Miami ? Heisman Trophy winners never have opposed each other in a bowl game, a piece of history Oklahoma’s Jason White, the 2003 winner, and USC’s Matt Leinart, the 2004 winner, will rewrite tonight at the Orange Bowl.

But history suggests someone else will author the ending for the clash between No. 1 USC (12-0) and No. 2 Oklahoma (12-0): the men who chase them down.

“I know that fans want to see a lot of points, but a perfect game for our team would be a defensive game,” USC defensive lineman Shaun Cody said.

“I’ve always felt that no matter how high-powered an offense is, the defense in these kinds of settings can maybe be the biggest factor,” USC coach Pete Carroll said.

That has been the case in the six-year history of the BCS: Points have been in high demand, but low supply.

Losing teams have averaged 16.5 points, and teams have walked out with championship rings after winning by scores of 21-14 (LSU), 13-2 (Oklahoma) and 23-16 (Tennessee).

“So much of offensive football is timing and rhythm and making sure everybody is on the same page,” USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. “It’ll take a little bit to get used to the speed of the game.”

USC relies on a front four taught to control, then attack; a solid group of linebackers; and a combination of coverages in the secondary. Oklahoma’s defense doesn’t have the big-name contributors of season’s past. End Dan Cody — tall, lean and quick — generally is the first player mentioned among a group that emphasizes speed and aggressiveness.

“Getting those guys to believe in one another gives you a chance to play great defense and have a chance to be a championship-style defense,” Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “If people want to look at it that outside of Dan Cody we have a bunch of chumps, and we made it to the national championship game, so be it. But we really feel good about the group of guys that we have.”

USC, which won a share of a national championship last year without playing in the BCS title game, puts its 21-game winning streak on the line. Oklahoma, which is playing in the BCS title game for the third time in five years, desperately wants to avenge last year’s title-game loss to LSU.

“We had an opportunity last year to win a national championship, and we didn’t,” Oklahoma offensive tackle Jammal Brown said. “That left a bad taste in our mouths. We learned our lesson that you can’t just roll into the championship game and expect to win.”

Despite the presence of standout tailbacks Adrian Peterson (1,860 yards and 15 touchdowns for Oklahoma) and Reggie Bush (2,181 yards rushing, receiving and returning and 15 scores for USC), neither team can be sure of its points production. That’s the way college football’s postseason works.

Elite players have found that managing a rigorous December schedule is as important to their bowl success as passing final exams and studying opponents’ game video. Offensive players have fared worse at this, showing up tired, rusty and questioned-out after a series of awards-show appearances.

Interviews, handshakes and accolades in Orlando (the Home Depot Awards, an All-America celebration and the Butkus Award), New York (Heisman Trophy presentation) and Connecticut (Walter Camp All-America team), among other locales, is hardly the ideal way to generate offensive momentum over the holidays.

Take, for example, the Heisman. The past three Heisman winners reached the BCS title game and lost: White vs. LSU in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, Miami’s Ken Dorsey vs. Ohio State in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and Nebraska’s Eric Crouch vs. Miami in the 2002 Rose Bowl.

“I’m not saying it’s a burden, but you do have that ‘X’ on your back” as the Heisman winner, said White, who threw two interceptions in last year’s title-game loss. “Last year I had to deal with the media a lot, and I’m sure Matt has had that.”