The torch Jon David Booty carries as the Southern California quarterback following Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart no longer seems too hot for his hands.

Not after the way he lit up Arkansas in the Trojans’ 50-14, season-opening road win on Sept. 2.

Maybe it wasn’t the booty kicking Leinart started last year, when,  after eight offensive plays, USC had 246 yards and a 28-0 lead en route to its 70-17 waltz against the Razorbacks. After running eight plays in this year’s rematch, the Trojans had 28 yards and no points.

But they scored on the ninth play and, with Booty drawing comparisons to Leinart’s first start, at Auburn in 2003, USC scored on four of its first five second-half possessions while racking up 472 yards.

The end result was the highest point total Arkansas had given up in Fayetteville since 1919.

So much for concerns about an offense that returned just four starters.

On Saturday, when they play host to 19th-ranked Nebraska in the Los Angeles Coliseum, the No.  4 Trojans will be seeking their 47th win in the last 49 games. The matchup is being promoted as championship contender USC taking on a Husker program that’s showing signs of moving in that direction.

But even though the Trojans lost 11 players to the NFL Draft last spring, the fall of Troy hardly looks eminent. Especially if Booty continues to handle the spotlight like he did at Arkansas.

His performance there was, statistically, more impressive than the one Leinart made at Auburn three years earlier. Throwing his first collegiate passes that day, Leinart went 17-for-30 for 192 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions to fuel a 23-0 win.

Booty, a fourth-year junior who graduated from his Louisiana high school a full year early, blistered Arkansas by completing 24 of 35 attempts for 261 yards and three second-half touchdowns without an interception.

After going 11-for-18 during a first half in which the Trojans built a 16-7 lead, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder fired nine completions in his next 10 passes for 102 yards and two third-quarter scores.

Later, Booty told the Los Angeles Times about how telephone conversations he’d had with Leinart on the night before and day of the game helped ease his anxiety.

“I was stressed out at first, but … I remembered what Leinart told me — that I had great players around me, that all I needed to do was deal,” he said.

It seems like forever that Booty’s been trying to deal for the Trojans.

He enrolled at USC early in part because his dad, who played quarterback at Arkansas, Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State, was fired as his high school quarterbacks coach. So in 2003, when Booty should have been playing his senior season at Evangel Christian High, he emerged as the backup to Leinart before breaking his left wrist against UCLA in the third-to-last game of the season.

In practice the next fall, Booty suffered an elbow injury and he opted to redshirt. But when Leinart turned down sure first-round NFL Draft pick money following the 2004 season in order to try and guide the Trojans to a third straight national championship, Booty returned as a backup and saw action in 10 games.

Finally, last spring, there appeared to be nothing to stop Booty’s ascension to the top. But his route took yet another detour when he aggravated a back injury on the first day of practice and had to have surgery. Despite not being cleared to throw until mid-summer, Booty entered fall camp ahead of redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez.

And his play made it clear he would maintain that edge.

Norm Chow, the Trojans’ former offensive coordinator who now holds that position with the NFL Tennessee Titans, claims that, in terms of physical talent, Booty is as good as anyone he’s coached.

According to star flanker Steve Smith,  USC could be more explosive now behind Booty.

“Our offense is expanded,” Smith told the L.A. Daily News. “John David has more of a risk factor. He’ll take chances. Leinart didn’t want to take many chances with throws and Booty is confident to do it.”

That confidence was never more apparent to Smith than during a 14-yard touchdown throw Booty made to wide receiver Patrick  Turner during the third quarter of USC’s opener. On the play, Booty threw an across-the-field dart to  give the Trojans a 23-7 advantage.

“Matt couldn’t make those throws,” Smith continued. “Booty can throw deep and pinpoint in the corners.”

Sounds like he’s in no danger of dropping the torch.