- the opening score, on a 27-yard post pattern by Damian Williams deep into the end zone, or the last, on a 19-yard bullet to Ronald Johnson between two defenders.

Brett Favre in his prime would have been proud of that pass, Carroll said.

The Trojans' coach said the start reflected a different offensive mind-set -- far from the conservative one that kept Sanchez under control in low-scoring wins over Arizona, Cal and UCLA.

"The final thing we said before we left the hotel today was that 'We have to go for it. These guys are too good,' " Carroll said.

And go for it the Trojans did, even if only for 30 minutes. The 93,293 at the Rose Bowl also saw that other USC team after halftime, when the Trojans clearly stalled. Safety Will Harris and cornerback Cary Harris had to make interceptions in the last five minutes to keep USC fans breathing easy.

"We laid an egg out there the second half," offensive guard Jeff Byers said.

And that left Penn State fans standing and screaming until the final seconds. Penn State (11-2) finished with 410 yards, including 273 through the air.

"That was unacceptable for our defense," safety Taylor Mays said, slightly dissatisfied with what might be his final game at USC.

But while the defense might not have been as good as advertised, the receivers were, especially Williams with 10 catches for 162 yards.

"Against teams from other conferences who haven't seen us, we can be really explosive," the 6-foot-1 sophomore said. "They didn't really know what to do out there."

"You can't give them more credit than their quarterback did," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said.

Sanchez gives his best, but is it his last for USC?

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

	Jody Gomez/US Presswire
	Mark Sanchez completed 28 of 35 passes for 413 yards and four touchdowns.

PASADENA, Calif. -- It was supposed to be about a pair of bone-rattling defenses, but USC quarterback Mark Sanchez and his supporting cast rewrote the script and gave themselves starring roles.

Sanchez carved up the Penn State secondary like a holiday bird, completing 28 of 35 passes -- an 80 percent completion percentage -- for 413 yards with four touchdowns in the Trojans' 38-24 victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi. He also ran six yards for a touchdown, so he had a hand in each score.

And, yes, he said, he was a little annoyed that many so-called pundits had described the offense as the runt little brother to the Trojans' big-bad defense.

"We're a silent but deadly offense -- if you think about the defense too much we might just have a day like this," Sanchez said.

The offense scored 24 points in the second quarter, which is double what Penn State had been yielding this season.

"He made some really good plays," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "As a coach, you have to admire kids who do things like that under pressure. He just had a heck of a football game."

Coach Pete Carroll's effusive post-game praise for Sanchez included terms like "phenomenal" and "Favre-like," but the part that would stand out to Sanchez was Carroll placing the junior into the ranks of the previous Trojan quarterback greats.

"He played the same kind of football that Carson [Palmer], and [John David] Booty and [Matt] Leinart played," Carroll said. "There's no doubt that he's just as capable of being the best player in America, given another year."

That other year is in question because Sanchez is considering entering the NFL draft early. He refused to engage the subject directly after the game, and scanning his comments for subtext feels fruitless.

One moment Sanchez talks about a Trojans offense that could welcome back 10 starters in 2009, but the next he's agreeing his Rose Bowl performance should help his draft prospects.

His MVP performance largely redeemed a year in which he put up impressive numbers -- ranking 11th in the nation in passing efficiency and finishing with 34 touchdowns passes -- but also played inconsistently at times and was doubted by a vocal portion of the Trojans demanding fan base.

"The season has been maybe a little up and down for him, but we know what type of player he is and we trust in what he can do for our football team," safety Taylor Mays said.

Part of Sanchez's problem was an offense that leaned toward conservative much of the year because the defense was yielding only a touchdown a game.

But for the Rose Bowl he doffed the knee brace he'd been wearing since a preseason injury -- he repeatedly used the word "free" to describe how he felt during the game -- and the handcuffs came off the passing attack with dramatic results.

"I was on today," Sanchez admitted. "My arm felt live. We were clicking."

The downfield focus was by design. It's clear from the post-game locker room that the Trojans felt they could exploit the Penn State secondary and its cover-3 scheme.

"Anytime you play a team that plays cover-3, there's a lot of lanes in the middle of the field and we were able to find the holes with our speed," said receiver Damian Williams, who caught a game-high 10 passes for 162 yards.

Williams added that Sanchez "better come back."

If he does, the Trojans offense would take center stage while the defense rebuilds.

"With everybody coming back on offense, we're going to be a phenomenal group," Sanchez said.

Sanchez almost assuredly would be on the preseason list of Heisman Trophy candidates. If he comes back.

