The Heisman Trophy winner threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns, and top-ranked USC started its quest for a third straight national championship with a 63-17 victory over host Hawai'i today.

The Trojans' 23rd straight win went a lot like their 22nd — a 55-19 demolition of Oklahoma in the national title game in January that featured five TD passes by Leinart and capped a 13-0 season.

Dwayne Jarrett caught three touchdown passes for USC, including a 28-yarder that helped Leinart break Carson Palmer's USC record of 72 touchdown passes. Leinart now has 74. His only hiccup in the game was a timing pass intended for the 6-foot-5 Jarrett that was intercepted by Hawai'i's 6-foot cornerback Kenny Patton in the end zone.

Leinart, who sat out the fourth quarter, looked poised and sharp, going 18 for 24 with scoring passes of 22, 28 and 67 yards. The big lefty, who shocked the football world by passing up a chance to be the first pick in the NFL draft to return for his senior season, is now 26-1 as a starter.

The Warriors (0-1) kept it respectable until the Trojans erupted for four touchdowns in the third quarter, including two scores in 10 seconds, to take a 49-10 lead.

Reggie Bush's 1-yard touchdown run gave USC a 42-10 lead before 50,000 sun-baked fans at Aloha Stadium, the first sellout since 2002. On the ensuing kickoff, returner Mikhail Kafentzis was stripped and Desmond Reed picked up the ball and ran 15 yards for another score that gave USC the 39-point cushion.

Bush, a Heisman finalist, rushed 12 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yard score that put the Trojans up 21-3 at the break. He found a hole, juked the cornerback and ran down the left sideline and dove into the end zone in front of the cheering USC band.

Steve Smith had seven receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown for USC.

Hawai'i, known for its quick-strike passing offense, used its rare running game including option plays, to keep Leinart and company off the field for much of the first quarter. The Trojan's offense, featuring eight returning starters, didn't take the field until more than 13 minutes had past, though thanks to a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown by Darnell Bing, USC still had a 7-3 lead.

When the USC offense finally made its first appearance of the season, it didn't waste time.

Leinart found a wide-open Jarrett for a 22-yard scoring play, capping an 8-play, 76-yard drive that took 2:38 and put the Trojans up by 11.

Freshman Dan Kelly kicked a 30-yard field goal to get Hawaii on the scoreboard. It would be the only points for Hawai'i until Bryan Maneafaiga scored on a swing pass from Colt Brennan that went 27 yards to cut USC's lead 28-10 in the third quarter.

Hawai'i used two untested quarterbacks in Brennan, a junior college transfer and the backup to Leinart at Mater Dei High in Orange County, Calif., and second-year freshman Tyler Graunke. Both made their Division I debut.

Brennan completed 21 of 32 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown and was intercepted once. Graunke was 12 of 17 for 127 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Graunke also was UH's leading rusher with 43 yards on seven carries.

UH's Ross Dickerson had 5 catches for 116 yards.