The Battle For The National Championship

USC Trojans - BCS #1

OU Sooners - BCS #2

Q's Take - NCAA Bowl Game Summary - Oklahoma vs. Southern California

(Tuesday, January 4th)
Final Score: (1) Southern California 55, (2) Oklahoma 19

Miami, FL (College Football Betting - Orange Bowl Betting) - Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart completed 18- of-35 passes for 332 yards with five touchdowns, as Southern California won back-to-back titles and claimed the BCS national championship with a convincing 55-19 win over Oklahoma in the 71st annual Orange Bowl.

Reggie Bush, also a Heisman finalist, rushed for 75 yards on only six carries for the top-ranked Trojans (13-0), who won the AP national title last season and automatically earned the championship from the coaches this year after they were obligated to vote the winner of the Orange Bowl as their national champion.

"This is great," said Bush. "This is the type of game I always dreamed of, playing in the national championship."

After this dominating performance, it is also highly certain that Southern California will be the consensus national champion and top the final Associated Press poll for the second year in a row as well. However, there is a slim chance that Auburn could vault into the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, thus creating a split national champion like last year when the Trojans shared the title with LSU, which won the BCS championship.

"I think we proved tonight that we are the No. 1 team in the country without a doubt," Leinart said.

The Tigers, who are currently third in the AP poll, went 13-0 and capped off their perfect season with a 16-13 win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, but probably won't sway enough voters to bypass Southern California for the top spot.

The Trojans were also ranked No. 1 in both the AP and coaches polls last season, but were surprisingly third in the BCS Standings and left out of the championship game in favor of Oklahoma and the Tigers. Southern California, which defeated Michigan in last season's Rose Bowl to earn a piece of the title, left no doubt this year, though, that it belonged in the title game.

"This is an extraordinary night for the Trojan family," said Trojans head coach Pete Carroll. "We're so proud to represent this great following, they are awesome. Something really great has happened and we're glad to be a part of it."

Steve Smith hauled in seven receptions for 113 yards with three scores for the Trojans, who claimed their 11th title in school history and also extended the nation's longest winning streak to 22 games.

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"I don't see why we can't do this again next season and I think that's enough motivation for me to come back," said Leinart about the possibility of returning for his senior season. "Obviously it's hard to leave these guys. I've developed some great friendships, but to do a three-peat, I don't think that's ever been done before."

Dwayne Jarrett added a score and 115 yards receiving on five catches while LenDale White, who battled a sprained right ankle, rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Jason White, the 2003 Heisman Trophy winner and third-place finisher this season, ended his collegiate career in disappointing fashion. White was 24- of-36 for 244 yards with two touchdowns, but threw three costly interceptions for the Sooners (12-1), who have suffered consecutive setbacks in the BCS title game after also dropping a 21-14 decision to LSU last year.

Freshman running back Adrian Peterson had 82 yards on 25 carries for Oklahoma, which was in search of its eighth national championship in school history and second in the last five seasons. The Sooners defeated Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl to earn their last title.

"In the end what do you do, you just can't turn the ball over," said Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. "We turned the ball over four times in the first half and in a big game you're not going to win if you do that."

The much-anticipated battle of unbeatens quickly turned into a laugher for the Trojans, who outgained Oklahoma 525-372.

"We didn't expect it to be this easy, but the game went our way from the beginning," Carroll said. "I was a little surprised."

Southern California did trail 7-0 early on, but countered with 28 straight points to blow the game wide open.

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Dominique Byrd made a spectacular one-handed catch in the end zone for a 33- yard score to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:27 left in the opening period. Leinart was 5-of-5 for 80 yards, including a 14-yard strike to Smith on 3rd- and-11, on the six-play drive.

The Trojans then took advantage of a special teams blunder to take a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter and change the complexion of the game.

Tom Malone punted and the ball bounced inside the Oklahoma five-yard line where it appeared it would be downed. However Mark Bradley tried to scoop it up, despite four Trojans surrounding him, and he was hit and quickly fumbled. Josh Pinkard picked up the loose ball for Southern California, and on the next play, White scampered in from six yards out for the score.