But if he bolts, he could end up an early-round or even first-round NFL pick this spring.

So what's it going to be, Mark?

"It's going to be hard to say goodbye to this place," he said. "I don't think I can do it."

The Trojan nation, back in love with Sanchez, will hold its collective breath.

SC Highlight Of The Night: Penn State Vs. USC

Published: 01/02/09 Duration: 06:54 Continuous Playback
Description: Sanchez leads USC's Rose Bowl rout over PSU, 38-24

Sanchez throws for 413 yards, 4 TDs in latest Rose Bowl rout

PASADENA, Calif. -- Overwhelming from the start, Southern California put on a championship performance.

Too bad for the Trojans, they weren't playing for the national title.

Mark Sanchez passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns, USC dominated on defense and the fifth-ranked Trojans beat up No. 8 Penn State 38-24 Thursday in the Rose Bowl.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno watched from the press box, where he's been for most of the season because of hip problems. He couldn't have liked what he saw -- at one point in the first half, the TV camera caught him shaking his head as USC (12-1) rolled to a 31-7 lead.

But even before the game, the 82-year-old coach said several times he thought USC was at least as good as any team in the country, perhaps better.

It doesn't matter.

Out of the BCS championship mix, the Trojans can only wonder what might have been had they not lost at Oregon State 27-21 on Sept. 25.

What was thought to be a weak Pac-10 hurt the Trojans' chances to reach the national championship game in Miami -- where Florida and Oklahoma will play next week. But the Pac-10 finished the postseason 5-0.

"With all due respect, those are two great programs, I don't think anybody can beat the Trojans," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "I just think we can beat anyone we played. That's happened a lot to us late in the season. This is a terrific finishing program. There are so many things we can do. We're just hard to beat right now.

"I just wish we could keep playing. Unfortunately, we don't get to. Maybe someday there will be a chance, but not now."

And not soon, either. There's no playoff in sight for major college football.

USC scored four touchdowns and a field goal on five consecutive first-half possessions for a 24-point halftime lead against a team that allowed only 12.4 points per game during the regular season.

With the No. 1 defense in the nation, there was no way the Trojans would blow that kind of lead.

The Nittany Lions (11-2) scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable, yet fell far short of their 40.2-point average.

Paterno, who has won 383 games, including 23 bowls -- both records -- thought the Trojans were every bit as good as advertised. USC won 10 straight after losing to Oregon State, outscoring the opposition 380-80.

"I thought that we were playing against the best and I thought we had to play our best to be competitive," Paterno said. "In the first half, we just did the dumb things that we have not done all year. We didn't play our game in the first half, but we came back and we hung in there. So we have nothing to be ashamed of.

"I don't want to take anything away from Southern Cal, because they played a heck of a football game and their quarterback played a great game," he said. "They certainly deserved to win it, but I'm a little disappointed that we weren't a little bit more competitive. And a lot of that was because we made so many mistakes in the first half."

The Trojans' 31 first-half points were the most they've scored in any of their record 33 Rose Bowl games. They spent most of the second half working the clock while their defense held Penn State in check until the fourth quarter.

"The offense was on fire in the first half," Carroll said. "I thought Mark just set the tempo, [wide receiver] Damian Williams came through and the whole line really protected well so we had a chance to really get moving on these guys. We just kept firing on all cylinders, the defense kept giving them the ball back, and the guys just took advantage of it."

USC finished with 27 first downs and 474 yards of total offense.

"We mixed up the run and the pass so they couldn't really key on anything," Sanchez said. "I think we really maximized our potential. I don't know if it was a matter of opening up the playbook or us just executing very well. Maybe a little bit of both."

The Nittany Lions committed three turnovers and nine penalties for 72 yards.

"A lot of things happened in this game that weren't typical, but you can't put the blame on anybody but yourself," Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin said. "We did kind of shoot ourselves in the foot with a lot of dumb penalties and a lot of mental mistakes."

Sanchez, who completed 28-of-35 passes without being intercepted and finished the season with 3,207 passing yards and 34 touchdown throws, might have played his final game for USC. The strong-armed junior has said he will consider making himself available for the NFL draft. The deadline is Jan. 15.

Sanchez became the third player to pass for more than 400 yards in the Rose Bowl.

Afterward, many in the crowd of 93,293 chanted: "One more year, one more year" to Sanchez.

"That was special," he said.

"I'm going to celebrate this victory first and worry about it somewhere down the line. I'm excited that I have a great coach to talk about it with. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to this place. I don't think I can do it."

