PASADENA, Calif. — One quarterback had arms coming out of his sleeves.

The other had pythons, pythons that, judging from the bulges, recently had consumed a pair of live chickens.

Penn State's Daryll Clark, called "linebacker" by his teammates, can bench press 370 pounds. Had the Rose Bowl come down to a wrestling match between the opposing quarterbacks ...

"We would have had to put in one of our backups," joked USC linebacker Brian Cushing. "Their guy can bench 370? Mark can't do that. Not even close."

No, all Mark Sanchez can lift is an entire program.

He did it again Thursday, hoisting the Trojans and then later the trophy, Sanchez most-valuable-playing his team to a 38-24 victory over the Nittany Lions.

"What did I think of his performance?" said center Kristofer O'Dowd, repeating the question. "Aces."

In USC's final regular-season game last month, Sanchez pushed the Trojans past UCLA mostly with his heart, absorbing a pounding in leading by example.

Against Penn State, he guided with his arm, administering a pounding in leading by execution.

USC scored five touchdowns, four coming on Sanchez throws and one on a Sanchez run. No quarterback had passed for as many as 300 yards against the Nittany Lions all season. Sanchez finished with 413.

"He was on it mentally, but he also was on it physically," offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. "I would say this was the best game of his career, definitely."

In the second quarter, Sanchez was 14 of 17 for 219 yards, pinpointing to Damian Williams on one throw, lofting to Anthony McCoy on the next. The junior showed torque and touch in his finest sustained sequence as a Trojan.

USC scored as many points in that quarter (24) as any opponent had against Penn State in a whole game.

These Trojans, with extra time to prepare, traditionally have been tough. And this time, they had a bye month with which to work.

"I'm happy for Mark because he has busted his rear," O'Dowd said. "He's one of the guys we all look to, one of the guys who leads us, just like in that second quarter. That first half was total dominance on our part."

The Nittany Lions' Joe Paterno and his ailing hip coached the first half from the press box. Down 31-7, he also could have coached the second half from the press box the one in Dodger Stadium.

By the time the Trojans had opened their 24-point lead, Rey Maualuga, part linebacker and part lunatic, was dancing in one Rose Bowl end zone, kicking at the ground where the "State" portion of

"Penn State" had been stenciled.

The Nittany Lions fans hooted their disapproval, but not even the most diehard among them could have denied who was booting whom at that moment. And where the kicks were landing.

For USC, the second half felt more like hangover than hang on, even as Penn State threatened to close to within a touchdown in the final seconds.

But when the victory finally was official, Sanchez, named the game's offensive MVP, was back in form.

In a national TV interview, he first congratulated the Nittany Lions, said the win "was a total team effort" and then wished the reporter a happy New Year.

Moments later, he was atop a ladder in front of the USC marching band, holding up a silver trophy and leading the celebration.

"SAN-chez, SAN-chez, SAN-chez," they chanted back at him. Then, louder still, "ONE more year, ONE more year, ONE more year."

"That feeling on the steps, the ladder, that is something special," he said. "You know, I'll remember that forever ... that means a lot for a whole crowd to rally around you."

So, did this game feel like a finish? If it did to Mark Sanchez, he wasn't saying so afterward. His decision on declaring for the NFL draft remains numerous days and discussions away.

The next step can be an outrageously tricky one. Mike Williams left USC early and already is out of the NFL. Matt Leinart stayed and now rarely leaves the bench for the Arizona Cardinals.

Then there's Matt Cassel, who wasn't good enough to start for the Trojans but was good enough to start this season for the New England Patriots.

As of Thursday night, any NFL thoughts for Sanchez were in a whole different league.

"There's nothing about his game that holds him back," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "It was great to see him come through tonight and let everyone see it one last time this season."Physically, he wasn't the strongest quarterback in this game. But, by every other measure, he was the best."I highly doubt I could lift 370," Sanchez said, smiling. "We mostly do reps, not our max. It really doesn't have anything to do with playing quarterback."

No, it doesn't. At least not playing quarterback well.