PASADENA, Calif. - There were two decisions at play here. The first was whether to go for it on fourth down. Needing two yards to clinch their second straight national championship, leading the Rose Bowl 38-33 with just over two minutes to play, USC coach Pete Carroll decided to send his historically explosive offense out on the field to try to get a first down.
That decision seemed like a smart one. They could have punted, sure, but it would have been a likely touchback, giving Texas the ball at the 20 with two minutes to play. And the way Vince Young had been playing all night ... no, the Trojans had to go for it. Besides, if they couldn't get two yards, did they really deserve the title?
The second decision was how to go for it. Twice earlier in the game, the Trojans had run a play on short yardage for running back LenDale White, converting both times, with both conversions eventually leading to touchdowns. It was risky to try that play again, considering Texas would probably expect it. It was doubly risky because it meant Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy winner, one of the most explosive college football players in a decade, would be spending the most important play of the season standing on the bench watching.
The Trojans ran the play, an inside handoff to White. The Longhorns sniffed it out, stopping him short. They were 56 yards from a national championship when Vince Young trotted back out onto the field for the final drive of his college career.
Young had already done enough in the 2006 Rose Bowl to etch his name permanently in the book of Texas legends. He was on his way to a game where he would pass for 267 yards and rush for 200, and he already had two rushing touchdowns in the game. On the Longhorns' previous drive, Young accounted for all 69 yards of offense, running the ball in himself to cut the deficit to five. Now, it was his turn to shine again.
The last drive didn't go as smoothly for Young and Texas as the previous one had. Facing a third-and-12 early in the drive, Texas got a first down with the help of a USC facemask penalty. The Longhorns got as far as the USC 14 before bogging down, eventually facing a fourth down. This time, USC needed to get a fourth down stop to win its second straight national title. This time, there was no decision to be made for Texas: it was obvious that Vince Young would either win it or lose it for the Longhorns.
Young took the shotgun snap and dropped back, looking for his receivers. With nobody open, he saw nobody between him and the front corner of the end zone. He tucked the ball under and ran. Seeing what was happening, the USC defenders scrambled to get him, but nobody was beating Young to that corner. He ran past the Trojan defenders, through the corner of the end zone, and into college football history.
One note about this video: It was the final touchdown call in the career of legendary college football announcer Keith Jackson. For decades, he was synonymous with college football, and you knew it was a big game if he was calling it. It was a perfect way for him to go out.
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
December 6, 1969: The Longhorns come back
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The hype for the 1969 Texas-Arkansas game started before that season even began. The Longhorns and Razorbacks had combined for eight of the previous 10 Southwest Conference championships and had spent the 1960s taking turns knocking each other out of national championship contention. Arkansas had beaten a top-ranked Texas team two years in a row in 1964 and 65, while Texas had handed Arkansas their only loss in 1968.
Anticipating another important matchup, ABC executives moved the 1969 game from its originally scheduled October date to the last game of the season. They also arranged for president Nixon to attend the game and convinced Arkansas to install AstroTurf for the season.
Despite all the anticipation, it seemed like all the maneuvers would be for naught, as Ohio State easily dominated the college football season. But then, while Texas and Arkansas had a week off to prepare for their big matchup, top-ranked Ohio State was upset by Michigan. As a result, Texas moved to No. 1 and Arkansas moved to No. 2, setting up the dream matchup ABC had been hoping for.
With Nixon flying in on Marine One and landing on an Arkansas practice field just as the game was starting, Texas and Arkansas kicked off on December 6, 1969, for the biggest game in college football's 100th season. The game received a 52.1 share, meaning more than half the TV sets in the country were tuned in.