Said Carroll: "We'll go through it and really take our time doing it. This should not be an emotional decision."

Williams caught a career-high 10 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown and Ronald Johnson caught two TD passes.

Daryll Clark completed 21-of-36 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Evan Royster, who averaged 6.5 yards per carry in gaining 1,202 yards during the regular season, came out with an injured left knee in the first quarter after picking up 34 yards on six carries.

Carroll's Trojans have won seven straight conference championships and played in seven consecutive BCS bowls -- both records. They're 6-1 in big games -- 5-0 against Big Ten teams such as Penn State -- and 82-9 since 2002, Carroll's second year on the job.

They've also won 11 or more games in seven straight seasons -- another record.

The Trojans have played in a record-tying four straight Rose Bowls, winning three straight since losing to Texas 41-38 with the national title on the line. They became the first team ever to win three consecutive Rose Bowls.

Kaluka Maiava was the top defensive player, becoming the third straight USC linebacker to win that award.

It became clear in the first quarter that Penn State's usually dominant defense was vulnerable.

Sanchez threw a 27-yard scoring pass to Williams, capping an 86-yard drive. The Nittany Lions, who were 9 1/2-point underdogs, tied it on a 9-yard run by Clark, capping an 80-yard, nine-play drive.

Maybe the Big Ten would finally hang in there against USC.

Nope.

Sanchez scored on a 6-yard quarterback draw, completing an 80-yard drive that put USC on top for good.

David Buehler's 30-yard field goal made it 17-7, and Sanchez threw scoring passes of 19 yards to Johnson and 20 yards to C.J. Gable in a 48-second span late in the second period for USC's 24-point halftime lead.

Clark threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Williams early in the fourth quarter, capping an 80-yard drive and trimming USC's lead to 31-14. The Trojans wasted no time in answering, going 82 yards on three plays, the last one a 45-yard scoring pass from Sanchez to a wide-open Johnson with 12:02 left.

If there was going to be any drama on a typically clear and mild afternoon before a crowd of 93,293 in Pasadena, that ended it.

Trojans put Nittany Lions to bed in second quarter

By Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com

PASADENA, Calif. -- Well, say this much for Penn State. The Nittany Lions won the fourth quarter.

In most games, against most teams, winning the fourth quarter wins the game. That's why USC coach Pete Carroll handed out t-shirts to his team this season with "FINISH" emblazoned across the chest. And it's especially true in games such as the Rose Bowl, which featured two 11-1 teams.

On Thursday, No. 8 Penn State won the fourth quarter over the No. 5 Trojans, 17-7. But don't bother looking for the word "upset." All Penn State did was make the final score respectable: USC 38, Penn State 24.

The Big Ten doesn't want to hear "respectable," given that it lost another Rose Bowl, is 1-5 in this postseason, and would like to begin talking about basketball now, thank you very much.

Maybe Carroll, known for making adjustments in the second half, not the second quarter, didn't feel like waiting. The differences between the Trojans and the Nittany Lions revealed themselves in the second quarter, a 24-point explosion that gave USC a 31-7 halftime lead and turned a tie game into the Trojans' third consecutive Rose Bowl victory.

For the Nittany Lion fans among the 93,293 in the stadium, the second quarter lasted longer than a Russian novel, and was just as hard to fathom.

Take USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, who at one point in the second quarter completed seven consecutive passes for 132 yards. Sanchez finished the quarter 14-of-17 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran six yards for the go-ahead touchdown, the first time this season he has done more than sneak over the goal line for a score.

"I know the numbers say it, but from a coach's standpoint Mark played a really good football game," USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, not yet wearing the purple of Washington. The numbers say that Sanchez finished 28-for-35, for 413 yards and four touchdowns. What else is there for a coach to say?

"He made good decisions," Sarkisian said. "He was going to the guys on time. He was able to avoid the rush when he had to, to create plays. When the opportunities were there, he didn't miss many of them.... This wasn't an easy game plan for them. We had a lot of stuff in there for them, especially the quarterback. Mark executed it extremely well."

Trojan redshirt sophomore Damian Williams, the Arkansas transfer, caught six passes for 100 yards in the second quarter alone. He described the Penn State secondary as playing "straight vanilla defense."

"They're really sound in what they do and they're really disciplined," Williams said. "... But in the same time, when you're so schooled and so disciplined, it kind of turns into a machine mode."

