Although they entered yesterday's game against Hawai'i with the third-longest winning streak in Division I-A, the Trojans were criticized for not producing better rushing totals. In the first two games, they averaged 97 rushing yards.

"We're tired of hearing we don't have a running game, that the O-line is inexperienced," running back Hershel Dennis said. "We had to come out here and show we could get it done on the ground, too."

This, after all, was the team that developed four Heisman Trophy-winning running backs, whose jersey numbers — 12 (Charles White), 20 (Mike Garrett), 32 (O.J. Simpson) and 33 (Marcus Allen) — are engraved in the end-zone bleachers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But times have changed, and USC's famed "student-body sweep" end runs are now simplified.

Against UH, a succession of running backs used sweeps as an expressway. In the updated scheme, the offensive tackle blocks a defensive end or outside linebacker and the running back either runs wide or cuts back. The Trojans' four touchdown runs — two each by backups Reggie Bush and LenDale White — came on sweeps.

"We don't do anything complicated," USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "If we get too complicated, I wouldn't understand it."

Indeed, right tackle Winston Justice said the USC sweep is referred to as simply "16."

Dennis said: "We call it 'sweep to the left side' or 'sweep to the right side.' Whatever you want to call it, it's working."

Chow said: "We have a lot of runs where we go either way. We call them 'either-or' runs."

When the sweep comes to his side, Justice said, "I knock somebody down, I get on TV. That's about it."

White said the Trojans needed to revive the running game to keep defenses from doubling up on wideouts Mike Williams and Keary Colbert. In return, the wideouts have committed to becoming better downfield blockers.

After completing a screen to Bush, quarterback Matt Leinart raced down and flattened UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian.

"That was funny," Williams said.

The receivers, Williams said, "want to be complete players. We don't want to just catch the ball. We want to be physical. We want to block. Our running backs won't be good without blocking downfield. We're doing it to help our running backs."

Williams said the Trojans pledged to have a strong game against UH to quell the critics.

"We had the motivation because of the things that were said about our offense," Williams recalled. "We took it personally. We heard it from our so-called fans and people who aren't fans ... We showed we can put up points."