by Matthew Zemek

Sanchez — who made his fans sweat in ugly wins over Cal and Arizona — redeemed himself with the most complete performance in the Pac-10 portion of his season.

Bowl season roundup

Bowl recaps and analysis:

EagleBank: Wake 29, Navy 19 | CFN
New Mexico: Colo. St. 40, Fresno St. 35
St. Petersburg: S. Florida 41, Memphis 14
Las Vegas: Arizona 31, BYU 21 | CFN
New Orleans: SMU 30, Troy 27 (OT) | CFN
Poinsettia: TCU 17, Boise St. 16 | CFN
Hawaii: Notre Dame 49, Hawaii 21 | CFN
Motor City: FAU 24, Cen. Mich. 21 | CFN
Meineke: W. Virginia 31, UNC 30 | CFN
Champs Sports: Fla. St. 42, Wis. 13 | CFN
Emerald: Cal 24, Miami 17 | CFN
Independence: La. Tech 17, NIU 10 | CFN
Papajohns.com: Rutgers 29, N.C. St. 23
Alamo: Mizzou 30, N'west. 23 (OT) | CFN
Humanitarian: Maryland 42, Nevada 35
Texas: Rice 38, W. Michigan 14
Holiday: Oregon 42, Oklahoma St. 31 | CFN
Armed Forces: Houston 34, Air Force 28
Sun: Oregon St. 3, Pittsburgh 0 | CFN
Music City: Vandy 16, BC 14 | CFN
Insight: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
Chick-fil-A: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
Outback: Iowa 31, South Carolina 10 | CFN
Capital One: Georgia 24, MSU 12 | CFN
Gator: Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
Rose: USC 38, Penn St. 24 | Analysis
Orange: Va. Tech 20, Cincinnati 7
Cotton: Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34
Liberty: Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
Sugar: Utah 31, Alabama 17
International: UConn 38, Buffalo 20
Fiesta: Texas 24, Ohio St. 21 | Analysis
GMAC: Tulsa 45, Ball St. 13
BCS title: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
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USC might have scored more points in other Pac-10 games this season, but rarely has Sanchez been so sharp from a game's first moment to its last. On a day when USC's running game took time to develop, it was Sanchez who enabled the Trojans' passing game to flourish, in what was a fitting sendoff for offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who confirmed after the game that he'll become Washington's new coach.

On the many occasions when the Bruins maintained appreciably tight coverage on USC receivers, Sanchez — who an interception in the second quarter — was usually able to stick the ball into a tight window for a completion. This was the case on a crucial fourth-and-4 conversion to tight end Anthony McCoy, the play that the Trojans to impose their will on the Bruins. The visitors then relaxed and began to showcase their talents against Rick Neuheisel's club.

Sanchez basically held his team together while the Trojans' offensive linemen and running backs got into the flow of the contest. Because USC was able to tie the score at 7 before the end of the first quarter, UCLA — a 30-point underdog feeling full of itself after the early start — was not able to sustain any momentum.

The Trojans took a 21-7 lead to the locker room at halftime and given the quality of USC's defense, and the toothless nature of UCLA's offense, that 14-point was insurmountable. The second half ran its course without any drama, as the Trojans cruised to their 21-point victory on a day when a classic football rivalry returned to its home-jersey roots.

Sanchez has received his fair share of criticism in 2008, while USC's defense had to do almost all the heavy lifting. But in the game that Angelinos covet more than any other, the Trojan quarterback played his A-game to lift his team to the top of the Pac-10 for yet another year. As a result, Carroll — the winner of seven straight conference crowns — will likely meet Joe Paterno on the first day of 2009. If Sanchez plays anything close to what he showed Saturday, Penn State would be in for a long night in the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains.