The Longhorns D was keying on Bush every single down and would absolutely not break contain and let him get to the corner most of the time - he was much more valuable as a decoy and to tie up LBs and S's which allowed White to hammer away at the defense. If you've got to slam somebody up the middle - I,would give the ball to White. And he produced. Running White was a no-brainer last night. It's like T-Mac forcing up shots against triple teams when Yao is open underneath. He produced as well as Bush could have and probably better, in so far as it allowed SC to dominate the ball and the clock for longer periods (presuming that Bush would be able to break a long one again, which he really wasn't save for the two really big plays he made)
DCKid. His butt hit, and he had the ball, when his BACK hit he lost it........we can play this game all night long. DD
I took out my money this morning for my trip to Vegas tomorrow..... Basically I got gambling money for FREE.... Thanks VY Remember you can't spell VictorY with out VY. DD
well actually, the score coulda been tied had they called it correctly, and we would be watching a quintiple overtime game, cuz I dont think either defense was up to the challenge. But I hang everything on the officials, I dont take anything away from the game nor what Vince Young did. no worries, hmmm undersized Guard who relies on technique? Go try out for the texans, you cant be any worse than the guys they got now
Yeah, but it sounds like his foot still has to at least touch the ground with it in his possesion. But, yeah, you're probably right about going back and forth. This will be my last post on it. I'll just let it go.
I really think the knee card is being pulled too much Honestly, if you look at the replay, when they freeze framed the knee to the ground, from one angle it actually does look like the ball had just started to leave his hands. It really looked like he didn't have possession of it when his knee was on the ground. Oh yea and I finally found the picture I was looking for! http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...lpaper/img/longhorns/0105vince4_wall_1024.jpg More can be found at http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/misc/wallpaper/
I forgot to add another gem from last night's win ... Skip Bayless' article just before the game. I love it when Skip looks this dumb. Got to click the link -- the photo captions are priceless also. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/060104 USC will crush the in-Vince-ibles By Skip Bayless Page 2 Thirty-two days. Going on five weeks. Only in college football: Texas and USC haven't played a game since way back in 2005. Imagine the NFL making conference winners wait 32 days to play the Super Bowl. Imagine the outrage from coaches, players, fans and media members. Especially media members. How many ways for how many days can you analyze one football game? Which -- at long last -- brings us to tonight's national championship game between the in-Vince-ible Longhorns and the overconfident, overfed, overrated, overanxious-to-make-NFL-millions Trojans. At least, that's the final impression I'm left with after watching 32 days of analysts slowly talk themselves out of USC and into Texas. Astonishing things have happened in the endless lull before this epic storm. Mack Brown has turned into Vince Lombardi. Vince Young has turned into a bigger, stronger, faster and more powerfully armed Joe Montana. The Longhorns now have three running backs better than Cedric Benson, who went fourth overall in last April's NFL draft. They've suddenly become deeper at receiver than USC, and just as talented. Their offensive line has simply matured into America's best. And holy Tommy Nobis, their defense has gotten so athletic and fast and brilliantly coached that Peyton Manning's receivers would struggle to get open against this secondary before Manning went down under a heap of burnt orange. Yes, for nearly five weeks, you've heard the Horns have fire in their eyes because they "get no respect." That, say so many analysts, gives them a huge psychological edge over a bored USC team trying to get excited about playing for yet another national title. Are these Hollywood Fat Cats ever in trouble. Or so I keep hearing and reading as the media pendulum keeps swinging toward the in-Vince-ibles. And I just don't get it. Maybe I'm the only crazy one. Maybe I'm as wrong about this championship game as I was about last year's, when I actually gave Oklahoma a pretty good chance against USC, which won 55-19. But in these Longhorns, I'm seeing another overblown product of a pretty bad conference -- Oklahoma's conference, the Big 12. So much has been made of Texas' getting no respect that Texas is getting too much respect. Thirty-two days later, the Fat Cats must feel a little like underdogs. No doubt this has played into the hands that Pete Carroll must be rubbing together. You can't turn on ESPN without hearing an analyst say "don't underestimate" this or that about the in-Vince-ibles ... or seeing Mack Brown get more and more attention for saying Texas doesn't get enough attention ... or even being entertained by a Kenny Mayne-style feature by Steve Cyphers on how well the Texas line protects in-Vince-ible. You can bet the Fat Cats are watching, too. And quietly seething. And preparing to put on another show against another fraudulent Little 12 power. Granted, these Longhorns are a little better than last year's Oklahoma. But win-the-game better? Even make-it-a-game better? Last