Leinart Is in Good Hands With Colbert, Williams

No one said it would be easy for Matt Leinart to replace a Heisman Trophy winner as USC’s quarterback.

But at least Carson Palmer left behind two experienced receivers and, perhaps more important, big-time playmakers in senior flanker Keary Colbert and sophomore split end Mike Williams.

Because while Leinart had three passes intercepted in his second career start, it was USC’s reliable receiving corps that helped the No. 4-ranked Trojans to a closer-than-it-looked 35-18 victory over Brigham Young Saturday at the Coliseum.

“When our number’s called, me and Keary take great pride,” said Williams, who had 10 receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. “They consider us leaders and we consider ourselves leaders because we really have, besides the [offensive] line ... the veteran group on our offense.”

The 6-foot-5 Williams is a prolific target for the left-handed Leinart to find in traffic, as he did on the Trojans’ first score, a one-yard pass near the front left pylon as Leinart was flushed out of the pocket.

Williams also came up big during the Trojans’ game-clinching drive, going over BYU’s 6-1 senior safety, Chad Barney, on sideline routes for two first-down catches before getting open for an 18-yard score.

“We’re just trying to make plays and that’s what it comes down to,” said Williams, who left the game briefly to have his left wrist X-rayed and taped after banging it.

“You can have all the hype you want and people can say whatever they want about the Dynamic Duo but if you’re not out there making plays, it’s all for nothing. So we just go out there and make plays.”

That’s exactly what Colbert did in the first quarter.

Taking a simple slant pass from Leinart on the left side, Colbert raced through the Cougar secondary for a 48-yard touchdown that gave USC a 14-0 lead with 2 minutes 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

“It’s real big because we’ve got to be [Leinart’s] confidence,” said Colbert, who had three catches for 68 yards. “We’ve got to be

“He needs to be able to depend on us.”

But does Leinart?

“I know that he does but at the same time he needs to stay within the offense,” Colbert said. “He has to go through his right reads. He can’t just throw us the ball every time. He has to go through his reads and make sure he’s throwing to the right person.”

USC went into the BYU game expecting an air-it-out attack and the Cougars did not disappoint, with 313 yards on 29-of-46 passing.

The Trojans’ next opponent, Hawaii, offers no respite with quarterback Timmy Chang, who threw for 4,474 yards last season in Coach June Jones’ run-and-shoot offense.

“[Chang is] a real accurate thrower and he can throw on the move well,” USC Coach Pete Carroll said Sunday. “It’s going to be a very similar attack to what we just saw -- them spreading the field and four receivers out there all the time.

“We saw a lot of great things [from the USC defensive backs]. A few got away but they didn’t get behind us and the [three interceptions] were there. We’re not discouraged in any sense.”