More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Romans invented air-conditioned stadiums and worshipped a god known for his great speed.
Saturday's 10-point win in Tempe reminded latter-day Trojans why their ancestors sought shade and revered the fleet of feet.
After rushing for nearly 160 yards and scoring two touchdowns, USC tailback Reggie Bush jogged off the field like the Roman messenger god Mercury after the band played the last note of "Conquest."
Bush orbited Sun Devil Stadium effortlessly despite triple-digit temperatures and a blistering afternoon sun.
"It was hotter in L.A. the whole week than it was today," Bush said after the game. "It wasn't a factor at all."
Bush's post-game stats might appear to be solar powered, but he and his colossus counterpart LenDale White really got going once shadows descended on USC's sideline in the third quarter.
"I wasn't doing a good job of leading the team in the first half," Bush said. "In the second half we came in here and regrouped and came out to win."
The ASU defense, which was on the field for 17 minutes and 47 seconds of the first half, wilted like a grape in the sun after it returned out of the tunnel.
Sam Keller and the Sun Devil offense continued to commit turnovers and struggled to sustain drives.
Even as ASU reclaimed the lead with an 11-play 89-yard touchdown drive that consumed more than five minutes of the fourth quarter, the sidelines offered little shelter for the battered defense.
Unlike the LSU game, where ASU watched a double-digit lead evaporate like a noonday puddle, neither special teams nor coaches could be used as scapegoats after losing to the national champions.
ASU simply did not make use of its home field advantage.
Imagine if the Trojans built the Coliseum adjacent to the Harbor Freeway and positioned their sideline closer to the 10 lanes of smog.
Of course they wouldn't.
Then why in the name of Zeus did ASU orient the stadium so that the afternoon sun would beat down on its sideline for the entire game?
Of course most games these days take place under the stars, but every now and then the lure of primetime dollar signs will force even the most caring of athletic departments to schedule midday tilts.
The fact of the matter is that as ASU scored its 28th point of the game, Bush and White were sitting in the shade, sipping Gatorade and enjoying misters, freshening up for their close up.
"I could definitely see linebackers and D-lineman losing power," Bush said after bludgeoning for a 34-yard touchdown run. "At the end of the game I wasn't tired, that was probably the most energized I was all day."
And he had them right where he wanted them.
Reach the reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu.
