I bet this is rather unprofessional, considering what I do for a living. Oh well. R-Dub taught me not to hide my biases, so I don’t. I can be fair within them, so it’s all good. Don’t believe me? Check the stuff I write about Carolina.
Gee, I wonder why you all have been logging on here today. Lemme think…
Wondering how my drive to Atlanta was?
Wanna know how the Dutch Masters did last night?
Oh wait, Texas won the National Championship last night, didn’t they? Damn, maybe I should say something about that, ha?
Where to start…
1. I told y’all this could happen. I’m not going to say I was sure they’d win–I told people I wasn’t sure right before the game–but I told people that SC was not a demonstrably better team than the ‘Horns. And they weren’t. And I told ya. Hook ’em, baby.
2. That was the best college football game I’ve ever seen. I’ve never been as tight as I was when Texas was down 12 with four minutes left. The reality is that both teams played at a high level last night, and I can’t think of a big college game like that since Miami/Nebraska in ’83. When Ohio State beat Miami in ’02, Miami didn’t show up and had their best player carted off before overtime. This game was stars vs. stars, great team vs. great team…just everything anyone could ask for. No game has ever been hyped up for six friggin’ months and been that good.
3. Told you so. All of you. From Skip Bayless down to the nigga at the gas station by my house, I told you. What up, Mike? Lyndon? D-Nunn? Where all y’all? To quote Bun B, “they don’t know what that Star about…”
4. I actually called D-Nunn after this game. I called his mama’s house to get his number and called him, and I talked big smack all through the conversation. Conveniently, Texas’ win coincided with his distate for USC, so he was on the winning side. But he called me this morning and said somethign really important. He told me that he was brought to tears seeing Vincent Young with that trophy, seeing him hold court and be the star of the show. It choked him up to see a black man in that position.
And that’s a big fuckin’ deal in this case. I can think of no situation where a black quarterback put a team on his back like this and took them for the ride. Doug Williams won that Super Bowl, but it wasn’t like this. No black quarterback has been the identity of his team like, the emotional compass and the center of discipline. The second I knew Texas would play a strong game was when Vince accurately said why Oklahoma got lit up last year–poor leadership. He said that Jason White did an inadequate job of rallying his guys after they got down 21-0, and that’s the absolute truth. No matter the score, Vince would not let them give up. In the ’03 game against OU, Texas gave up.
But Vince didn’t. And I think, after that, he made damn sure that no team of his would give up again.
And they did not. He took that team and that state to a victory that was more important than most of us even realized at the time.
And the best part? Hearing Vince’s country ass on television. It’s beautiful to see someone who’s so unapologetic about being himself taking his personality to the highest stage and putting it on display without a hint of pretense.
So that’s not just Vince you’ll see on Leno. That’s Hiram Clarke. That’s Houston. That’s Texas. That’s blackness. That’s a lot of things.
And all of them are beautiful, no matter what anyone says.
4. Matt Leinart went out like a sucker after the game, and there’s no other way to say it. What plays is he saying SC did not make? Where? Bush threw that moronic lateral, but this was a mano y mano battle. USC lost because they played a better team, one that could score with them. But what else was to be expected? Texas did have the best offense in America, even if people thought SC had the best offense of all-time.
Or maybe Matt was shaking off the lick he took from Aaron Ross in the first half. Dunno.
But don’t sleep–Leinart played one of the best second halves I’ve ever seen. LenDale White was unstoppable. Reggie Bush played very well, though unspectacularly.
They made the plays. They just lost. Simple as that.
5. If Vince comes back, this could be something serious. By my count, seven defensive starters will be returning. So will every player at the skill positions but Brian Carter and David Thomas. Some linemen are leaving, but Cedric Dockery will bring a world of talent to the lineup next year. If Justin Blalock comes back at tackle, hold on tight folks. Texas could be at 33 straight wins at the end of the season, two away from surpassing USC.
6. All praises to Mack Brown. He coached a good game. There’s nothing bad to say about him, and I’ll never say anythign bad about him….as long as he beats Oklahoma.
7. Baba’s that good luck charm. Got a Carolina title and a Texas ring back to back? What you know bout that, shawty?
8. I don’t remember being as happy as I was when the clock ran out. Good gracious.
9. Texas is bringin in the #2 recruiting class in America. Oh buddy. I bet Ryan Perriloux has brought his sorry ass to UT instead of LSU.
(Actually, I think Perriloux will be everything any of us have ever dreamed of. I’m just still bitter.)
10. I. Told. You. So. I can’t say that enough. I. Told. You. So.
And now, I’m goin to go somewhere else and gloat. Leave your comments at the bottle.
Hook deez, baby. Is Texas in the house?
Without a doubt.
January 5, 2006
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