USC LEAVES BYU GASPING IN THIN AIR OFFENSE OPENS UP LATE IN FIRST HALF USC 41, BYU 10.

Byline: Scott Wolf Staff Writer

PROVO, Utah - At its best, USC can leave crowd breathless. The top- ranked Trojans were far from it Saturday night, but in faltering they revealed a side almost more dangerous.

USC provided only five or six true moments of its potential, but those devastated the crowd and ultimately, BYU, during a 42-10 victory in front 63,467 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

It didn't look easy, unless you consider the highlight reel plays, which accounted for the victory. Most were provided by tailback Reggie Bush, who gained 120 yards through three quarters and scored two touchdowns.

But even as Bush drew most of the attention, tailback LenDale White reeled off a 43-yard run in the fourth quarter. That pushed White over the 100-yard barrier and gave USC two 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time since 1996, when Chad Morton and LaVale Woods did it against Oregon State.

That stat would seem esoteric in the first half, when the Trojans appeared in danger of losing. Just when it looked like USC's 11-game winning streak would not reach 12, the Trojans scored three touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the half to take a comfortable 21-3 lead.

Bush caught a 21-yard pass from quarterback Matt Leinart and then broke a 66-yard run for USC's first two touchdowns, and wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett caught a 15-yard touchdown pass to erase BYU's 3-0 lead.

It quickly silenced an increasingly noisy crowd that sensed the possibility of an upset.

Although Leinart is the official Heisman Trophy candidate, Bush once again wowed a national television audience, like he did three weeks ago against Virginia Tech.

The tailback juked past five tacklers on his way to catching a 21-yard touchdown pass from Leinart that was actually more a run.

The touchdown came just as BYU's crowd started to reach a near-deafening level and quickly quieted the fans as the Trojans took a 7-3 lead with 8:30 left in the half.

It was a later-than-usual first score for the Trojans, who were shut out in the first quarter for the first time since 2002 against Notre Dame.

Then USC (3-0) broke the game open.

Bush took an anything-but-unusual handoff and went toward the line, then broke through and sped past the defense en route to a 66-yard score. To make matters worse for the Cougars, quarterback John Beck fumbled the snap on the next play, and Lofa Tatupu recovered at the BYU 20-yard line.

Leinart found Jarrett open in the end zone for a 21-3 lead with 1:05 left in the half.

Just like that, the Trojans were back in their usual commanding position.

Prior to that outburst, though, they barely resembled the No. 1 team in the nation.

Leinart got off to an unlikely start as he underthrew Steve Smith and was intercepted by safety Jon Burbidge. It was Leinart's first interception in 102 attempts and first of the season. He threw three interceptions last season against BYU.

USC's second drive was victimized by penalties. A 43-yard pass from Bush to Smith that ended at the Cougars' 1-yard line was negated by a holding penalty on Alex Holmes.

The next play, Bush was flagged for a late hit, effectively ending the possession.

But the defense made up for those lapses, specifically linebacker Matt Grootegoed, who intercepted a pass that came off wide receiver Todd Watkins' fingers. It was Grootegoed's third interception in two games.

That turnover almost set up the Trojans' first score, but kicker Ryan Killeen missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt with 14:09 left in the half. BYU (1-2) then drove 47 yards and settled for a 45-yard field goal from Matt Payne to take a 3-0 lead with 10:30 remaining.

Billed as a Groza Award candidate, Killeen also badly missed a 49-yard attempt in the third quarter and is now 1 for 4 on field-goal attempts.

His second miss was a knuckleball that bounced along the grass and had no chance of being good.

Killeen's misfortunes might have been ignored, but USC's secondary looked vulnerable as ever, especially when senior Ronald Nunn was badly burned on Beck's 69-yard touchdown pass to Watkins that made it 21-10 with 11:16 left in the third quarter.

The Cougars kept it close despite being outgained 404 yards to 174 through three quarters. USC also held the ball for more than 28 minutes; BYU had it for just more than 16.

BYU's momentum took a hit at the outset of the fourth quarter, when Leinart scored on a 1-yard run with 14:16 left to give the Trojans a 28-10 advantage. It was the first moment when a portion of the sellout crowd began to leave the stadium.

Although the forecast said rain was possible, the game was played in perfect conditions. With the BYU stadium nestled under the mountains, someone remarked that Provo provided a picturesque setting for a football game.

``C'mon, we might as well be on the moon,'' a USC assistant coach said.

Scott Wolf, [phone]

scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

USC linebacker Matt Grootegoed intercepts a pass intended for BYU's Todd Watkins in the first quarter of Saturday's game.

Douglas C. Pizac/Associated Press