MICHIGAN OFFENSE: MICHIGAN CAN'T HANDLE PRESSURE.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

Michigan quarterback John Navarre, with red eyes and a beaten body, wore a new look when he walked into the interview tent early Thursday evening: Dazed and Blue.

It was a countenance that certainly colored No. 1 USC's 28-14 victory over No. 4 Michigan in front of a sellout crowd of 93,849 at the Rose Bowl.

The Trojans, taking turns hitting and harassing him, treated Navarre like a pinata all afternoon. They sacked him nine times, including three by defensive end Kenechi Udeze, and pounded him whether he had the ball or not.

Michigan, which had allowed just 15 sacks all season, was shut out for 39 minutes, Heisman candidate Chris Perry wasn't much of a factor, and the Wolverines were held 13 points below their previous low output.

``We could not handle the pressure up front,'' said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, whose offensive line included two second-team All-Americans in guard David Baas and tackle Tony Pape. ``That was the difference in the game.''

USC coach Pete Carroll, who coordinates the defense, had been content to sit back and play low-risk defense the last two months, thanks to an outstanding front four and to protect a sometimes suspect secondary.

But eager to put pressure on the strong-but-slow Navarre, who set school passing records for yards and touchdowns this season, the Trojans changed their approach. They put in five new blitz packages for the game and wasted no time using them.

They blitzed three times from the secondary on Michigan's first possession, and each time it led to a sack or a tackle for loss.

``Every time you watch film of Navarre, he's just sitting back there picking teams apart,'' defensive tackle Shaun Cody said. ``Coach Carroll was like, 'OK, let's see how they're going to deal with these blitzes,' and he started bringing the house.''

Two early sacks were critical. Cornerback Will Poole, coming off the left side with linebacker Dallas Sartz, dropped Navarre for a 9-yard loss that forced Michigan into a 47-yard field-goal attempt that was blocked by Cody.

Then, two plays after Udeze sacked Navarre at the Michigan 10, the quarterback's pass was intercepted by Lofa Tatupu and the Trojans were soon ahead 14-0.

``They came up with some new ideas to attack our protections, and once we got settled in with protecting it, we found ourselves behind the 8-ball,'' Michigan offensive coordinator Terry Malone said. ``We had to play catch-up, which is not a good game to play against this team.''

After Matt Leinart's 47-yard touchdown pass to Keary Colbert on the opening drive of the second half put USC ahead 21-0, the Trojans turned things over to their front four: Udeze, Cody, Mike Patterson and Omar Nazel, the latter returning after missing three games with a torn ligament in his thumb.

Michigan changed course in the second half, trying to spread USC out and throw underneath. They finally scored with 5:49 left in the third quarter, but it took 16 plays, including a fourth down that Navarre converted by scrambling. Perry had a harmless 85 yards on 23 carries, and Navarre passed 47 times.

``What we didn't want to get into is a one-dimensional game, and that's what we ended up getting into,'' Malone said. ``That played right into their hands.''

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) USC's Will Poole (28) sacks quarterback John Navarre and forces a fumble that Michigan recovered.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(2) MATT LEINART

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

Box:

ROSE BOWL WINNERS