ROSE BOWL Trojans impress Big Ten champs

Top-ranked USC has one of the nation's most talented teams.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DETROIT -- At first, the Michigan Wolverines were thrilled to play No. 1 Southern California.
Then it hit them: They . . . have to . . . play No. 1 Southern Cal.
As U-M players and coaches found out while watching film in recent weeks, the Trojans are the nation's top-ranked team for a reason. Actually, many reasons.
This is a team with arguably the nation's best receiver, one of its top quarterbacks, one of its deepest running back groups and maybe its best defensive line. Did we miss anything?
"Certainly this is the best offensive team we've played, the best team we've played this year," U-M coach Lloyd Carr said.
Nation's best
Southern Cal has one of the nation's best defensive coaches (head coach Pete Carroll) and best offensive minds (offensive coordinator Norm Chow). As an assistant at Brigham Young in the 1980s and 1990s, Chow was largely responsible for that program's extraordinary offensive success.
"What his offense does, it attacks. Whether you're zone or man, there is always somebody to go to," Carr said.
The offense's stars are quarterback Matt Leinart and receiver Mike Williams. Williams, who is 6-feet-5, caught 87 passes for 1,226 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. U-M's single-season records in those categories are 86, 1,143 and 19.
Leinart, who had not taken a snap before this season, has thrown for 3,229 yards, 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his past seven games, Leinart threw 25 touchdowns and two interceptions. His passing rating in that period is 178.7; the NCAA record for a season is 183.3.
"I saw the quarterback's numbers that he's had for the season, which are unbelievable," U-M defensive tackle Grant Bowman said. "They are PlayStation numbers. It's like a video game. It's not like people are getting those numbers in the real world.
"They're an unbelievable offense that has scored a ton of points and they have amazing talent."
Freshman running back
More than Bowman realizes. USC's most talented tailback is probably Reggie Bush, who has only carried the ball 82 times. Bush's limited carries are partly because USC's top two ball-carriers, LenDale White and Hershel Dennis, are also excellent. But it's also because Bush is a true freshman.
With three weeks to prepare for the Rose Bowl, Chow can find more ways to incorporate Bush into the offense.
Fine, so U-M can keep the ball away from Chow's offense. But to do that, you need an efficient running game, and . . .
"What really impress me most is they are giving up 1.9 yards per rush," Carr said. "That's what it's all about. They don't give up a lot of big plays."
Defensive tackle Kenechi Udeze is a first-team All-American and defensive tackle Shaun Cody is a third-teamer.
Outstanding punter
Did we mention that USC has the nation's best punter? Tom Malone is averaging 49.2 yards per punt. That would lead the country, but as if to rub it in, Southern Cal doesn't need to punt that much, so he doesn't qualify for the rankings. The NCAA record for punting average with a minimum of 40 attempts is 49.8. Malone, who has punted 39 times, could break that record in the Rose Bowl.
All 11 of Southern Cal's wins came by at least 17 points, and the lone loss came on the road in overtime against a respectable California team. But critics will point out that of USC's 12 opponents, only Washington State is currently ranked. So while Southern Cal is the best team U-M has faced, Michigan is the best team that USC has faced.