Blowout of Michigan makes USC team to beat in 2007

	John David Booty, who capped his first season as a starter with a four-touchdown, 391-yard masterpiece, returns next season with at least six other offensive starters. Kevin Terrell/WireImage.com
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PASADENA, Calif. -- Less than a day of 2007 has passed, yet we've already learned this much: The USC Trojans are not the same team they were in 2006.

Who were those imposters, anyway? They wore cardinal and gold and they had that same white-haired guy on the sideline, but those Trojans lost an unthinkable three games in the span of 12 calendar months.

Well ... apparently that's over.

In a stunningly dominant performance that looked awfully similar to several USC bowl games earlier this decade -- not to mention a whole lot different than in their past two games on the same field -- eighth-ranked USC throttled No. 3 Michigan 32-18 in the 93rd Rose Bowl game Monday. Less than a month after laying an uncharacteristic egg against a 6-5 UCLA team, the same bunch of Trojans went out and suffocated an 11-1 opponent that most of the country thought should be playing in next week's national championship game.

We may have to wait another week to determine the No. 1 team of 2006 -- but there's little remaining doubt who's going to start on top in '07.

"It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for us but we won a lot of big games," said center Ryan Kalil moments after capping an 11-2 season. "We lost to UCLA. We shouldn't have. I know in all my heart we would have beaten [No. 1] Ohio State, but it's not going to happen."

No, it's not. Nor should it, of course. But the Trojans pulled off the next best possible accomplishment Monday. Following a month of chatter from critics who figured they'd blow off the Rose Bowl after blowing their national championship hopes, USC delivered its most impressive overall performance since its 55-19 Orange Bowl beatdown of Oklahoma two years ago.

Those 2004 Trojans graduated a bevy of All-American defenders, leaving behind a depleted unit that haunted them throughout 2005 and eventually cost them against Vince Young and Texas in last year's Rose Bowl. A year later on the same turf, USC's defense absolutely suffocated Michigan running back Mike Hart (17 carries for 47 yards, 44 below his previous season low) and pressured quarterback Chad Henne into six sacks and a pair of turnovers.

This defense, barring unexpected draft defections, returns all but one starter next season.

Meanwhile, quarterback John David Booty capped a tumultuous first year as the Trojans' starter with an epic 391-yard, four-touchdown performance. He, too, returns in '07, along with at least six other starters.

No wonder Trojans coach Pete Carroll appeared even more giddy than usual on the sideline throughout the second half Monday as team broke a 3-3 halftime deadlock by exploding for 29 points.

"I'm really fired up about it," Carroll said afterward. "This was very important for a young team wondering about what it feels like to be a great team. We had a great night, and we captured that feeling as we go into the offseason."

USC didn't look like a great team in the first half. While its defense was dominant from the outset, sacking Henne four times and holding the Wolverines to 76 yards of offense, the Trojans, as had been their downfall much of the season, failed to establish any kind of running game, with tailback C.J. Gable rushing for just 17 yards on 10 carries.

After attempting to maintain a balanced attack in the first half, said Carroll, "We went into the locker room and said, 'Forget it -- we're going for this thing.'"

Fittingly, USC's second-half onslaught began with a big defensive play. On a second and nine near midfield, Henne dropped back and was immediately besieged by blitzing USC linebackers Brian Cushing and Keith Rivers. Flustered, Henne threw the ball to the line of scrimmage, right into the hands of Trojans defensive end Lawrence Jackson. "It was like a Christmas gift for me," said Jackson.

Almost immediately, USC's previously struggling offense appeared rejuvenated. Booty completed four straight passes, including a 25-yarder in which receiver Dwayne Jarrett split two Michigan defenders en route to a touchdown.

It would become a familiar sight.

Booty (25-of-47, 391 yards, four touchdowns) and Jarrett (11 catches, 205 yards) spent the rest of the second half teeing off on Michigan's defense, with Jarrett's 62-yard catch-and-run touchdown early in the fourth quarter unofficially sealing the deal at 25-11 (Steve Smith, who himself had seven catches for 108 yards, made it 32-11 about four minutes later).