year, in-Vince-ible's second season as starting quarterback, Oklahoma shut him out 12-0. That Oklahoma team wound up having two players drafted in the first round (offensive tackle Jammal Brown and receiver Mark Clayton), three in the second (safety Brodney Pool, receiver Mark Bradley and defensive end Dan Cody), one in the third (receiver Brandon Jones), one in the fourth (cornerback Antonio Perkins), three in the fifth (safeties Donte Nicholson and Michael Hawkins and linebacker Lance Mitchell) and one in the sixth (offensive lineman Wes Sims). And those draftees did not include 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White, the quarterback, and last year's Heisman runner-up, running back Adrian Peterson. That's why, one year ago, the point spread for Oklahoma-USC was pick 'em. And USC could have won 100-0 because Oklahoma hadn't faced anything like USC's combination of speed and power or Matt Leinart's passing accuracy and artistry. This year, USC is favored by 7½. It should be more like 17½. Yet all you hear is that in-Vince-ible will wreak havoc on USC's weak link: it's defense. Yes, off last year's unit, defensive tackle Mike Patterson was drafted in the first round and defensive tackle Shaun Cody and linebacker Lofa Tatupu in the second. Other than that, though, only backup quarterback Matt Cassel was drafted, in the seventh round. So a ton of talent remains at USC -- even on defense. And after an injury-plagued, out-of-whack first four or five games, that defense has slowly gotten quietly good. Real good. Yet even though it leads the nation with 37 takeaways, the USC defense gets no respect. Crosstown rival UCLA gave the 2004 USC team a game. This year, UCLA entered its Dec. 3 finale at USC averaging more than 40 points a game. USC led 66-3 before UCLA scored two late touchdowns against Trojans backups. USC, defenseless? Texas wishes. By the way, against UCLA, Leinart played the worst game of his college career. And USC scored 66. In his two national championship games, Leinart has thrown eight touchdown passes against zero interceptions. Texas has no real idea what it's getting into. This is the eighth or ninth bowl game USC has played this season. USC served as the equivalent of a bowl for nearly every team on its schedule. Oregon gave USC its best shot in Eugene. USC, 45-13. Look out for Arizona State in Tempe. USC won the second half 35-7 and the game 38-28. Notre Dame broke out the green jerseys and leprechaun dust in South Bend, played a near-perfect game -- and still lost 34-31 when Leinart converted the College Football Play of the Year, fourth-and-9 from his 26. Game after game, challenge upon challenge. High-powered Cal in Berkeley? USC, 35-10. Upstart Fresno State, lying in the weeds between Cal and UCLA? Reggie Bush 50, Fresno State 42. USC did not play a Big 12 schedule. Then again, USC did not have to play at Ohio State. But for Texas, that game was the first sign that, for Mack Brown, this was a meant-to-be, Phil Mickelson-at-the-Masters season. Remember Mickelson's first victory in a major, in 2004 at Augusta National? That week, Mickelson walked the fairways wearing a smile so serene it seemed almost creepy. It was as if he had been hypnotized. Or brainwashed. Or abducted and inhabited by aliens. Mack and Mickelson are good buddies -- and kindred spirits. Like the pre-2004 Masters Mickelson, Mack has always had the talent but hasn't been able to win the big one. After that Masters, a giddy Mickelson told Mack, "Now it's your turn!" This season, Mack has worked with Dr. Richard Coop, the sports psychologist who has successfully reshaped the thinking of several pro golfers. Mack's transformation has been nearly as startling as Mickelson's was. Mack is so what-the-heck loose it's almost scary. Of course, it's easier to let go and have fun when Vince Young is your quarterback. This young man is a tremendous college football player -- a rare leader and winner and face-saver for his head coach. Young's transformation as a passer -- even with that wristy flip -- has been eye-popping. Still, Young isn't good enough to do what King Kong does -- whip three T-Rexes (Leinart, Bush and LenDale White) by himself. No way Young's team would have won at Ohio State if Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel hadn't played musical quarterbacks with Justin Zwick and Troy Smith. Ohio State led 22-16 going into the fourth quarter when Tressel inexplicably went back to Zwick. If Tressel had settled on Smith before the Texas game, Ohio State might have been playing USC tonight. The Longhorns' next break came against Oklahoma. Adrian Peterson (sprained ankle) tried to but couldn't play. A healthy Peterson, who had 240 yards on 32 carries as a freshman, would have made a big difference. Texas still might have won, but not 45-12. Otherwise, the Longhorns' toughest regular-season opponents (Colorado, Texas Tech and Kansas) weren't all that tough and had to play in Austin. And now you're telling me Texas is capable of holding up its end of the bargain in what's being billed as the greatest college football matchup ever? That isn't meant to be. Carroll, an underrated defensive football coach, has had 32 days to prepare his underrated defense for in-Vince-ible. And Texas has had 32 days to think -- and think -- about the magnitude of this game. The Longhorns can talk all they want about the experience they gained winning last year's Rose Bowl. But that had nothing to do with this Rose Bowl. The Fat Cats will win this one, 35-17.
