I liked what you said, Yeticus Rex, but the “get a grip” stuff is uncalled for. How do you react when people say that USC wasn’t really going for a three-peat because they split the NC with LSU? I’ll bet it pisses you off, right? I say you won a NC. The split is irrelevant to what that team did on the field.
ESPN was definitely the #1 perpetrator of the overboard USC hype, but it was pretty widespread, regardless of what Dopers presented here in the thread. The much-mentioned Mandel column from SI.com made that point exactly - there was way too much attention to SC’s invinceable offense, without regard to the fact that the offenses were pretty evenly matched and the teams had identical records. IMO, the comparisons from year to year in the college game are problematic, because the only consistent thing is the coaching staff - and even that changes too. Hell, Gene Chizik wasn’t on our staff last year. Maybe the skill players remain, but a new lineman, or a kicker, can make a HUGE difference. NFL teams have much more consistency and for that reason, pumping the Pats makes a lot of sense, where the coronation of USC as the all-time greatest team BEFORE the championship game is a little much.
I give props to USC as a team and the fans for keeping it in perspective. I don’t recall any arrogant or ridiculous statements from them in the past two years. And the one time the fullback popped off about UCLA, well, he certainly backed it up, didn’t he? USC was a much more likable “dynasty” than, say, Miami.
My take was that the game would really hinge on the plays made in the trenches. O-line vs. D-line, key blocks, smart play calling. I knew Texas would cough the ball up once or twice - I thought Vince would throw the pick (well, he almost did!) but it turns out the backs lathered up with bacon grease before the game.
To further prove my earlier point, I’m calling out VSPN, I mean ESPN. They’re at it again, now with Vince. Now he’s a top 3 pick? Seriously, that either means that Kiper and his ilk are doing a shitty job scouting or he changed overnight! Vince is amazing, but I’ve seen the guy in every game for the past three years. When he converted a 4th and 20 at Kansas by himself on a busted play when at least two LBs had clean shots on him - and ended up grabbing thin air - he made a believer out of me. I’ve seen him do it so often, in fact, the end of the game was so similar to the end of the Rose Bowl in '05, I didn’t break a sweat.
Not only that, but guys like Jonathan Scott and Casey Studdard were amazing on the line. Vince never got pressured or dirty because of their blocking. Defensively, Texas took away the long ball from Leinart for the most part, and Michael Griffin’s endzone INT was amazing. David Thomas had 10 clutch catches. Ramonce Taylor and Jamal Charles looked great in the game. And our backs and receivers made incredible downfield blocks when Vince scrambled. Not the last play of course, that was pretty much VY all the way. But it’s a team!
We didn’t have an answer for White for most of the game, but historically Texas has been a bendable defense. Our guys were cramping up and getting winded, which surprised me, but when they needed a big stop they came up with it. Turns out that the hit on White was Michael Huff’s improvisation - he broke off the assignment and went to where he thought the ball would go. Great football play on his part.
As a Texas guy, I know we’re often assumed to be “soft” and that we “can’t win the big one.” Trust me, I’ve lived through those games. I saw us get beat by Rice and TCU when I was in school. So I make sure I watch the other top teams, which is why I thought I had a good understanding of how SC matched up with Texas. The only teams in three years that really figured out VY were '04 OU and this year’s OSU team - Hawk and co. pretty much hemmed in VY, but by then he had figured out this passing thing! When SC struggled vs. ND, Oregon, Fresno State, and Arizona State - especially the latter - I thought Texas had an excellent chance to beat them in a close one.
All in all we can agree it was a game for the ages.