I suppose it is possible you still doubted Vince Young going into last night. I mean, it is understandable when you consider how many different allegiances are represented by the thousands who check out this blog every day. Sooners, Aggies, Red Raiders, and who-knows-who-else root that he isn’t the one, for fear that the Longhorns would finally win the big one.
Therefore, there are two types of people when it comes to Vince Young:
* Those who were convinced he was amazing in last year’s Rose Bowl against Michigan, the Ohio State game, and numerous other examples, and therefore were not shocked by last night’s performance. As a NFL QB, no one knows, but as a college QB he is unfair.
* Those who will never concede he is great no matter what he does.
I suppose there is a 3rd category, but I cannot imagine who is in that. He has convinced and convinced in the last 15 months. I will readily confess that after Oklahoma shut out Texas in October of 2004, that I wondered if he was really a WR or a RB. But, all he has done since then is prove he is a special QB. Very Special.
So, enough about that. You know who you are, and what you believed. Let’s move on to that game last night.
I thought Texas could win last night based on the masses whispering in the USC ears how great they are. ESPN didn’t even bother whispering. They shouted it with their nightly Mark May and Kirk Herbstreit debating each other over whether USC was the greatest of all-time or just the greatest of the last 50 years.
When you are dealing with 20 year old kids, you cannot help but build over confidence. Surely, USC thought they could beat Texas no matter what; otherwise they are not tossing an unnecessary lateral that turned the game on one careless play. Surely, they never thought Vince Young was going to be impossible to stop. Surely, they thought they would win their media-mandated 3-peat.
By the way, how is that 3-peat doing this morning? LSU beat Oklahoma in the 2003 BCS Championship game, USC beat Oklahoma in the 2004 BCS Championship game, and Texas beat USC last night. Therefore, I believe USC has a 1-peat. What a dynasty.
I am not here to gang up on USC this morning. But I think we have the “Brett Favre theory” at work here. It isn’t Brett Favre’s fault that the media is so in love with him. He didn’t ask for it, and he likely is embarrassed by it. But, many people want to hate Favre because they are tired of being told that he walks on water. Same goes for USC. They didn’t ask for the adulation they have received. They just played and won a lot of big games, and in doing so, the masses lost historical perspective (even Miami from 2000-2003 has as good a case for being just as good a dynasty) and rushed to suggest USC could win the Super Bowl. Therefore, I was extra pleased to see them slowly walk off the field disgusted.
Anyway, down 38-26 I still felt fine. I knew it would only take one stop for Texas, because Vince was going to score every time he had the ball. He just was in that zone. If you don't believe me that I still felt good, ask Jamey Newberg. I sent him "I smell a special ending" in an IM at 38-26. They got their stop, and Jamey was one of the many Horns thrilled with the outcome.
And now, on to Mack Brown. We got a call on the show last night after I made the point that “win or lose tonight, Mack Brown surely has quieted many of his critics with this season”. The caller claimed to be a Longhorn fan, and said that last night will not quiet him and that I was way off. Maybe if Mack strings a couple national titles together, all those losses to Oklahoma will be forgiven.
I found that caller to be borderline insane, and laughed it off. Mack Brown won his first conference title this year. He also won his first national title this year. He is not the greatest coach of all time, but now he must be considered to be one of the great coaches in college football today. 2000 was the last season Texas did not win at least 10 games. And now, he is #1 in the country, and no one will ever take that away from him.
I have been a severe critic of his during the Chris Simms era. And, maybe he is only #1 today because he won the Vince Young recruiting battle. So what? He is #1. And hopefully, those who are celebrating the title this morning will cut him a little slack from now on. I was happy for the guy, because normally, he can’t win with his fans. Surely, that changes today, right? We can now drop the silly comparisons with Coach Fran, right?
Anyway, I could go on for hours about aspects of this game. For instance, is Reggie Bush the best RB at USC? What would the result of the game have been last night if any one of about 5 calls were reversed? How amazing is the talent on USC’s offense, and how then can you suggest a player is individually phenomenal when he is surrounded by fellow future NFL stars?
