ORANGE BOWL Trojans' defense faces stiff test by OU

The Sooners' offensive line is a veteran unit with a collective chip on its shoulder.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Mike Patterson has one game remaining in what's turned out to be a terrific career at Southern California.
Not bad for someone former USC coach Paul Hackett didn't want.
"He said I was too small for the job," Patterson recalled Wednesday.
Hackett was fired following the 2000 season, Pete Carroll took over, and the new coach had a much different opinion concerning the stocky 6-foot, 290-pound nose tackle -- a high school senior at that time.
"He said, 'I want you to come here so we can be national champions,' " Patterson said.
With Patterson playing a major role, USC did just that last season, beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl to win The Associated Press national title.
Despite being ranked No. 1 in both major polls, the Trojans were third in the final BCS standings. So they split the national championship with LSU, a winner over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
Top players for USC
Now, USC can become the consensus national champion by winning Tuesday night's Orange Bowl. No. 2 Oklahoma is back for another shot at the title. Both have 12-0 records.
Patterson and fellow senior Shaun Cody have made their mark as one of the most potent defensive tackle combinations around. Patterson has 16 tackles for losses, Cody has 12. Patterson has six sacks, while Cody has nine.
Cody was a first-team All-American this season; Patterson was a third-teamer.
"I think they're the best set of tackles in the country -- the best I've ever been around," said defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, who will leave USC to become coach at Mississippi after the Orange Bowl.
The Trojans will face a major challenge against Oklahoma's veteran offensive line. The Sooners allowed only seven sacks and opened holes for freshman Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 1,843 yards.
Something to prove
The Oklahoma line had a terrible time against Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game and LSU in the BCS title game last year, allowing Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jason White to take a beating while opening few holes for the tailbacks.
With five returning starters, the line entered this season with something to prove.
So far, so good.
"One of the reasons why we didn't win was because of us, if not the main reason," Oklahoma center Vince Carter said of the two losses to finish last season. "We just took it upon our shoulders in the off-season and through the summer two-a-days, that the success of this team pretty much depended on how we played."