Southern Cal sophomore quarterback Matt Leinart was an unproven redshirt sophomore coming into this season, known best for his backup duties behind Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. Now he's a Heisman contender on the No. 2 team in the BCS standings.

Recently the Trojans' signal caller went through the Enquirer 2-Minute Drill with reporter Ryan Ernst.

What was it like backing up Carson Palmer for two years?

It was a lot of fun. He was a great person and a great player, and we had a lot of fun together.

Do you two still talk?

I've talked to him every once in awhile. Mostly we leave messages for each other, but it's tough, because we're both really busy. But when we do get to talk, it's good to see how he's doing and stuff.

You went to Mater Dei High School, one of the premier prep programs in the country. What was it like when your school played national power De La Salle?

That was my senior year and there were about 25,000 people at the game. Obviously that's a big-time game. I think they were No. 1 in the country and we were No. 6. That's not real high school football the way people normally think of it. It's big-time football, and I think playing at Mater Dei really prepared me for playing big-time college football.

One of your best games this year was against Notre Dame. Traditionally, the winner of that game gets a jeweled shillelagh. Do you know what a shillelagh is?

I've seen it, but I really don't know what it is. I actually totally forgot about it, I was so caught up in the game.

In your opinion, who are the best quarterbacks in the country?

I'd have to say (Mississippi's) Eli Manning - he obviously comes from a great family of great quarterbacks. He's real smart. I love seeing him play. Then there's (N.C. State's) Philip Rivers. He's been a great leader for the past four years. I think (Oklahoma's) Jason White has been doing a great job this year. And I think (Texas Tech's) B.J. Symons. He's put up huge numbers.

USC has a lot of great football traditions. What's your favorite?

I think that's kind of a tough question, because there's so much tradition here. Sometimes it's hard not to take things for granted, the whole football experience. But I'd say the best part is getting to put on the same uniform that so many great players have put on and walking into the Coliseum, knowing all the great players that have come before you.

Your favorite receiving target, fellow sophomore Mike Williams, said he could see himself staying in school all four years. If that happened, what could we expect from you two?

I think we could be one of the best 1-2 punches around. Anyone who has Mike has a tremendous advantage. Obviously that's not a decision you can make for someone else and it's not a decision either one of us can make right now, but that would be a lot of fun.

Do you consider yourself a Heisman contender?

It's definitely not anything I think about, but people say things. It's nice, but it's definitely not on my mind. I'm concentrating on the season, so it's not an issue in mind. I just want us to keep winning.

How much attention do you pay to the BCS, and how much do you understand it?

I don't pay attention too much to it, and I don't really understand any of it. No one really does; we just know it's a system of numbers. It's kind of tempting to think about, because we're No. 2, but it doesn't mean anything until the end of the season.