This argument would make sense if USC had stopped Texas once close to the goal line. They didn't. UT would have scored no matter what. The only call the officials blew in UT's favor was that play but it was a first down at the 10 anyway.
That is just hilarious. I would love to see skip get it handed to him. The captions made it even better.
Thanks Clutch. I think I will continue skipping skip's column. Could you imagine this being your livelihood?
Great find clutch. I was watching "Cold Pizza" or "First and Ten" or whatever show that is that he and Woody Paige are on this AM (the remote was on the other side of the room so I couldn't change it...) and they led in with yesterday's brilliant pregame predictions by Skippy - "USC is going to stop vince cold, he will throw AT LEAST three interceptions, blah blah blah" - instead of facing the music, they threw it to woody paige, who congratulated himself for being a Texas booster all season, and Bayless acted like nothing ever happened, and a few minutes later started in on "USC beat themselves" bullsh-t. Then I decided it was worth going to the other side of the room to get the remote.
We beat Oklahoma my freshman year but after that it was all L. This victory makes up for 3 years (+2 after graduating) of suffering against Stoops and Chris Simms botching that Colorado game. 20years from know were gonna look back in aw at how many NFL/Pro Bowlers for both teams played on that night. PS. After some carefull deliberation I've concluded that bigtexxx is Skip Bayless.
Just got back a couple hours ago from Pasadena... honestly the most incredible and probably best night of my life. It was a remarkable game - by far the best I've seen in my lifetime - and what a wild swing of emotions. Everyone on this board knows I'm a Carr supporter, but if he declares... I think we'd be fools not to take VY. It's not just the physical talent... it's the mindset and the will to win that only a few athletes in the history of sports have. Vince has it, and if he declares (I hope he doesn't), welcome home. I'm not going to specifically mention a few posts over the first seven or eight pages of this thread. It's definitely ok to miss on predictions... I was a couple inches from missing on mine (not on the spread, but on Texas winning straight up). But next time, I hope a couple of you base predictions more on actually watching the games, instead of what the mighty sports betters think (who have been wrong on 5 of the last 7 championship games) and who a slim majority of ESPN Sportsnation picks.
Happy tro hear that someone got to go. Did you have any voice left? How'd you find tickets...or did you just pay $$$?
Then I guess they sholda just given USC that first down on 4th and 1 wirh 2 minutes left since UT hadnt been able to stop White before that. I guess they also shouldnt have bothered to even try for that chip shot FG that UT missed, since you know everything was automatic.
There is a difference between probable and possible. It was improbably that a depleted UT defense would be able to stop White on that 4th down play, but they did it. It is possible but improbable that USC would have stopped UT with a first down from the 8 yard line or 9 yard line. But at the same time that wasn't only the fault of the refs. USC could have called a time out so the play would have been reviewed. Strategy and time outs are part of the game. USC failed to use a strategy that would have given themselves a chance to do what they were never able to do the rest of the game. Atheletic talent, play calling, coaching, and strategy are all aspects of a football game. In that case USC didn't use a strategy that would have gotten the refs a chance to review their play. Texas did earlier. It payed off from them. Of course there is also the interception that Texas made that was ruled incomplete. USC later scored on that possession. There is also the point that if UT had had the TD removed, and then scored a TD on one of their other 4 chances at the end zone, they wouldn't have had to rush the extra point, and would have made it. Either way I don't think it is an over-statement or over hype to praise VY's performance like no other. There wasn't another performance like that, and all the praise he gets is accurate. It was a great, close game, USC's total package didn't equal UT's total package, with or without the refs making mistaken calls.
Not to mention more time would have gone off the clock, thus giving USC less time to get that last FG before the end of the half. DD
Didn't know you were a Rockets fan, Mr. Clinton But yes, I get what you're saying. Excellent points. And I'll totally agree with your points on Vince's performance. USC showed how much their defense sucks. I cant they won 2 champsionships with that defense.
I don't have much voice left... my throat's still a little sore. Of course, I wasn't making too much noise the last two minutes of the game... I was so nervous that I was actually shaking for parts of that last drive, especially when it was fourth down and one play left in the season. After that, though, we all went nuts. Incredible experience. As for tickets, essentially, $$$. I got a good buy-it-now deal on eBay (around $600) by being at the right place at the right time for much cheaper than the going rate/ticket broker prices. That said, it was still incredibly expensive, but in retrospect worth every penny. I had budgeted about $300 to spend on the Astros Game 5 of the WS, and since they didn't make it there, I saved money from that and it made the decision a little easier. So special thanks go out to the White Sox for this! Also, I don't understand the talk about how bad USC's defense is. I heard for weeks going into the game that they had more speed than Ohio State and were vastly underrated... now that Texas succeeded, we're twisting the logic? Texas' defense is very stout - I think most of us can agree on that - and USC actually gained more yards on Texas than Texas did on USC. Maybe the offenses were just that good, and in Texas' case, that means Vince Young's performance.