Sarkisian said a receiver who runs routes against zones as well as Williams does is "a quarterback's best friend." Penn State corners Lydell Sargeant, Tony Davis and A.J. Wallace all gave Williams his space, scared of getting burned. So Williams caught the ball, then burned them by gliding for yards in the open field.

He would finish with 10 catches for 162 yards and one touchdown. It's especially impressive considering that Williams didn't practice until last week in order to heal his left shoulder, which he banged up against UCLA.

"I had a whole lot of off time. I just made sure I was in the film room. When you miss practice, it's hard to get a look. I still wasn't quite sure this morning. I had to make sure I took an extra peek, for about 45 minutes."

He didn't see anything new Thursday.

"They really like to run cover three and a lot of zone," said USC wide receiver Patrick Turner (four catches, 74 yards). "I didn't see too much man. They were just backing off, and we have good plays for that.... We haven't seen that all year. We love cushion."

So zone didn't work. The Nittany Lions weren't going to play man. That's about it for football. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley could have tried a box-and-one, or bringing his infield to the edge of the grass, or moving his King's pawn two spaces. Any of them may have been worth a shot.

The fact is, USC is better. The Trojans had more talent than the Nittany Lions, and in the second quarter, they played so well that they forced Penn State into mistakes.

Penalties aren't always an indication of sloppy play. Sometimes, they indicate a difference in talent. A tackler who is a half-step slow finds his hand landing on the face mask instead of the jersey. A pass defender trying to jump on a receiver jumps offside.

Penn State got penalized for both plays in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions incurred five penalties for 52 yards in that period. They committed only 40 penalties in 12 games.

Then there was the third-and-two test. With the Trojans leading 17-7 midway through the quarter, quarterback Daryll Clark tried to complete a pass while wearing USC tackle Fili Moala. To Clark's credit, he avoided the sack.

Four plays later, USC had a third-and-two. Sanchez rolled right and found Williams near the sideline for 14 yards. His next two completions went to Williams, too, for 15 and 17 yards.

"It's just that they're mistake-free," Sargeant said, "and Mark did a good job throwing to the receivers that were open and really reading our coverages."

That, basically, was that. You can't play catchup against USC. The Nittany Lions, to their eternal credit, did not spend the second half wishing the clock would run faster. They closed within two touchdowns and had the ball in the USC red zone in the last minute.

Clark threw for 273 yards, nearly 100 yards more than anyone had against USC all season. But the Nittany Lions had to grind their scoring drives out -- three of the four drives needed at least nine plays.

After Clark drove the Nittany Lions 80 yards in 10 plays to close within 31-14, USC responded by going 82 yards in three plays. Sanchez again rolled right, again drew up the defense, and Ronald Johnson slipped behind everyone to cradle a 45-yard touchdown pass. Game, set, no match at all.

Sarkisian heads north to Seattle. Sanchez will think about going pro, and the Trojans will grit their teeth as they watch Oklahoma and Florida play for the BCS Championship. They proved they belong in the same conversation as the Sooners and Gators, and the Trojans did it before halftime.

FINISH? Almost before it started.

College GameDay Breaks Down USC's Win

Joe Paterno Talks After Penn State Falls To USC

Mark Sanchez Propels USC To Rose Bowl Victory

Pete Carrol Post-Game Interview

USC wins Rose Bowl championship, 38-24

6:16 PM, January 1, 2009

While ABC's Brent Musburger tried to make the best of things with 36 seconds left in the game, Penn State just didn't have enough to make up for its mistakes in the first half, particularly in the first quarter. As Penn State was taking penalties, USC was getting hot and hotter.

Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark did everything he could to try to get his team back in the hunt. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third. But Clark's last pass, which he lofted into the end zone, was simply thrown up for grabs -- and was intercepted.

While the final score, 38-24, makes it look close, it really wasn't. At least not until the last quarter.

By then USC quarterback Mark Sanchez had already done plenty of damage. He threw three touchdowns and ran for another -- all in the first half. He finished with 413 passing yards. But the Trojans weren't perfect either. All of The Times' Rose Bowl coverage can be found on latimes.com/sports.

-- Debbie Goffa

New Year, old Rose Bowl result as USC beats up Penn State

By Mike Hiserman

4:55 PM PST, January 1, 2009

It's an often-asked question.

Has the Rose Bowl suffered trying to keep a Pacific 10 Conference vs. Big Ten Conference alliance in the wake of the Bowl Championship Series setup?

Well, maybe that question should simply be: Is the Rose Bowl suffering -- period -- because those conferences can't seem to offer an even matchup?

It seems clear the Big Ten can't handle USC.