What a game. What a season. Good for the state of Texas, and good for those who solemnly walked out of the Cotton Bowl dejected the last several years because Oklahoma had stolen their lunch money again. That was a great night of football.
Chip Brown on Vince …
No matter how dire the situation throughout the game, Young flapped his arms for more sound in a flashbulb-popping Rose Bowl stadium. He broke his school record for consecutive pass completions with 15 (including the final six passes from the Big 12 title game) before running wild.
Young rushed for 200 yards, giving Texas a 1,000-yard rusher for a nation-leading 11th straight season, and he became the only player in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards (1,050) and pass for 3,000 yards in a season (3,036).
Fraley on the final USC 4th down decision …
Letting Young have the ball again curdled Carroll's stomach. His defense had been unable to stop Young throughout, and there was no reason to believe it would start now with the national championship on the line.
"It really didn't matter where they started," Carroll said. "We'd seen what they'd been doing."
With that in mind, Carroll ordered the offense to go for it. Hard-driving tailback LenDale White, who had 123 yards and three touchdowns on his previous 19 carries, came up short.
The rest was what Carroll most feared.
Young directed a drive that ended with his second touchdown run of the final five minutes: an 8-yard scramble on fourth down.
"It was clearly the right decision," Carroll said. "That's the way we do it here. We go for it.
"Make a first down and the game is over. That moment flashes by in an instant.
That's our moment there. It was a night when we needed to do it on offense."
Adam Eaton changes his tune a bit …
"They're obviously making a strong attempt to improve themselves," Eaton said. "Kevin Millwood said something that really struck me and that was, 'I'm not pitching against the ballpark; I'm pitching against the other pitcher.'
"I agree with that, and it's something I want to adopt. I feel, on any given day, I'm better than the other pitcher. If you can swallow the ERA, then good is defined by wins and losses."
The 28-year-old right-hander can be a free agent after the 2006 season but said, "The fact that they've made a strong effort to improve themselves could lead to a long marriage."
Stars rally in the 3rd, beat Vancouver …
Sure, beating Vancouver, 3-1, at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night wasn't like winning against Detroit, Calgary or Ottawa.
The Canucks, after all, have lost nine of their last 10 games.
But for a Stars team that was winless in its last five against teams above .500, beating a team in the top eight in the Western Conference matters.
How they did it matters, too.
It was a stirring Stars comeback, in front of a half-filled, college-football focused crowd, that notched this win. Three third-period goals – all with less than half the period remaining – turned a 1-0 deficit into an impressive victory.
Just curious, but who do you think the people at ESPN U thought were going to win last night? Here are the listings for ESPN U today:
2005 Heisman Trophy Presentation presented by Capital One
New York, NY, USA 6:00 am to 7:00 am
College Football
USC vs Oregon
Eugene, OR, USA 7:00 am to 10:00 am
College Football
USC vs Arizona State
Tempe, AZ, USA 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
College Football
UCLA vs USC
Los Angeles, CA, USA 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Rose Bowl presented by Citi
College Football
Texas vs USC
Pasadena, CA, USA 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Sweet. A full day of USC Games. That is a proper honor for the #2 Trojans.
37 comments:
First!
All hail Mack as a recruiter. But as a coach???
Mack has been outcoached a number of times .. I don't even have to name them.. they burn in the hearts of Texas fans.
Last night summed it up for me. Mack was asked something about... How did I coach Vince to get better (or something like that) and he basically said.. "I backed off him, I let Vince be Vince."
Not "We are using his talents better, or we're calling the right plays, or anything else" He basically said.. "I don't coach him"
Mack isn't a great coach... he's a great Recruiter. Put him over a JV highschool team and we find out he's....average.
Lord help him if he ever goes to the NFL. He will be exposed.
With all that.. I'm celebrating the UT win just like everyone else this morning... nursing my hangover.
Go Panthers
Who are these people who can't deal with the fact that Mack Brown might be a good coach? More wins than ANYONE since 98, and a national championship...you dont get that with just talent. Jeradb is an idiot.
What a nice feeling to wake up and not have to stew about a choke job.
