NO. 1 ... AND DONE IT'S UNANIMOUS: USC CAPTURES TITLE IN ROUT USC 55, OKLAHOMA 19.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

MIAMI - USC linebacker Matt Grootegoed looked up at the scoreboard in disbelief Tuesday night - and that was before halftime.

``It's pretty surprising to see that score with all the hype,'' Grootegoed said. ``We expected it to be closer.''

So did a lot of other people, but the greatest game ever was quickly overshadowed by one of USC's greatest halves ever, as the top-ranked Trojans resoundingly claimed the national title with a 55-19 rout of second-ranked Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in front of 77,912 at Pro Player Stadium.

The Trojans scored 38 points in the first half to easily put the game out of reach as Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart threw four touchdown passes. USC's 38-first-half points tied the most a Bob Stoops-led Oklahoma team ever allowed in an entire game.

``I'm speechless,'' receiver Dwayne Jarrett said moments after the Trojans won their second consecutive national title, but first undisputed championship since 1972.

Tailback LenDale White said: ``We did surprise them. They know what happened tonight. They got their butt kicked.''

The Trojans' 38 points in the half was a school record for a bowl game, eclipsing the 35 points USC scored in the second half of the 1973 Rose Bowl against Ohio State. Spectators began leaving at halftime as the Trojans built a 38-10 advantage.

``We didn't expect to be this easy, but the game went our way from the beginning,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``We controlled all phases of the game.''

Turnovers dictated the outcome as Oklahoma committed four in the first half, which led to 24 points for the Trojans. USC (13-0) did not have a turnover in the half as USC won its second title in two years for Carroll.

``They controlled the line of scrimmage,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. ``You can't make as many mistakes as we did and expect to win.''

Unlike last year, when USC shared the national title with Louisiana State, the Trojans owned this one unanimously.

``This is a lot better,'' defensive end Frostee Rucker said. ``We're not sharing anything. There's no questions asked. We're No. 1 and there's no doubts.''

Defensive tackle Shaun Cody added: ``Winning the game last year, we didn't know whether we would be champs or not. This year, we got the job done.''

The game hardly lived up to its billing, with the Trojans spotting the Sooners a touchdown before scoring 28 consecutive points.

A major reason for the lopsided score was USC's defense shutting down Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson, who was held to 82 yards on 25 carries.

``We had a month to prepare for him and shut him down,'' Rucker said. ``We used our lateral speed.''

Without Peterson posing problems, Oklahoma was forced to rely on quarterback Jason White, who threw three interceptions.

``They didn't do anything we didn't expect,'' Jason White said. ``They are just a great football team.''

As usually happens when a team wins a national title, there's claims that no one expected it, even though the Trojans were a wire-to-wire No. 1 in the top 25 polls since August.

``I expected a blowout,'' USC linebacker Lofa Tatupu said. ``But everyone else wrote us off.''

The game turned almost in minutes as Oklahoma committed two inexcusable blunders.

With the game tied 7-7, USC's Tom Malone punted toward the goal line and as the ball bounced near the 3-yard line, Oklahoma's Mark Bradley inexplicably picked it up despite being surrounded by Trojans.

Bradley fumbled as he was hit by USC's Collin Ashton and safety Josh Pinkard recovered it the 6-yard line. On the next play, LenDale White, showing no signs of a sore ankle, scored the touchdown to put USC ahead 14-7.

``I don't know if it was the greatest decision for him to pick that ball up,'' Ashton said. ``I was very surprised when he did it. I hit him and looked up and saw the ball pop up.''

Pinkard was equally shocked, although the freshman remained cool enough to grab the loose ball.

``Hopefully, people will remember me,'' Pinkard said. ``It didn't make any sense to me but I was happy to make something happen.''

Jason White then committed a major gaffe when he threw a ball up for grabs with five USC players surrounding one Oklahoma receiver, Mark Clayton. USC safety Jason Leach intercepted the pass at the Trojans' 11 and ended a potential scoring drive.

``They say the Pac-10 is not a strong conference, but I think Oklahoma was shocked we punched them in the mouth early,'' defensive end Lawrence Jackson said.

That sequence eliminated the suspense as Leinart connected on a 54-yard scoring pass to Jarrett that gave the Trojans a 21-7 advantage with 11:46 left in the half.

White then threw his second interception, which was returned to the Oklahoma 10 by cornerback Eric Wright. Three plays later, Leinart threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Steve Smith (Taft High of Woodland Hills) and USC was routing the Sooners 28-7.

Leinart was named the game's outstanding player, completing 18 of 35 passes for 332 yards and five touchdowns.

``I couldn't imagine this situation two or three years ago under Carson Palmer,'' Leinart said of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback he replaced at USC.

The Sooners finally stopped the slide when Garrett Hartley kicked a 29- yard field goal to make it 28-10 but it was too little, too late.

The Trojans immediately countered with a 45-yard run by Reggie Bush and Smith then cradled a 34-yard touchdown reception with one arm as Oklahoma safety Brodney Pool tugged at his arm to make it 35-10. It was Leinart's fourth touchdown pass, the seventh time in 26 starts he has thrown at least four touchdowns.

Leinart's four touchdown passes in a half were an Orange Bowl record.

Things got even worse for the Sooners as Ryan Killeen added a 44-yard field goal just before the half and Leinart threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Smith in the third quarter to boost USC's lead to 45-10.

Oklahoma actually scored first as Jason White calmly avoided USC's pass rush to find receivers on the Sooners' opening drive. White completed two third-and-8 situations on the drive, with USC cornerbacks falling down on both plays.

His first third-down conversion was a 20-yard pass to Travis Wilson as Kevin Arbet fell down. The second, a 32-yard completion to Bradley, occurred as Wright slipped and fell and Bradley went all the way to the USC 7-yard line.

White threaded a 5-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to give Oklahoma a 7-0 lead with 7:44 left in the first quarter.

But USC struck back immediately, as tight end Dominique Byrd made another highlight-reel, one-handed catch for a 33-yard touchdown that tied it 7-7. It was reminiscent of Byrd's one-handed grab against Oregon State.

``I knew this was the biggest stage of my career,'' Byrd said.

Leinart was 5 for 5 on the drive for 80 yards, with Byrd catching the final two for 50 yards.

Scott Wolf, [phone]

scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Matt Leinart, the Orange Bowl's most outstanding player, and Pete Carroll celebrate after winning the national title Tuesday.

(2) Steve Smith is held aloft by USC teammate Alex Holmes after Smith scored one of his three touchdowns in the Orange Bowl.

(3) USC coach Pete Carroll, left, and quarterback Matt Leinart watch the final seconds tick off the clock.

J. Pat Carter/Associated Press

(4) Perhaps symbolic of his future at USC, quarterback Matt Leinart tosses an Orange into the air during the postgame ceremony Tuesday night in Miami.

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

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