At the start of this season, Kiffin and Sarkisian expressed an attempt at a 50-50 split, at least in theory. The Trojans currently are averaging 316 yards per game passing and 264 yards rushing. But they’ve attempted 440 passes and 484 rushes; last season they passed 430 times and rushed 493 times.

So when you get right down to it, the team of Kiffin and Sarkisian are close enough to Chow to inspire a request for a DNA test.

Perhaps their greatest strength has been their ability to adjust. The Oct. 1 game at Arizona State is an ideal example. The Trojans struggled in the first half in the brutal Tempe heat, falling behind 21-3 at intermission. And Leinart was not himself, having been clobbered and knocked woozy by a late hit. So Kiffin and Sarkisian, not only adapting to the failure of the pass but recognizing that the Sun Devils defenders were wearing down rapidly because of the heat and the physical USC line, shifted heavily to the ground game. The Trojans rolled up 373 rushing yards — LenDale White had 197 on 19 carries, Bush gained 158 on 17 carries, and each had two TDs — as they pulled out a 38-28 victory.

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After the Trojans escaped from South Bend with a 34-31 triumph, Kiffin and Sarkisian seemed to realize (although they downplayed the significance) that Leinart’s confidence needed a boost, and rhythm needed to be established in the passing game. The following week at Washington, the two offensive wunderkinds decided to get Leinart going early with shorter, higher percentage passes. The result was a 51-24 win in which Leinart was a coldly efficient 20 of 26 for 201 yards and four touchdowns.

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Of course, as Chow had his second-guessers, so do Kiffin and Sarkisian. Most recently the pair came under fire during the 50-42 close call against Fresno State, in which USC opened its first offensive series with nine straight passes, most of them downfield. The Trojans came up empty on that drive, Fresno State responded with a touchdown and a 7-0 lead, and the game was on. Fortunately, they still had Plan B — as in Bush. The Trojans’ all-around star amassed 513 all-purpose yards, including 294 rushing yards and two long touchdown scampers, to help keep the streak alive.

What is certain is that replacing a legend in college football requires little more than maintaining an absurdly high standard of excellence. So far, Kiffin and Sarkisian are pulling it off.