Unless you live under a rock or don't give a rip, the Texas Longhorns football team shocked the college football establishment last night with an incredible, nearly unbelievable 41-38 win over the USC Trojans in the Rosebowl at the NCAA national championship.
After an entire month of speculation, the two teams finally faced off in one of the most anticipated football games ever - whether amateur or professional. USC was seeking a 35th victory in a row and an unprecedented 3rd national championship. The team boasted two Heisman Trophy winners in the same offensive backfield (Matt Leinert - 2004, Reggie Bush - 2005). The game was truly one for the ages. There were 6 lead changes and a combined 1130 yards of offense between the two teams. The true difference maker in the game was clearly Vince Young who compiled 467 yards of total offense himself, clearly out-shining both Leinert and Bush on the national stage and overshadowing the perennial football powerhouse in their own back yard.
If you were one of those folks who didn't care to stay up late and see the finish first hand, you may have missed the most poignant moment of the night, and it didn't happen within regulation. In the ABC post-game interview with Leinert, the USC star was asked how he felt about his team's performance. He replied "I think we're still the better team. We just didn't execute when we had to." Oh really!? If they were the better team, why didn't they win? There was speculation today that that comment could cost Leinert around NFL Draft time.
A sports analyst said later that Leinert went to the Texas locker room after the game to congratulate the team. Someone else said that he happened to bump into some Texas players outside of the locker room and was invited in. Whatever the case, the phenom came across like the kid who wanted to take his ball and go home when the chips were down. It's hard to run away with the ball when it is taken away in the first place.
Actually, throughout the game, the Trojans acted like a team that believed all the media hype about them. All the while, the Longhorns seemed to keep their nose to the grindstone and plugged away. Sure the defense gave up a lot of ground. But, when it came down to the soon to be infamous 4th and 2 from the Texas 45, the Trojans ran a play that had been successful for the entire night - 27 Power. Len Dale White had been killing them all night with it. But, this time, when it counted most, the Texas defense didn't budge. 10 fateful plays later, Vince Young marched his team to an upset of magnanimous proportions.
On a night when everyone was watching, the stars came out. Some shined more brightly than others. One outshined them all.
1 comment:
a 'better team' is one that executes when it has to, mr. leinert.
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