When quarterback Matt Leinart graduated from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. more than four years ago, two schools beckoned for his services.
One was Southern California, the other Oklahoma.
Leinart eventually chose USC (11-0), which now looks to defend its split national championship against Oklahoma (12-0) in the 71st annual Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., on Jan. 4.
Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator Chuck Long told ABC Sports on Sunday that he is not at all shocked that Leinart has succeeded in his tenure as the Trojans’ leader on offense.
“We were recruiting Matt Leinart a few years ago,” Long said. “We liked him coming out of high school. It’s really no surprise to us that he’s done a good job at quarterback there.”
This season, Leinart won his second consecutive Pacific-10 Offensive Player of the Year Award. In 25 games as USC’s starter, the 6-foot-5,
225-pound quarterback has led the Trojans to a 24-1 record.
He also has 66 career touchdown passes, which is second in USC history only to former Trojan and current NFL quarterback, Carson Palmer, who had 72.
However, Long said his biggest concern entering the national championship game is the strong USC defense led by linemen Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson.
The Trojans have the second-leading defense in the nation, allowing a paltry 12.5 points per game.
“They’re obviously aggressive
on defense,” Long said. “(USC head coach Pete) Carroll’s background
is defense, and they get after it against you.”
Carroll said on Sunday that his team is probably “more complete” than it was last season when the Trojans became the co-national champions with Louisiana State.
“I think all phases of our game can be lethal on game day,” he said. “We have a lot of elements that come together on this team.”
A stingy USC defense will be severely tested by a high-octane Oklahoma offense, which ranks ninth in the nation in scoring. The Sooners average more than 36 points per game.
Oklahoma also has explosive players at each of the skill positions, including senior quarterback Jason White and freshman tailback Adrian Peterson.
This season, White has thrown for 2,707 yards, 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His freshman teammate Peterson has impressed everybody in college football by rushing for 1,671 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
“They’re a great group of guys, and they’ve been together for a long time with the exception of Adrian,” Long said. “He’s brand new this year, but they’ve grown up together, and they’re an unselfish bunch. (Oklahoma head coach Bob) Stoops is big on that and has taught that from day one.”
Carroll said his team will ultimately be prepared to face its stiffest test of the season in the national spotlight.
“It’s a great matchup in all ways and all areas for us, and we’ll prepare for great excitement and great enthusiasm,” Carroll said.
He added that it’s been a tough challenge for his squad to stay focused on keeping its No. 1 spot in polls through the year.
A sense of relief surrounded the Trojans when they defeated rival UCLA 29-24 on Saturday in the
Pac-10 regular season finale. After the game, oranges rained down onto the field from fans signifying now-answered hopes of a trip to the national title game.
“It was a big win…we got the whole season done in the fashion that we wanted to,” Carroll said. “It is an interesting way to go about a football season.”
When asked how his Trojans will continue to keep focused having lost only one game in the last two seasons, Carroll said they will keep “going about our business like we always do.”
“Our players expected to be in this situation, and they’ve dealt with it really well,” he said. “We’re not going to change our focus or anything that we do at this point. By no means do we feel that our season is over or opportunities or challenges are over yet. This is a fantastic matchup in the Orange Bowl with Oklahoma.”
Alex Tam is a freelance reporter for the Daily Emerald
