updated 9:39 p.m. ET Dec. 10, 2005

LOS ANGELES - Matt Leinart tripped over his own feet for a 9-yard loss.

He fumbled the ball away after getting tangled with one of his lineman’s legs.

And he threw high and wide, over and over, in a shaky first half during his final home game at Southern California.

As usual, though, the 6-foot-5 senior wound up on the winning side as the top-ranked Trojans trounced UCLA 66-19 Saturday.

Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, is 37-1 in three years as USC’s starting quarterback with one game remaining — against No. 2 Texas in the Rose Bowl game Jan. 4. A victory over the Longhorns would mean an unprecedented third straight national championship for the Trojans.

Leinart was the last player introduced on Senior Day at the Los Angeles Coliseum beforehand, and trotted onto the field to a standing ovation. Four days earlier, he spoke of the emotions he would probably be feeling at that point.

No telling whether that had anything to do with what followed, but he began the day with five incompletions.

Not that the sluggish start mattered.

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The Trojans’ game plan was obvious from the outset — run the ball against one of the most porous defenses in the country, which entered allowing an average of 219.5 rushing yards per game.

And run the ball the USC did, on its first seven plays. With explosive Reggie Bush and hard-driving LenDale White leading the way, the Trojans had 307 rushing yards by halftime and led 31-6.

Leinart was just 8-of-20 for 68 yards at that stage. He lost his footing at the UCLA 4-yard line early in the second quarter, stumbling and falling at the 13. But Bush ran for the first of his two touchdowns on the next play.

On USC’s next possession, with the Trojans leading 24-3, Leinart fumbled the snap and Justin London recovered, setting up a second UCLA field goal. But that was basically it for the 11th-ranked Bruins.

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Leinart performed much better in the second half, and by the time he left the game with 12:21 remaining and the Trojans leading 52-6, he had completed 21-of-40 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns without being intercepted. He also caught the second pass of his career, making an 11-yard reception from roommate Dwayne Jarrett.

USC was in possession at the UCLA 13 when the Trojans called time just to give Leinart an opportunity to leave the game and be acknowledged by the partisan crowd of 92,000. He hugged his teammates on his last trip to the Coliseum sideline.

Leinart was in New York on Saturday as a Heisman finalist again, although Bush claimed the trophy. Bush's win gave USC three different Heisman winners in four years — Carson Palmer won in 2002.

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