GO HORNS!!!
Oh.....my aching head....need more coffee.
Congrats UT nation!!! Please, please, please don't be so insufferable as to make the rest of us hate you. Prove to the world that you can be gracious winners. The odds are 8-3 against it though.
Speaking of poor losers, Lienart's comments after the game smacked of Lee Corso--what a jerk he is--saying that he believes "We are still the better team, they just made the plays"...isn't that what the better team does you arrogant a-hole.
I can't believe that football season is almost over (cue the piano music).
Great blog today Bob!
Jeradb is an idiot. You can name countless teams who have great talent, but never win a championship. You need good coaching. I had my questions about Mack in the run of 5 losses to OU, but Mack Brown has earned his pass with Texas fans and the media now. Anybody who doesn't think so is high.
Anybody remember Mackovich? I do. He sucked. Since Brown arrived, Texas has appeared in 3 conference title games (won 1), won a Heisman trophy (VY should have been 2), won more games than any team since he arrived, and most importantly the first National Title for the State of Texas in 35 years.
last night was an amazing case study of one man vs. a whole team. everyone on usc's offense was making plays (except bush of course).leinart, white, jarrett etc. were putting everything they had on the field.
for ut, it looked like young was having to spoon feed his receivers. every longhorn looked nervous, except the one that mattered most.
i never really understood why people made such a big deal out of athletes having the "intangibles" until i saw this guy. not only does he make other players around him better,but no game ever looks too big for him. nothing can shake this guy up, he lives for the spotlight, he thrives upon people doubting him and his team.
vince young showed why he is the greatest player in college football last night. he refused to lose. all he needed was one stop and he would take the team on his back. no one had any doubt what was about to transpire when the defense got that stop. even usc knew.
he is amazing and as a ut fan, watching his progression for 3 years has been great. i sure hope he comes back, though im not crossing my fingers.
thank you bob! ive been saying all along that usc cant be going for a 3pete when they have only one 1 championship!
and yes, young is the greatest player in college football this year, he deserved the heisman, and the only reason he lost it was bush's phenomenal game against fresno.
hopefully young comes back next year, i think that team could do it all over again if he does. the wr's will be matured, as will the young rb's.
and as far as reggie bush.... if he can get shut down like that against a college team, what will nfl teams do tp him?
I agree that calling Mack Brown a great recruiter and an not-great coach is silly, but maybe for a different reason than some of the other posters here.
I don't think Brown is going to be confused with Bear Bryant. As an Xs and Os guy, I think is good but not great.
Where I give him FULL credit is in recognizing what he had in Vince, and bringing out the best in him. A coach's job is, I think, to put his players in the best possible position to excel, and that's exactly what he did with Vince. The way Brown has handled Vince is COMPLETELY different from the way he's handled every QB he's had prior. This is not a little thing.
What a great game. I am so happy I got to see it. Definitely one I'll be telling the grandkids about.
More here (shameless plug for my blog): http://elkinblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/greatest-college-football-game-ever.html
Holy Crap. What a great game! Might be the best BCS championship ever.
and congrats to the Horns, you pulled off what I didn't think was possible, and THANK YOU for shutting ESPN the Hell up! They don't know what to do after their USC love fest.
If Vince doesn't go pro, he is not very smart. He could go #1 after that performance. For sure in the top 2.
And Matt L. is an ASSHAT. His comments afterwards were classless. But the best part may be when Holly from ABC called him Vince in the post game interview.
I guess the Big 12 isn't as down as we all thought?
Bowl records
ACC (8) 5-3
Big 12 (8) 5-3
Pac-10 (5) 3-2
SEC (6) 3-3
C-USA (6) 3-3
Mountain West (4) 2-2
Independents (2) 1-1
MAC (2) 1-1
Big Ten (7) 3-4
WAC (3) 1-2
Big East (4) 1-3
Sun Belt (1) 0-1
If you love College Football then this was an absolute masterpiece.
USC: Their big players played like the studs they are..
Leinhart probably played the best he has ever played in a USC uniform in the 2nd half. Bush was good but not spectacular. Lendale White was a beast.