The people watching saw a game that truly lived up to its hype. It was a matchup between the best offensive team in the country in Texas and the best defense in Arkansas. At first, it looked like the defense would dominate, as Texas turned the ball over six times in the game. Arkansas took a 14-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
That's when Texas woke up. On the first play of the fourth quarter, quarterback James Street scrambled for a touchdown for Texas, cutting the lead to 14-6. Before the game, Texas coach Darrell Royal had decided to go for two after their first touchdown to reduce the possibility of a tie, and so they did, with Street diving in to make it 14-8.
Arkansas responded, with quarterback Bill Montgomery leading the Razorbacks on a 73-yard drive to the 7-yard line. With Arkansas in range for the field goal that would put the game away, Montgomery was instead intercepted on a third-down pass into the end zone. It was Arkansas' first turnover of the game.
On the ensuing drive, it appeared the Longhorns had stalled with 4:47 to go. Facing a fourth down, Royal called for a deep pass, something that hadn't been in the Longhorns' game plan. Noticing the Arkansas defenders looking into the huddle, Street stared at receiver Cotton Speyrer while explaining the play to Randy Peschel, the actual target. The deception worked, as Street found Peschel for a 44-yard gain that put the Longhorns 13 yards from victory.
Two plays later, Texas scored, then made the extra point despite a high snap. Holding a 15-14 lead, the Longhorns held off Arkansas' last-ditch drive with an interception at the 21-yard line with less than a minute to play.
After the game, Nixon presented Texas with a plaque declaring them the national champions, which was a bit awkward because the bowl games still hadn't been played and Penn State also finished the 1969 season undefeated. But Texas beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl and won the national championship.
Anticipating another important matchup, ABC executives moved the 1969 game from its originally scheduled October date to the last game of the season. They also arranged for president Nixon to attend the game and convinced Arkansas to install AstroTurf for the season.
Despite all the anticipation, it seemed like all the maneuvers would be for naught, as Ohio State easily dominated the college football season. But then, while Texas and Arkansas had a week off to prepare for their big matchup, top-ranked Ohio State was upset by Michigan. As a result, Texas moved to No. 1 and Arkansas moved to No. 2, setting up the dream matchup ABC had been hoping for.
With Nixon flying in on Marine One and landing on an Arkansas practice field just as the game was starting, Texas and Arkansas kicked off on December 6, 1969, for the biggest game in college football's 100th season. The game received a 52.1 share, meaning more than half the TV sets in the country were tuned in.
The people watching saw a game that truly lived up to its hype. It was a matchup between the best offensive team in the country in Texas and the best defense in Arkansas. At first, it looked like the defense would dominate, as Texas turned the ball over six times in the game. Arkansas took a 14-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
That's when Texas woke up. On the first play of the fourth quarter, quarterback James Street scrambled for a touchdown for Texas, cutting the lead to 14-6. Before the game, Texas coach Darrell Royal had decided to go for two after their first touchdown to reduce the possibility of a tie, and so they did, with Street diving in to make it 14-8.
Arkansas responded, with quarterback Bill Montgomery leading the Razorbacks on a 73-yard drive to the 7-yard line. With Arkansas in range for the field goal that would put the game away, Montgomery was instead intercepted on a third-down pass into the end zone. It was Arkansas' first turnover of the game.
On the ensuing drive, it appeared the Longhorns had stalled with 4:47 to go. Facing a fourth down, Royal called for a deep pass, something that hadn't been in the Longhorns' game plan. Noticing the Arkansas defenders looking into the huddle, Street stared at receiver Cotton Speyrer while explaining the play to Randy Peschel, the actual target. The deception worked, as Street found Peschel for a 44-yard gain that put the Longhorns 13 yards from victory.
Two plays later, Texas scored, then made the extra point despite a high snap. Holding a 15-14 lead, the Longhorns held off Arkansas' last-ditch drive with an interception at the 21-yard line with less than a minute to play.
After the game, Nixon presented Texas with a plaque declaring them the national champions, which was a bit awkward because the bowl games still hadn't been played and Penn State also finished the 1969 season undefeated. But Texas beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl and won the national championship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)