Penn State today became the third consecutive Big Ten team to show up in Los Angeles, enjoy the weather and hospitality, then get manhandled once the game started.

Led by quarterback Mark Sanchez, who accounted for all five USC touchdowns, the Trojans defeated Penn State, 38-24, before a sellout crowd of 93,293 and a national television audience.

And while the score looked respectable, the game wasn't nearly that close.

Sanchez became only the third quarterback in the 95-year history of the game to pass for more than 400 yards. The junior from Mission Viejo, who surely saw his NFL stock soar, completed 28 of 35 passes for 413 yards and four touchdowns. He also scored on a run.

So much for that defensive battle most pundits were expecting.

USC scored on its final five possessions of the first half.

Then, after being held scoreless in the third quarter and seeing Penn State cut into their lead with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Trojans snapped back to attention again.

Three plays after the Nittany Lions scored on a two-yard pass from Daryll Clark to Derrick Williams, USC was back in the end zone courtesy of three Sanchez passes -- the last covering 45 yards to Ronald Johnson to put the Trojans up, 38-14, with 12 minutes 2 seconds to play.

And just like that, Penn State joined the likes of Michigan and Illinois in becoming Big Ten Rose Bowl road kill on the heels of the Trojans.

USC defeated Michigan, 32-18, in the 2007 Rose Bowl and routed Illinois, 49-17, in last year's game.

The Trojans ran up 474 yards of offense, including 341 in the first half as USC took a 31-7 lead against a Nittany Lions defense that came in ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Sanchez threw two scoring strikes in less than a minute just before the half and completed 21 of 27 passes for 295 yards in the first two quarters.

Sanchez connected with Johnson on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute 24 seconds left in the first half, then, after Penn State lost a fumble on its first play of the ensuing series, he hit C.J. Gable on a middle screen that went for a 20-yard touchdown with 36 seconds on the clock.

David Buehler kicked a 30-yard field goal to give USC a 17-7 lead the previous time the Trojans had the ball.

About the only downer for the USC offense was the loss of tailback Joe McKnight, who sustained what the team reported as a sprained toe when he was tackled after a nine-yard gain on a pass play in the second quarter. He did not return to the game.

Sanchez's other touchdowns came on a 27-yard pass to Damian Williams in the first quarter and a six-yard run with 12:27 left in the second quarter.

On the 80-yard drive he capped with his run, Sanchez completed four passes for 76 yards. The only running play besides Sanchez's scoring run was a rush for a two-yard loss.

The march came immediately after Penn State had overcome what looked like a costly penalty to tie the score, 7-7, at the end of the first quarter.

The Nittany Lions drove 80 yards in nine plays.

Penn State's touchdown came on a nine-yard quarterback draw by Daryll Clark after he moved the Nittany Lions within striking distance with his arm.

Clark hooked up with Deon Butler for a spectacular 44-yard gain that was wiped out by a penalty for an illegal shift. That stuck Penn State back on its own 41, but Clark came right back, hitting Stephfon Green for a 15-yard gain, then going back to Butler for a gain of 28 yards.

On the next play, he took it in himself.

Penn State's first two possessions lasted only nine plays -- including the punts.

And USC's first possession went three plays and punt.

But the Trojans' next series went 11 plays and covered 86 yards for a touchdown.

On the scoring play, Williams ran a post pattern that split Penn State's secondary for only the seventh touchdown pass the Nittany Lions have allowed this season.

By the end of the half, that number had grown to nine, and Williams had seven receptions for 127 yards.

Taylor Mays lays the wood on Penn State Receiver

USC's Mark Sanchez has more than pads on his shoulders

Kevin Baxter Los Angeles Times

At 83, it can be a struggle for Salvador Sandoval just to move across a room. Yet on a recent bone-chilling afternoon, he pulled a heavy jacket tight against his chest, pushed his walker out the door and shuffled up the street to watch the USC football team practice.

And not only because he enjoys the sport.

Sandoval says he served with the 82nd Airborne in World War II's Battle of the Bulge, where many fellow Mexican American soldiers fought and died while concealing their heritage to avoid scorn and prejudice.

"The Chicano here has had the fame of obscurity," he says in a lyrical mix of Spanish and English. "They didn't want to rise. But you have to stand up to get that recognition."

Which is where Mark Sanchez comes in.

As quarterback for USC's Trojans, Sanchez, 22, is among the most visible and celebrated athletes in a city built on star power.