But this game is all about the emergence of the greatest leader in UT football history.. Vincent Young.
I am only 30 and a life long Sooner fan (not alum) from a family that is obsessed with Sooner football understandably. I have lived in Dallas my whole life and have always been knowledgable about UT football and surrounded by friends that bleed orange understandably. I have admired and witnessed firsthand the Switzer dominance of OU football from the late 70's through the 80's. I have seen the re-emergence of the Stoops era that has put OU on the map again in the new millenium. I have seen from another view the lackluster UT teams of the 80's (Akers, MacWilliams,etc.) and 90's. I have seen the Mack Brown Horns that are great, but have been mentally beaten time after time by not being prepared, etc. for big games.
Last night was the greatest college football game I have ever watched. I will admit, I found myself in shedding a few sports tears after Young gave us the greatest individual performance in a college football championship game. I am not a die-hard Longhorn, but good for that program, good for Mack, good for UT football, and great for the Big 12. Have you ever seen something like that!! I have seen great players North of the Red River my whole life but nothing like that. Even if you are a Sooner or an Aggie, you have to appreciate greatness when you see it. Unbelievable!!
That caller yesterday afternoon is a total and absolute moron. And for Mack Brown to not get a virtual lifetime exemption now would be criminal. Last I checked, he now has as many national championships as Bob Stoops and Pete Carroll do, and one more than Dennis Franchione does (as hard as that may be for someone like The Hammer to believe).
Sure, talent wins championships, and VY was the difference last night and all season long, but do you think ANY coach wins a national championship without immense talent? Did Pete Carroll or Bob Stoops win theirs with JV players off the street? I think not.
So get off of Mack Brown. He has successfully removed every monkey on his and Texas' backs in one season. He beat OU, he won the Big 12 title and he won the national championship by beating the greatest team of all time (if you believe ESPN anyway). What more can he and one team do in one season???
lets tap the brakes a little bit here with all the mack brown is the greatest coach ever. he is a fine coach. he has good coaches around him. he has great facilities, and he is a great recruiter. it took the greatest individual effort in college football history to win this game for mack, and he says he didnt have anything to do with it. lets see how mack can take good players and make them great. he has yet to do that. vince is amazing. AMAZING. i was trying to root against texas all night, but my big 12 allegience and my allegience to the state of texas took over when they were down in the 4th quarter. i just hope texas fans dont use this as an excuse to be even more cocky, but atleast they have something to be cocky about for the first time in almost 40 years.
one more thing...
Macks greatest decision of the season? Hiring Chizik.
But I would guess that he is gone now.
But you weren't saying Vince Young was a great player 18 months ago were you? So I would say that Mack deserves at least some of the credit for his development. Nobody is saying he's the greatest coach of all time. What they're saying is that he deserves some credit for a change.
Bob, like you, I have been a big Mack critic, but let's give the man his due. He can recruit the best talent in Texas and he was able to take that talent and WIN a National Title. What more can the guy do? He will never be DKR, so what?
Has there been 4 better BCS games ever? This year has been wonderful.
um no, no credit. he says he left vince alone. is that proof enough or what?
ps: macks a good clapper.
Eric, this has been an AWESOME bowl season, seems like every game has been close at the end.
(well, except for Thug U sucking, but that made me very happy)
And yes, Mack is the best clapper, and should be awarded the MNC in D1 Clapping.
Yeah....a good clapper with a ring.
I take what Leinart said after the game with a grain of salt. He's still just a 22 year-old kid who just lost the biggest game of his life...I'd cut him some slack.
they were saying on espn that leinart and bush went to the texas lockeroom after the game to congratulate them.
thats a pretty nice move
Hmm, maybe the media got just a bit ahead of themselves. Maybe that Houston/SF game last weekend wasn't the Reggie Bush bowl after all.
It's not easy competing against a great coach like Bob Stoops in the same conference. Mack Brown has done a great job as head of the UT football program. He took a very ordinary program and now he has a national championship on his resume. Did he make any of those offensive calls, no. Is he the greatest X and O guy, no. But he gets the greatest talent. He has a great staff. He knows who and what he needs to be successful. He lead the UT program to the greatness it achieved last night. Mack Brown is a genius.
