By JOEY JOHNSTON

Tribune Staff Writer

(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published Jan. 4, 2006.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — It’s the detour that few people have noticed along the road into tonight’s Rose Bowl. It’s a footnote, buried underneath USC’s 34-game winning streak and its pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive national title. It’s never mentioned during ESPN’s relentlessly premature comparison of the Trojans to other college football giants throughout history. It’s a pesky asterisk that detracts from the final act of USC’s star-studded Heisman bookends, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart.

But it’s there.

An overlooked factor.

The real Hollywood finish.

Texas can win.

No, really.

In fact, the more you are around the Longhorns, the more you study their skill up and down the lineup, the more you sense their polite pent-up reaction toward USC’s supposed coronation, the more you are left with this notion:

Texas will win.

Why not?

The Longhorns have junior Vince Young at quarterback. And make no mistake, it is Young – not Bush, not Leinart – who is the most important player on the field tonight. Heisman voters proclaimed Bush as the best player in college football. But Young is the game’s best leader.

“It’s pretty much my calling,” Young said.

“When you first look at their team, you can’t see anything but him,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s a fantastic player. Your eyes are drawn to him.”

Nice words from an opposing coach. Imagine what it’s like to be at Young’s side for every practice, every game, every moment.

“It’s pretty simple,” Longhorns tight end David Thomas said. “We believe in our quarterback. And he believes in us.”

A Fierce Competitor

Nobody else has a quarterback like Vince Young, who might be best known for a jaw-dropping 80-yard run against Oklahoma State.

He works from the shotgun, always a threat to spring from the pocket or deliver a strike from his unorthodox but effective three-quarters throwing motion. He has completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 2,769 yards and 26 touchdowns and leads the nation in passing efficiency. He also rushed for 850 yards and nine touchdowns. Any other year, and that’s a slam-dunk Heisman campaign.

Any other year but this one.

When Bush gave him the stiff-arm in New York, Young was immediately interviewed. The emotions of bitter disappointment were real, but some viewed them as ungrateful. Texas coach Mack Brown said it was another example of Young’s competitiveness.

“It’s like a beauty contest,” Brown said. “You’re standing there on national TV by yourself and you’re supposed to hug and kiss and be happy. I’ve seen those little girls standing next to the winner of the beauty pageant. They all do that and then they cry.

“He’s a prideful young man. He’s so, so competitive. His reaction was more refreshing to me than if he had said, ‘Oh no, I’m fine. I didn’t really want it. It’s heavy and I didn’t want to have to carry it.’ No, no. That’s not Vince. He wants to win – in everything.”

Particularly tonight.

Young fully expected a return to the Rose Bowl. He challenged his teammates to join him for summer workouts (everyone did). He treated a withering trip to Ohio State’s Horseshoe as a no-pressure fun game. He beat Oklahoma (finally). He single-handedly lifted Texas from talented underachievers to champions.

“You’ve got to understand that Vince is always striving for perfection,” Texas offensive tackle Jonathan Scott said. “That trickles down to all of us. He sets the standard. Even when things look [bad], he doesn’t let us lose.”

Follow The Leader

Of course, Young and the Longhorns never have faced a task like this. Contrary to popular belief, Los Angeles actually does have an NFL team.

The USC Trojans – a swaggering collection of talent with celebrity groupies and off-the-charts entertainment value.

Bush is a transcendent talent. Leinart will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in college history. And this 34-game run by USC has made its mark.

But guess what?

“We don’t have to be the best team of all time, just the best one [tonight],” Brown said. “It may not be the best team that wins this game. But it will be the one that plays the best.”

Somewhere in that debatable argument – does USC have the best college offense ever? – there should be mention that Texas led the nation in scoring (50.9 points per game).

Somewhere it should be noted that Texas has a 19-game winning streak of its own. Somewhere it should be noted that Young probably put on the greatest individual show in Rose Bowl history last season when he rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-37 win against Michigan.

Do not compare this Texas team to last season’s unbeaten Oklahoma Sooners, who were demolished by USC 55-19 at the Orange Bowl. Do not compare Young to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White.

Different worlds.

Carroll listed his top concern as “our ability to tackle that quarterback.” An astute observation. Even though Texas has a better defense and superior special teams to USC, it all comes back to Young. Stop him, and you’ve got a great chance at stopping the Longhorns.

Expect a shootout, with both teams scoring in the 30s. And if it’s close in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns won’t get tight. They’ll gain confidence.

They have Vince Young, a man unaffected by this massive occasion, a quarterback capable of making some history of his own.