Reggie Bush: Comparable to Sayers

LOS ANGELES -- Reggie Bush raced around left end, easily leaving most Fresno State defenders in the dust, though a few had angles on him.

Some 30 yards downfield, the Southern California star was hemmed in near the sideline -- so he stopped. With would-be tacklers whizzing by him, Bush changed direction, cruised all the way across the field and into the end zone.

The 90,000-plus fans packed into the Los Angeles Coliseum went wild. And with that you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it 50-yard touchdown, the competition for the Heisman Trophy might have ended.

A rare combination of speed, power and shiftiness, the 6-foot, 200-pound Bush had the game of a lifetime that November night, rushing for 294 yards on 23 carries and setting a Pac-10 record with 513 all-purpose yards as No. 1 USC outlasted Fresno State 50-42.

USC coach Pete Carroll said he hadn't seen a performance like that in 40 years.

"The game I remember was when Gale Sayers played against the 49ers [in 1965], he scored six touchdowns," Carroll said. "That was way back when.

"I've always thought that was the kind of guy Reggie is like."

Others have said the same thing.

"It's a great honor to be compared to somebody like that," Bush said of Sayers, the former Kansas and Chicago Bears star. "I've evolved into my own person and running style. I've been playing this game since I was 8 years old."

The 20-year-old Bush, a junior from the San Diego area, completed the regular season last weekend with another show-stopping performance, gaining 260 yards on 24 carries in a 66-19 triumph over UCLA.

The Heisman will be awarded Saturday night in New York.

It was no coincidence Bush wore a Yankees baseball hat last Sunday, when it was formally announced the Trojans would play No. 2 Texas for a third consecutive national championship Jan. 4 in the Rose Bowl.

"I plan on going to New York, so I'm preparing myself," he said with a smile.

Reggie's trip to the East Coast became official Wednesday when the finalists for college football's most prestigious award were announced.

Bush was a finalist last December, when teammate Matt Leinart won the award. It appears the roles will be reversed this year.

"What would it mean? It would be everything," Bush said. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to win it."

Bush wasn't even a starter in his sophomore season, but made big play after big play and finished fifth in the Heisman voting. This season, he's become the biggest star on a team full of them.

"Over the summer, I wanted to focus on being a complete running back, working on pass blocking, running between the tackles," he said. "I really wanted to become a complete running back this year, and I think I have."

Bush rushed for 537 yards as a freshman and 908 as a sophomore. He gained 1,658 yards on 187 carries in 12 games this season, and his 8.9-yard average per carry is tops in the country. His 138.2-yard average per game ranks fourth.

He also led the country in all-purpose yardage with 2,611 yards for a 217.58-yard average per game, and his 18 touchdowns tied for seventh.

"He's got my vote," Leinart said of Bush, whose 554 yards rushing in the last two games are the most ever by a USC player in back-to-back games.

As a past Heisman winner, Leinart is one of the voters.

"What more can he do than what he's done in the last two [games]?" Carroll said of Bush.

Leinart became the sixth USC player to win the Heisman, joining tailbacks Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981) and quarterback Carson Palmer (2002).

Allen and Bush both attended Helix High School in Spring Valley in the San Diego area.

"He's probably the fastest guy who's ever played at a running back position," said Garrett, now the USC athletic director. "Gale Sayers was very fast. O.J. was very fast. This kid [LaDainian] Tomlinson in San Diego is very fast. I think Reggie's faster than all of them.

"I believe that he'll get even better in the pros. Fundamentally, he'll get better. He's very special. Every time he touches the ball, you know he can go all the way. I think he's a fine back, and just as important, he's a good individual."

LaMar Griffin, Bush's stepfather, said in a televised interview during the UCLA-USC game that he believed Bush would pass up his final year of eligibility to play in the NFL next season.

Bush insists he hasn't made a decision.

"I really hope he does the right thing for himself," Garrett said. "Last year, I think it was the right thing for Matt."

Leinart passed up an opportunity to become an instant millionaire last January when he decided to return to USC for his senior year.

"Reggie could be a different case," Garrett said, an obvious reference to the hitting all running backs take, making their professional careers far shorter on average than quarterbacks.

"I think he's a reasonable person who will make a reasonable decision," Garrett said. "I just want him to do the right thing for himself. If he stays, that would be great for us. If he goes, it would be great for him."

It would likely also be great for the NFL team that selects Bush, who's expected to be one of the top selections, if not No. 1, in the draft next April should he decide to come out.

"I'll think about it after the season," he said.

USC is 37-1 since Bush enrolled.

Bush said whenever he does go pro -- this year or next year -- he'll just be happy to be there.

"For me," he said, "just to get a chance to make my mark in the NFL is a dream."