Saturday's instant classic between USC and Notre Dame was one of the greatest games I have ever seen, and I only saw the highlights.
Everything about the game screamed "one for the ages." There was the No. 1 team riding a 27-game win streak, the storied Fighting Irish returning to glory, a 75-yard game-ending touchdown drive, an incredible fourth-down conversion, a freak fumble that stopped the clock with seven seconds left and a daring quarterback sneak to win.
The game also made an announcement, in case you didn't get the first 100 memos-the nation's two best players, quarterback Matt Leinart and all-purpose back Reggie Bush, don the cardinal and gold. Their performances did not answer one question, however, a question normally reserved for Mel Kiper, Jr.
Which one would you take with the number one pick in the NFL draft?
In trying to figure this out, let's throw away the variables of a team's personnel needs, ticket sales and trades. Let's assume that your team needs to select the best player it can find, the one who will have the biggest impact in the NFL and lead his team to the most victories.
Do you take Cool Hand Leinart or President Bush?
Let's first take a look at Leinart, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. He is blessed with all of the skills that the greatest professional quarterbacks have all possessed-a strong and accurate throwing arm, above-average mobility, the ability to read defenses, a film-room-loving work ethic and, maybe most importantly of all, the ability to stay cool and play his best in the games and moments that matter most.
In the 2003 Rose Bowl, Leinart gave his team a share of the national championship by throwing for three touchdowns and catching another to lead USC to a 28-14 victory over Michigan. In the 2004 Orange Bowl, he threw for five scores and 332 yards in a 55-17 rout of then-No. 2 Oklahoma that gave USC its second consecutive title.
Despite throwing two interceptions and zero touchdowns against Notre Dame Saturday, Leinart had his hand in the three plays that decided the game and displayed the guts of a true champion. Down 31-28 and facing fourth and nine with 1:32 left at their own 26-yard line, Leinart called an audible and threw the perfect pass to Dwayne Jarrett for a 61-yard completion. With less than 15 seconds to go, he ran a keeper toward the left pylon and fumbled the ball which miraculously went out of bounds to stop the clock. And with seven seconds to go at the one-yard line, Leinart was stuffed on a sneak, but the second effort of second efforts put the lefty over the goal line, securing the three-point USC victory.
If you watch that final play closely, however, you can see that it was Reggie Bush's push that drove Leinart into the end zone, an incredibly heads-up, albeit illegal, play. Bush scored three of the Trojans' five touchdowns on runs of 36, 45 and nine yards. Last season he scored 15 touchdowns-six rushing, seven receiving, two on punt returns-and has now scored a LaDainianesque 34 times in 32 career games. This season he is averaging 127 yards on less than 15 carries per game, a clip of 8.8 yards per carry.
And statistics cannot tell the whole story with Bush. His athleticism rivals Michael Vick's, and he has the same effect on opposing defenses. Bush is the guy you cannot stop but can only hope to contain (thanks Dan Patrick), and the Trojan who strikes the most fear into the heart of the opposition.
Leinart is the mirror image of Joe Montana and Tom Brady, the owners of a combined seven Super Bowl rings and five Super Bowl MVP awards. Bush is the reincarnation of Gale Sayers, who was arguably the most naturally-gifted running back to ever put on shoulder pads.
If I'm drafting first, I take Leinart despite believing that Bush is the better player. Although nothing without the right supporting cast, quarterback is the position with the greatest impact on the game, and a star quarterback can lead a mediocre team deep into the playoffs. As we saw with Barry Sanders, an incredible running back can only do so much on his own.
The good thing is that barring an injury, you can't go wrong with either Trojan Man.
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