On Thursday, he'll be center stage again when fifth-ranked USC faces Penn State in the 95th Rose Bowl Game, which will be played in a stadium packed with nearly 100,000 fans and before a national television audience of millions.

But, like Sandoval, not everyone watching will be interested only in the football.

Sanchez is third-generation Mexican American, and in a city that's home to more than 4.6 million Latinos -- three-quarters of whom are Mexican -- that's no minor detail.

"A big surprise," Sandoval says.

"Historic," adds Luis Rodriguez, 35, a USC graduate student.

"It is a big deal," says Manny Miranda, 20, a USC junior. "You do get that extra sense of pride, knowing that people are chanting 'Sanchez, Sanchez, Sanchez.' "

Sanchez feels that emotion. But he's also come to recognize the challenge it presents.

"Some people wanted me to be the Latino quarterback," he says. "Some people wanted me to be the USC quarterback who happens to be Latino."

Not wanting to alienate anyone, Sanchez decided to "just be me and do my best with everything and not try to be something I'm not."

But navigating a middle ground proved difficult.

Last fall at Notre Dame, in only his second college start, Sanchez took the field biting down on a protective mouthpiece with a dime-size Mexican flag painted on the front -- a gift from team dentist Ramon Roges, a Cuban.

Sanchez passed for 235 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-0 victory, and what was perceived as a gesture on his behalf was well received by many Mexican Americans. But there was also backlash over the tiny flag that smacked him like a blitzing linebacker.

Sanchez's patriotism -- even his sanity -- was questioned, with some letter-writers urging him to go back to Mexico (never mind that he never actually lived there).

"It was eye-opening. It was educational," Sanchez says. "I never in a million years would have thought that kind of reaction would happen. It just blew my mind that people were upset about it."

Though he quickly ditched the mouthpiece -- "a distraction," he says -- the criticism paled in the glow of Sanchez's new appreciation for his place in the community.

"I think I understand now, with the density of the Hispanic population in Los Angeles, that they rally around somebody like [me]," he says "It's special. It means a lot to represent them, and I'm trying to do it in the best way possible."

One step Sanchez has taken is to speak with schoolchildren from the heavily Latino neighborhoods around USC.

"I'm not trying to prove how Mexican I am or how American I am. I'm proud to be both, and I'll just keep acting accordingly," he says. "If the kid who sees me go to his school and looks at me, sees my last name, sees my skin color and realizes that we're the same, if he thinks he can do something better than he could have before, then I've done my job."

Though this isn't the first time a Mexican athlete has captured headlines and imaginations here -- Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela spawned "Fernandomania;" Oscar De La Hoya rediscovered his Mexican roots in the boxing rings of East L.A.; Guadalajara-born Tom Fears was the Rams' first big star in the 1940s and '50s -- Sanchez is believed to be the first Mexican American to start at quarterback for USC.

Not that Sanchez ever considered himself a trailblazer during his record-setting career at Orange County's Mission Viejo High. There, he played with kids named Gomez, Garcia, Rubio, Flores and Ocampo.

Back then, he was just Mark the quarterback.

"It wasn't anything different," he says. "There were plenty of Hispanic kids at school."

Sanchez's father, Nick, an Orange County fire captain and former Army sergeant, was born just after his family, along with hundreds of others of Mexican descent, were driven out of Chavez Ravine to make room for what became Dodger Stadium.

For many, that episode planted seeds that a decade later blossomed into a broad-based civil rights campaign known as the Chicano Movement. Though the Sanchezes weren't particularly active politically, Nick says, he tried to prepare Mark for the attention his ethnicity would bring him as quarterback at USC.

"He's very proud of where he came from and his background," Nick says. "But he's also proud of being an American. If he can contribute in any way, shape or form in a positive respect to the Hispanic community, that's a great thing. But I think his goal is probably to be a contributor to the community in general."

Sanchez has two older brothers who played football -- Nick Jr. was a quarterback at Yale; Brandon played on the offensive line for DePauw -- without their heritage becoming a topic.

Though the spotlight on Mark is far more intense, Nick says it doesn't have to burn. "There's no downside to it," he insists.

Nick recalls stopping at a taco stand on a recent trip to Ensenada and seeing an 8-by-10 photo of his son hanging on the wall behind the counter.

"It was interesting just to feel the impact and the pridefulness the Hispanic people, even south of the border, feel," he says.

One in seven students at USC is Latino, and the star athlete enjoys immense popularity. If there is a knock on Sanchez, it's that some Latinos in the greater L.A. area consider him a little too Anglo.