Jason White was then intercepted courtesy of a careless throw on the next series and the Trojans again capitalized. Leinart culminated a six-play, 89- yard drive with a 54-yard strike to a wide open Jarrett to make it 21-7 with 11:46 remaining in the first half. Jarrett caught two passes for 72 yards in the series.

Eric Wright intercepted White on the next possession and Southern California began at the Sooners' 10-yard line. Three plays later, Leinart found Smith for a five-yard touchdown to make it 28-7 with 9:17 left in the half.

"They played a great game and are very well coached and have great athletes," said White. "They made plays tonight on both sides of the ball and came out and were ready to play, and we weren't."

Oklahoma then cut the deficit to 28-10 on Garrett Hartley's 29-yard field goal with 3:10 left, but the Trojans quickly countered. Leinart engineered a four- play 79-yard march, keyed by Bush's 45-yard rush, before finding Smith for a 33-yard strike to make it 35-10 just before halftime.

Ryan Killeen's 44-yard field goal with three seconds left in the second quarter then capped an explosive first half and made it 38-10.

The Trojans totaled 314 first half yards against an Oklahoma team that didn't give up a touchdown in its final three regular-season games.

Leinart, who was named the game's MVP, continued to dazzle the Miami crowd in the early stages of the third quarter as he connected with Smith for a four- yard score to make it 45-10. Smith also aided the drive with a 50-yard reception earlier on the march.

The touchdown pass set an Orange Bowl record and eclipsed the mark of four previously set by Chuck Long.

Southern California kept pouring it on as they forced another punt and drove 45 yards in nine plays before Killeen widened the gap to 48-10 on a 42-yard kick with 4:01 remaining in the quarter.

"I think they're great, and they sure proved it," said Stoops. "Nothing you can say outside of we just got whupped."

The Trojans were not done scoring as LenDale White's second touchdown of the game, this one from eight yards out, made it 55-10 with 9:46 left. White accounted for all 56 yards on the drive, including a 39-yard burst on the first play.

Leinart was tackled in the end zone midway through the fourth for a safety and Travis Wilson caught a nine-yard touchdown pass moments later for Oklahoma to cap the scoring.

"We have great respect for Oklahoma and their program and we really didn't think it would happen like this," said Carroll.

After forcing a punt on the game's first series, the Sooners proceeded to march 92 yards in 12 plays, keyed by two third-down conversions, to take a 7-0 lead. White, who hooked up with Bradley for 32 yards earlier in the series, capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown toss to Wilson with 7:44 left in the first quarter.

Wilson ended with seven catches for 59 yards and both Oklahoma touchdowns.

And last but not least, WHAT WAS ASHLEE SIMPSON THINKING? The only thing worse than Oklahoma's Orange Bowl performance was hers. She was booed off the halftime stage. Truly horrible.

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Game Notes

Southern California's 22-game winning streak is the school's longest since ripping off 25 straight wins from 1931-33...The Trojans captured their ninth perfect season and improved to 28-15 all-time in bowl games, including 2-0 in the Orange Bowl...Peterson set the Sooners' single-season rushing record...Oklahoma fell to 23-14-1 in bowl games and 12-6 in the Orange Bowl...This was the most points allowed by the Sooners under Stoops...The matchup of White against Leinart featured two Heisman Trophy winners in the same game for the first time in college football history...The Trojans joined the 1999 Florida State Seminoles as the only teams to be ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll and hold the ranking for the entire season. It also marked the first-time ever that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams occupied the top two spots from the preseason to the final bowl game...Four of the top five Heisman finishers were in the game as well in Peterson (2nd) and Bush (5th)...Southern California is 3-0 all-time against No. 2 ranked teams when ranked No. 1 by the AP...The Trojans lead the all-time series 6-2-1 and have won five straight meetings. This marked the first meeting since 1992...Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal handled the flipping of the coin toss.

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