College football

White emerges from Bush's shadow

The USC tailback, not as famed as his Heisman-winning backfield mates, scores three touchdowns.

By MICHAEL SNYDER
Published January 5, 2006

PASADENA, Calif. - Playing on most teams, LenDale White would likely be a superstar.

But most teams don't feature a Heisman Trophy winning tailback in Reggie Bush, alongside a Heisman winning quarterback in Matt Leinart. So it's easy to go unnoticed.

White made sure that wouldn't happen in Wednesday's Rose Bowl as he rushed 20 times for 124 yards and scored three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to eclipse the star of another Heisman finalist, Texas' Vince Young, as the Longhorns ended USC's bid for an unprecedented third straight national championship with a thrilling 41-38 win.

It was the first national championship for Texas since they won back-to-back titles in 1969-70 (the second one split with Nebraska) under legendary coach Darrell Royal.

A junior, White is used to not being the main story. He has been in Bush's considerable shadow lately, but always has excelled in the role of team player despite admitting that, "I'm a selfish player. I want the ball all the time."

He didn't get it all time against Texas, but when he did, he made his carries count.

And it's not as if the Longhorns didn't know what was coming.

This week, Texas coach Mack Brown remarked that, "Everybody is talking about Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, but LenDale White has carried the ball 10 times less than Reggie Bush and has 1,200 yards."

Now, everybody may be talking about White, who holds the USC mark for career TDs.

White opened the scoring when he ran off left tackle from 4 yards to cap the first drive of the game. Then the player nicknamed "Thunder" - Bush is "Lightning" - came through when Texas was gaining momentum and clutching a 16-10 lead.

He put the Trojans back ahead, scoring from 3 yards on USC's first drive of the second half.

Then, after Texas retook the lead on quarterback Young's heroics, White put USC up 24-23 by capping a 74-yard drive with a 12-yard run up the middle. On those drives, Bush had one carry for zero yards.

But it's not as if picking each other up is anything new for USC's tailback tandem.

This season, Bush and White each rushed for 100 yards or more in four games, including three in a row against Oregon, Arizona State and Arizona. Bush got the lion's share of the attention, but White was as big a factor in leading the Trojans.

In 2005, White has 24 rushing TDs, most in a season in Pac-10 history. He has 26 overall, another Pac-10 mark.

Of Bush's Heisman, White said he was "excited to be a part of that," but there's no doubt he wouldn't mind one of his own. It could even entice him to return for his senior season. With most people believing Bush will forego his senior season to head to the NFL, perhaps he'll get a chance to cast his own shadow.

"You aren't always going to get your way," White said this week when discussing his situation. "I've learned that."

The lesson was driven home again in the Rose Bowl. But this time, someone in the orange and white of Texas stole his spotlight.

[Last modified January 5, 2006, 01:19:08]