"You'll hear talk," says Miranda, the USC student whose parents are from Mexico and El Salvador. "It's whether he's Mexican enough or just adequately Mexican. It's a huge topic. And I don't know how to answer that.

"What do you mean exactly? Does he speak Spanish? Does he act a certain way, dress a certain way, talk a certain way? Is it because he doesn't fit a stereotype? That's really unfair."

Sanchez, who spoke only English at home, has taken steps to embrace his heritage. He completed an advanced Spanish class in summer school so he could do interviews with the Spanish-language media -- Mexico's TV Azteca was recently in town -- without a translator. He also participated in a fundraiser for Operation Teddy Bear, which provides school supplies to first-graders in heavily Latino areas of Long Beach and the South Bay, and recently joined L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in distributing holiday gifts to needy families in East L.A.

"I didn't expect this from a kid growing up in Mission Viejo," says Ricardo Rodriguez, a USC political science professor. "I was like, 'Oh, that's why people are rallying around him.' I see it here at the tailgate [parties] and in my classes. People are always talking about it."

Luis Rodriguez, a doctoral candidate in American studies and ethnicity, sees it too.

"He doesn't really shy away from it," Rodriguez says of Sanchez. "It's a credit to him and it's almost paying homage to his grandparents and his parents. There's that sort of sense of pride that comes with having Mark as quarterback.

"I myself went out and bought [a Sanchez] jersey."

Cal State Northridge professor Rudy Acuna, an author and activist who is considered the padrino (godfather) of Chicano studies, says Sanchez carries the weight of a role model.

"We all pave the way for each other," Acuna says. "We also all benefit from being Mexican American. It makes us different. It makes us unique. Evidently, he does have a sense of responsibility and I applaud him for it."

That was partly forged in another controversy early in Sanchez's USC career -- when he was suspended after being accused of sexual assault, underage drinking and using a false ID to enter a bar, an incident that gave pause to many of his early supporters.

"I was excited [he came to USC], and then that happened his freshman year and I was like, 'Oh, great,' " says Isaac Cuchilla, 20, a USC student activist. "Even if it is not true, it still tainted his name. That will always follow" him.

Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault but never charged; authorities cited a lack of evidence. But the episode was an important wake-up call.

"It taught me a lot about this position and how to be a leader on and off the field. In social situations as well," Sanchez says. "Any kind of incident, negative media attention, can easily affect how you're playing and what people perceive you as."

Among teammates, the perception of their quarterback is clear. "He's our leader," wide receiver Damian Williams says.

Adds sophomore offensive lineman Kristofer O'Dowd: "Sometimes, when things aren't going our way, it's always good to look at him because he always has that fire in his eye."

There's no arguing Sanchez's effect on the USC football team. Dating to last season, the Trojans have a record of 13-2 with him as their starter. Soon, he'll probably earn the opportunity to perform on an even bigger stage.

Although he has one year of eligibility left at USC, Sanchez has asked the NFL to evaluate his status for its upcoming draft. He has until Jan. 15 to decide whether to forgo his senior season to turn pro.

In the NFL, he would join a fraternity of Mexican American quarterbacks, including Dallas' Tony Romo, Buffalo's J.P. Losman and Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia. They, in turn, are part of a storied tradition dating back to Super Bowl quarterbacks Joe Kapp of the Minnesota Vikings and Jim Plunkett of the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, each of whom are of Mexican heritage.

Sandoval, the World War II veteran, would hate to see Sanchez leave USC, but he says the quarterback has already made an indelible mark at school and beyond.

"I never thought that he would come to the point where he's at now," Sandoval says, leaning on his walker. "And still he's got this potential that . . . it's beautiful."

Trojans' defense doesn't rest, but is it the best?

Ivan Maisel ESPN

LOS ANGELES -- It is quite possible that the USC defense is not the best to come into your living room since Miami in 2001, or Alabama in 1992, or Oklahoma in 1986, or even Penn State in 1947 (a team that, as hard as it is to believe, Joe Paterno did not coach; he played for Brown that season).

Trojans head coach Pete Carroll, for one, is a skeptic about any best-ever claim.

"I think that's easy to talk about and really hard to prove," Carroll said.

Given that the Trojans played a few offenses that would have a hard time moving the ball in a seven-on-seven drill, skepticism has a place in the debate. But so does wonder. Plenty of other teams have played their share of feeble offenses and not achieved the level of dominance that the No. 5 Trojans have enjoyed on defense.

The Trojans shut out three opponents. Five others went scoreless in the second half, including Oregon, which averaged 41.9 points per game. The Ducks lost to the Trojans 44-10.

