Time to Put the Boot to Controversy

Heard the rumors, caught the buzz, dropped by the Coliseum on Saturday night to eyeball the controversy.

Two hours later, still looking.

As best as I can tell, folks, USC has a quarterback.

His name is Matt Leinart.

Period.

Stick all that other stuff under your John David Booty.

The rumblings that an 18-year-old kid can lead a storied tradition to a million-dollar bowl were hopefully drowned out -- at least until next spring -- by a resounding show of Leinartship Saturday in the Trojans 44-21 victory over Stanford.

“People can say what they want to say, but I know my role on this team,” Leinart said afterward, quietly but forcefully. “I’m the leader.”

Yeah, as expected, phenom Booty played in his first collegiate game Saturday, entering with 14:52 remaining.

But by then, Leinart had already given him a 27-point lead.

And yeah, the fans chanted “Booooty” as if they had been waiting for this all season.

But by then, Leinart had made them hoarse from cheering.

For a third consecutive game, he threw for at least 250 yards (260) with at least two touchdowns (three).

For the fourth time in six starts, he didn’t throw an interception.

For the fifth time in six games, the Trojans won, and perhaps it’s time to realize this team can do more than tackle.

“Booty is going to be a great player one day,” Leinart said. “But I don’t think there is a controversy.”

Leinart’s biggest problem remains, of course, his name. It’s not Carson Palmer.

But halfway through a season that has suddenly gotten interesting again, the former South Coast Plaza valet parking guy is clearly the one the players trust with their wheels.

“We all know he’s the quarterback,” said The Amazing Mike Williams, who caught three more touchdown passes, giving him 21 touchdown catches in 19 career starts. “As long as the guys in the locker room have confidence in him, nothing else matters.”

OK, so Stanford is not as creative as its marching band or as entertaining as a halftime show that featured a guy playing a beer keg with his pants around his ankles.

But football is football, and Leinart has again proven that he is a football player.

First quarter, he threw a lousy screen pass behind to Dominique Byrd. What happened? He completed perfect passes on the next two plays to Byrd and Williams, leading to a field goal.

Second quarter, he threw behind Williams in the end zone. What did he do? He finished the drive by hitting Williams with a perfect pass across the middle for a touchdown.

After every stumble, he did something special, sometimes on the same play, such as when he escaped a tackler and staggered to his right and threw Keary Colbert an 11-yard strike that led to another touchdown.

On a stunning Saturday when five other top teams lost, Leinart was top-five-worthy, although we’re not making the mistake of talking up this national championship stuff again.

Because of their loss to mediocre Cal, and a schedule that has included Hawaii and BYU, the Trojans will probably be behind some other one-loss teams Oct. 20 when the first BCS rankings are announced.

But today, only Oklahoma, Miami and Virginia Tech are the major unbeaten teams ahead of them. And, of course, Miami and Virginia Tech must play each other.

Our big fat columns having yapped enough this year about these things, we’ll say no more, other than, the Trojans could end the year in at least a very interesting neighborhood.

But only Leinart can lead them there.

I write this even as I watch Booty’s first career completion late Saturday, a beautiful scrambling strike out of the end zone to Brandon Hancock.

Leinart is not as physically gifted as Booty, but he has something that any other Trojan quarterback would have difficulty acquiring in the season’s final six games.

When he steps in the huddle, they listen, because they believe.

This faith was cemented, it seemed, after last week’s hobbling, comeback victory performance at Arizona State.

After Saturday, everybody should join the club.

His last two touchdown passes, two clotheslines stretching to Williams, were symbolic because of what Leinart did afterward.

Nothing.

Buying into an old-fashioned philosophy that it is a player’s job to make his teammates look good, Leinart didn’t thump his chest or wave his arms. He didn’t do anything but jog into the end zone and hug Williams and hold the receiver higher than himself.

All of this during a week when he was supposed to crack. Remember? Booty worked with the first-team offense throughout a recent bye week, then was suddenly named backup quarterback on Thursday, and everyone went “Ohhhhhh.”

Leinart didn’t get much practice time because of the injuries. Leinart was suddenly vulnerable to The Next Big Thing.

But come Saturday, it was Leinart who took the field when it started, and didn’t leave until the job was done, not a bad thing at all.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at [email protected].