Wait of the World

USC players refrained from any outward chest-thumping after the Trojans had finished off Oregon State on Saturday at the Coliseum.

But in the locker room, senior cornerback Marcell Allmond confidently wore a message across his chest that boldly posed the question on the mind of every Trojan player, coach and fan:

“Got Sugar?” read the gold letters on Allmond’s T-shirt.

The Trojans certainly thought they earned the right to play for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl after completing the regular season with a 52-28 victory before a crowd of 73,864.

Kansas State’s victory over top-ranked Oklahoma in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game, and Louisiana State’s win over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference title game, will tweak the equation that decides the Sugar Bowl matchup, which will be announced today.

But USC, which entered the game second in the bowl championship series standings, felt confident that it had stated its case for inclusion even before the BCS computers started churning.

“We definitely should go,” Allmond said. “We’ve done everything we were supposed to.... We belong in New Orleans.”

Said senior flanker Keary Colbert: “That would be the sweetest thing.”

USC finished the regular season 11-1, its best record since 1988, when the second-ranked Trojans lost to top-ranked Notre Dame in the finale to finish 10-1.

USC also won the Pacific 10 Conference title outright for the first time since 1989 and will play in the Rose Bowl if pollsters and computers combine to keep them out of the top two spots in the BCS standings.

“[The Rose Bowl] is our goal every year so it won’t be a letdown,” junior defensive tackle Shaun Cody said. “But we want to go to the Big Dance.”

Throughout the weeks leading up to Saturday’s game, USC Coach Pete Carroll claimed ignorance of the BCS system and downplayed any burning desire to play for USC’s first national championship since 1978.

But afterward, he admitted that excluding the Trojans from the BCS title game would hurt.

“I will be disappointed,” said Carroll, whose team is 22-3 over the last two seasons. “We were so excited about playing in that game. You don’t get many chances to do that.”

USC would have had no chance at the Sugar Bowl if it had lost to Oregon State, which has not defeated USC at the Coliseum since 1960.

After giving up a 90-yard pass from Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson to Mike Hass on the second play from scrimmage, and a one-yard touchdown run by tailback Steven Jackson two plays later, it looked as if the Trojans would be in their toughest game since their triple-overtime loss at California on Sept. 27.

But quarterback Matt Leinart tied a school record with five touchdown passes, USC intercepted four passes and blocked four kicks, and wide receiver Mike Williams and cornerback Will Poole made spectacular plays as the Trojans came back to win their eighth consecutive game and extend their home winning streak to 15 games.

“It almost looked like we had run out of energy early on in the game because of probably the buildup,” Carroll said. “But the guys came back and finished strong.”

Poole, a senior, intercepted two passes, and returned one 67 yards for a touchdown that gave USC a 21-7 lead with 4:58 left in the first half.

“I just wanted to take it to the house,” said Poole, who has seven interceptions this season.

Williams made perhaps the most spectacular play of USC’s season on the Trojans’ next possession when he shook off an Oregon State defender and caught a nine-yard touchdown pass with his left hand.

“I don’t think it was the best catch I ever made,” said Williams, who also had a 14-yard touchdown catch, blocked a field-goal attempt and delivered a crunching block. “I guess I could have made it with two hands. I was just trying to have fun, though.”

Freshman running back Reggie Bush also caught two touchdown passes, and freshman receiver Steve Smith started USC’s final push with a 73-yard touchdown reception.

“We came in wanting to make sure they couldn’t run on us,” Oregon State Coach Mike Riley said. “But they are pretty smart and they spread us out. Poole’s interception was hard on us, as were those blocked kicks.”

Leinart completed 22 of 38 passes for 278 yards but struggled at times. He had two passes intercepted, one of which Brandon Browner returned for a touchdown to help Oregon State cut the Trojans’ lead to 35-21 with 8:47 left in the third quarter.

“You can’t be perfect every game,” said Leinart, who had thrown 212 consecutive passes without an interception, a Pac-10 record.

USC began pulling away on the third play of the ensuing possession when Leinart threw a short slant pass to Smith, who squeezed between two defenders and sprinted to the end zone for the Trojans’ longest play from scrimmage this season.

The Trojans added a one-yard touchdown run by LenDale White with 1:39 left in the third quarter and a 29-yard field goal by Ryan Killeen with 6:36 left in the fourth before Oregon State scored a late touchdown for the final margin.

Anderson completed 34 of 60 passes for 485 yards and two touchdowns, but Poole and linebacker Lofa Tatupu each intercepted two passes.

USC held Jackson, the Pac-10’s leading rusher, to 62 yards in 22 carries and sacked Anderson four times.

Carroll will be on campus today when the BCS announcement is delivered on television. He said the Trojans should be part of the Sugar Bowl package.

“We have everything you want for a national championship game,” he said. “You have a big exciting offense and a tough defense.

“I’m not taking anything away from LSU. If we go, we are going to go and let it rip.”

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Gary Klein’s keys to the game, and how the Trojans measured up:

Focus on OSU, not LSU: The Trojans gave up a 90-yard pass play and a short touchdown run on the first series, but settled in and extended Oregon State’s futility at the Coliseum.

Establish the run: Quarterback Matt Leinart’s first handoff to a running back did not come until more than halfway through the first quarter. Reggie Bush gained 71 of the Trojans’ 110 yards rushing, their lowest rushing output since gaining 99 yards against California on Sept. 27.

Stop Jackson: Oregon State tailback Steven Jackson, who was averaging a conference-best 121.3 yards a game, was held to 62 yards in 22 carries.