Leinart proved a capable replacement for Palmer

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Matt Leinart was one of four quarterbacks fighting for the job, so he didn't know what to expect when he was summoned to the coaches' offices after a lackluster practice late in the spring.

USC coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Norm Chow merely wanted to tell him he was the Trojans' new starting quarterback.

A wise choice on their part.

Leinart, who hadn't thrown a pass in a college game before this year, made a virtually seamless transition in taking over for Heisman winner Carson Palmer.

A redshirt sophomore, Leinart passed for 3,229 yards and 35 touchdowns, with nine interceptions, numbers comparable to Palmer's during his senior season.

Leinart threw for three more touchdowns and had one less interception than Palmer did in 2002, and had a 163.2 passing efficiency rating to Palmer's 148.3.

"They are PlayStation numbers. It's like a video game," Michigan defensive tackle Grant Bowman said of Leinart's statistics. "It's not like people are getting those numbers in the real world.

"When you watch him on tape, you don't see anything crazy. What you see is a guy where the ball is on time and where you can catch it, to an open receiver. He seems like a guy who's in his fourth or fifth season, the way he throws the ball around."

Leinart, who will lead the top-ranked Trojans against No. 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl, didn't find out until late last spring that he would be the starter.

"There were four guys competing for the job," Leinart said. "It was tough and there was a lot of pressure on each one of us. I remember it was one of the last practices in the spring, and I had a bad day.

"They called me into the office and told me I was going to be the starter in the spring game and going into the season. I was so happy they had the confidence in me. I've tried to show them they made the right choice."

He responded by leading the Trojans to an 11-1 record, the Pac-10 championship with a 7-1 mark, and the national No. 1 ranking in both the writers' and coaches' polls.

Although they were ranked third in the BCS standings and shut out of the BCS championship game in the Sugar Bowl, a victory over Michigan likely would keep the Trojans at No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press poll and give them a share of a split national title.

Leinart is still amazed at what's happened this season.

"It's kind of a like a surreal thing going on here," he said. "There were a lot of unanswered questions going into the season, with the quarterback position, and we were young and everything.

"But I think we've pretty much answered everything. We've had a great season, and what a thing to end up playing in the Rose Bowl against the Big Ten champs."

Leinart finished sixth in the Heisman voting and was named the Pac-10 offensive player of the year, exceeding even his coaches' early expectations.

"He has had a terrific season," Carroll said. "He has been one of the key factors for us. His numbers are awesome. More than that, he has been consistent throughout. He's given us extraordinary production on offense."

Carroll said the Trojans' turning point this season was when they bounced back from a loss at California to rally in the second half and beat Arizona State 37-17. Leinart went out with knee and ankle injuries in the second quarter at ASU, but limped back for the second half and led the Trojans to 27 unanswered points.

"That was big. He's shown his toughness on several occasions this season," Carroll said.

Leinart was recruited heavily when he came out of Mater Dei High in Anaheim and even spent time at Michigan.

"I was very impressed with the program and with coach (Lloyd) Carr," he said. "But I guess I was just too much of a big city guy, a California guy."