Notre Dame did not make a first down -- a first down! -- until the final play of the third quarter.

The dominance became so commonplace that the defenders had to remind themselves to focus. All-American free safety Taylor Mays said Sunday that he would envision getting beat deep. "If I gave up that play," Mays said, "it would mess up my whole week."

Linebacker Brian Cushing said Sunday that the defense adjusted its goal from keeping a team scoreless to preventing it from crossing midfield. The Trojans did that, too, in a 69-0 defeat of Washington State. After that, they upped their goal to not letting an opponent get off its bus.

OK, maybe not, but how else to maintain interest?

"I think we got to a point where we didn't really care who we played," Mays said. "We would play anybody, anytime. We would be successful if we executed. We'd have played the Dallas Cowboys if it came to it. That's the confidence we have."

No. 8 Penn State has moved the ball almost at will this season. But the Nittany Lions' offensive coaches understand that razzle and dazzle will take the day off Thursday at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi (ABC, 4:30 ET). If Penn State is to gain yards and score points against USC, the Nittany Lions will have to do so with patience and competence.

"There are times when somebody looks like they are going to break a big play, where it looks like a 30-yard gain, and it becomes second-and-1," Penn State quarterback coach Jay Paterno said. "If they make a mistake, they have so much makeup speed that you're not going to get big plays."

One of the characteristics of the Nittany Lions' only loss, 24-23 at Iowa, is the lack of big plays. Penn State had one gain of 20 yards or more from scrimmage and had drives of 19 and 16 plays that resulted in field goals.

"The balance is what scares you [about Penn State]," said Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz, in Florida preparing his team for the Outback Bowl. "Their balance can hurt you in so many ways. The line is veteran. I thought the key to their season would be how they would play at quarterback. [Daryll] Clark can throw real well, and he can pull it down and run it."

Ferentz said he had seen a little of USC on TV, and he made it sound as if the Trojans could mimic what the Hawkeyes used to defeat the Nittany Lions.

"They don't give up too many big plays," Ferentz said. "They don't give up too many little plays, either."

If you want stars, USC has stars.

Mays and senior linebacker Rey Maualuga are consensus All-Americans. Maualuga and four other classmates -- Cushing, who made one All-American team, and linemen Clay Matthews, Fili Moala and Kyle Moore -- will play in the Senior Bowl next month. That's five starters from one side of the ball that NFL teams deem are among the top seniors in the nation.

"I never had a chance to study the Miami defenses and Oklahoma in 1986. I watched those guys on TV," Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. "…They [the Trojans] have it all. A lot of defenses have one or two great players. A lot of their guys, if you took them and put them on another team, they'd be the best player. That's pretty impressive anywhere."

If you want numbers, USC has statistics that will leap off the page and stop a ball carrier in his tracks.

Take the pass efficiency defense rating of 81.46. The next closest defense, Florida, is at 94.17, a difference of 12.71 points.

The 122.8 passing yards allowed per game is about 37 yards fewer than the runner-up, New Mexico State.

But how's this to make your calculator hum: The Trojans have allowed 8.28 yards per completion. That's the goal for most defenses to allow per attempt. In fact, that completion average surpasses the current NCAA record of 8.8 yards per completion allowed by 1997 national champion Michigan.

Between the sidelines, what all those numbers mean is speed and sure tackling, the two pillars of a great defense. USC does not allow receivers to gain yards after the catch.

But the best defense? Ever?

"Statistically, we had a great year," Carroll said. "…We're proud of all that they have done. But I don't know about that [best ever]. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Back there in the old Oklahoma days when they won all those games in a row [47 straight during 1953-56], they played some pretty darn good defense. They named defenses after them. You don't hear of any Trojan Defenses out there."

Joe Paterno has been teasing his players to defend the glory of the '47 Nittany Lions, who led the nation by allowing only 76.8 yards of total offense per game. Only once in the 61 seasons since has an opponent led the nation by allowing fewer than 100 yards per game.

Too esoteric? There's the 1988 Notre Dame team, which started four defensive players who became All-Americans before their careers ended.

There are the 2004 USC Trojans, or that 1986 Oklahoma team built around All-American linebacker Brian Bosworth, and the 1959 Syracuse defense that allowed 19.3 rushing yards per game. National champions, all three of them.

USC can't achieve that goal by shutting down Penn State. The other goals are available. While the Trojans aren't likely to shut out the Nittany Lions, much less prevent them from crossing midfield, the onus is on Penn State to prove it can move the ball.