Disco
Number of national championships for Bob Stoops : 1
Number of national championships for Mack Brown : 1
Do I think Mack is in the same league as Stoops X and O wise? Heck no. Nor do I think Mack is the best coach ever. But I do think, and have thought this whole 8 years, that Mack was another Tom Osborne waiting to happen. He kept this program at such a high level for so long that I really thought he would get his championship eventually. I didn't think it would be last night though. Give Mack credit, he got a great staff and became what his team needs to be. Would you rather have your coach mandate his way on a team not suited for it (Bill Parcells, 2005) or a coach that changed who he is to fit the talent on his team (Mack 2005, Dungy 2005)?
Everyone knows I bleed Crimson and Cream. But I'm almost as abuzz about last night's game as I was back on January 4th, 2001.
That was the single most impressive individual performance that I've ever seen in any game, pro or college.
As for Mack, I'd still argue that guys like Stoops are better at X's and O's than him. But he was smart enough to listen to his star player, loosen up, and build the Texas offense around VY instead of trying to get VY to adapt to a different system.
He has the Waterford Crystal football. He deserves some credit.
With the #1 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft - the Houston Texans select Vince Young from the University of Texas.
In other news, the Texans have agreed to terms with Steve Mariucci to be the new head coach.
Mark it down
You're a Sooner giving UT some props.. Good for you.
By the way, who wins if this UT team plays last year's Jason White's OU team?
You have to think about it don't you? I think VY wins it.. he is unstoppable. We'll see if he comes back. If he does, we have to worry again next year in Dallas.
I hate Norm so much. What kind of rediculous idea is it to get rid of instant replay!?!?
I suppose that because computers sometimes make mistakes, we should get rid of them.
Idiot.
sometimes norm makes mistakes, should we get rid of him too?
Like Sturm is so fond of saying...
Seatbelts don't always save lives. We should get rid of them, too.
I guess Norm was fixated on the TD where VY's knee was down. Did he mention how replay got the call correct on Texas' INT in the end zone just minutes earlier?
norm is just a pac-10 apologist.
who's to say texas wouldnt score on the next play? and replay also got it right on reggie bush's fumble.
Vince Young won't be a Texan. He is already putting out the vibe that he doesn't want to enter the draft if the order stands as it does now. He is pulling an Eli Manning and trying to get better teams to trade up to take him.
I'm assuming he'll enter the draft, but he won't play for the likes of Houston, New Orleans and Arizona. If he stays at UT, I think it's because he isn't satisfied with his chances of being drafted by a good NFL team, not because he wants to win another national championship.
indeed, he doesnt like the top of the draft how it stands, most teams in the top dont need a qb, and the ones that do suck (the saints).
too bad the packers wont spend another 1st rounder on a qb eh bob
good point bob, i like the 1-peat comment....i'm so glad we don't have to be subjected to the "usc going for 3 national championship" line anymore. abc freaking broadcasts the national championship games and they didn't broadcast them raising the crystal ball in the sugar bowl in '04.
and i understand that espn wanted to talk about where usc stands among the greatest of teams as a build up to the rose bowl, but did they consider the fact that they could lose to texas? they could have run that crap for the next month if usc did beat texas...
Mack Brown said that he stopped telling Vince what to do because he is "dad-like" that way. He always gives the credit to the players when they succeed, and tries to protect them when they fail. Like a dad he gives credit to the kids for winning and takes the blame for his kids losing. Like he defended Chris Simms even though Chris obviously screwed up time and time again. He is now giving all credit to the kids, even though they obviously didn't improve as much as they did all by themselves.
Leave Mack alone. He has done everything that can be asked of a major college coach: always in the top 10, conference title, national title, a Heisman, and a bunch of NFL talent.
Alright alright alright
Anon posting should be banned.
As to Houston or New Orleans, Houston would be a great team to play for, and New Orleans = LAX. How could he turn that down?
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a289/marcelluswallus2/untitled.jpg
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