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**Corkscrewed** · 01-05-2006, 02:32 AM

Posted this in another forum, but since only like nobody here visits there, I don't think it'll be a problem.

I've had about an hour and a half to collect my thoughts... mostly because I was at a friend's house for a viewing party and then had to drive home and take a shower.

So here goes.

It was a great game that lived up to the hype. Except for the end. But that's because I'm a Trojan.

There are a lot of ways I can respond. No doubt, we will have Trojans playing the "what if" game. What if Bush hadn't tried that foolish lateral? What if that Vince Young lateral had actually been called down like it really was? What if that Texas fumble that wasn't called a fumble had been reviewed and the officials had awarded the ball back to USC like they should have? What White had made the extra foot? What if we had given the ball to Bush instead? What if we had punted instead? What if we had passed instead? What if we didn't have that idiotic facemask penalty when Texas had it at midfield and fourth down? What if we had stopped Young on 4th and 5? What if Leinart hadn't used up all 8 remaining seconds looking aimlessly then throwing to the sideline?

After a while you start stretching. And really, had the game gone the other way, Texas fans would have similar beefs. What if that pass Leinart threw where the Texas defender caught it in midair, then hit the ground, then lost it, had actually been ruled an interception like it actually was (ground cannot cause a fumble)? What if Texas hadn't missed the extra point? Or the field goal?

It goes both ways. Had Bush completed that lateral, he would have been hailed as a genius for thinking quickly on the fly. If White had completed the 4th and 2, Carroll would be hailed for being bold and going for it despite being near midfield. But we didn't make the plays. And don't forget, Texas had that fumble at the start of the game. They fumbled three or four more times afterwards.

What it call comes down to is defense. If you still don't believe defense wins championships, then this was your lesson 101. When the game was on the line, Texas' D came up big. Ours did not. They stopped White. We could not stop Young. Heck, you look at our whole game, and it was the defense that proved to be the weak link. Some horrendous missed coverages, and blown tackles galore. Texas had several plays that should have gone for only three or four yards, but ended up going for 20 or 30. We simply couldn't tackle.

And it didn't hurt that they had Vince Young, who was Leinart and Bush in one package tonight.

---

It hurts. I was stunned. I really thought we could have won. Should have won. Would have won. And looking back, yeah, we could have and we should have. But we didn't. It hurts to say it, but Texas outplayed us. At the end of the day, I have no excuse but to say they outplayed us. They were the better team tonight. And congratulations for that.

I think it was ECC who, at the end of last year's NBA Finals, made the argument that Detroit was the better team despite losing. I headed a counterargument that said if you lose in the big game[s], then there's no excuse. Well, after tonight, I can kind of see his point of view a little better, but I honestly believe we SHOULD have won that game. I do feel that while both sides got some questionable calls, Texas benefitted more. And the NBA analogy uses a seven game series, while tonight was only one game. It's much more convincing to win four games out of seven than to win one. Maybe it's a sense of denial. But as a die-hard Trojan fan and a die-hard Trojan student, I really thought we would win... even at the end, with 19 seconds left.

It ain't over till it's over, or till the fat lady sings.

But then it was over, and just like that, the streaks were gone. 34 games, now history, as is the AP #1 ranking streak and a slew of others.

But you know what? The immature fan will make the excuses and the blame game. As easy as it would be to use all those excuses I pointed out above to say we got "screwed" or "they got lucky" or whatever, the fact remains that they came back from a 12 point deficit and won the big game on the big night.

So to put it plainly: we got beat. So a begrudging tip of the cap to Texas for winning the 2005-06 NCAA Football National championship.

---

Next year is a "rebuilding" year for 'SC. Leinart is gone. Bush and White are most likely gone. We lose a good part of our offensive line in all likelihood, so our offense will be raw. I don't know if we can quickly get back to the absolute elite next year. It will probably take another year, although the last time we were in this situation, a guy named Matt Leinart stepped up and began one of the greatest college careers in history.

Texas, on the other hand, now assumes the mantle that 'SC has ridden for three years. Vince Young, in all likelihood, is coming back (unless he really turns his back on his school; he's already said he'll be back, though not officially). Their offense AND defense returns intact. And next year, they will get the media title of "greatest team ever." As an 'SC fan, my personal solace might be in taking joy in watching Texas possibly falter. Hopefully, now that the pressure and historic labels go to them, the'll be the ones to lose in the big one, so they can experience the pain we Trojans are going through right now.

The media's fickle. Three hours ago, it was Reggie Bush this and that, and Vince was the up and comer. Now... who's Reggie Bush? It's all Vince Young. And suddenly, Vince is the guy who should leave now, be #1 in the draft, and the Trojans are suddenly forgotten. Texas is in the limelight now.

Texas has won 20 in a row. If they make it back to the big dance next year, they'll have won 32 or 33 in a row. Something about a 30something game winning streak on the line at the national championship game that hasn't been great for teams... just ask Miami.

But you know what? Texas earned it tonight. As much as I do not want to say it (particularly because Texas the state absolutely sucks), Texas is king. But now the pressure's all on you. Lets see how you handle it, and lets see if you can accomplish what we did.

And maybe in a couple of years, we'll be back.

FIGHT ON!

And a couple of notes:

- I'll be gracious if you're gracious. If you're a Longhorn and try to rub it in my face arrogantly, acting like you annihilated us, then you'll receively equally harsh treatment. I've got arguments piled up like crazy.

- Right now, my national title game prediction is indeed Texas vs Ohio State. Penn State will be good next year and could knock OSU from the top of the Big 10, but we'll see. Right now, that's my call.

- Maybe this persuades either Bush or Lendale to stay? It'd sure help out Booty next year.

- If Texas was in any other state besides Texas, I wouldn't be so incredibly pissed.

01-05-2006, 02:32 AM	#56
Corkscrewed Posts: 18,357	Posted this in another forum, but since only like nobody here visits there, I don't think it'll be a problem. I've had about an hour and a half to collect my thoughts... mostly because I was at a friend's house for a viewing party and then had to drive home and take a shower. So here goes. It was a great game that lived up to the hype. Except for the end. But that's because I'm a Trojan. There are a lot of ways I can respond. No doubt, we will have Trojans playing the "what if" game. What if Bush hadn't tried that foolish lateral? What if that Vince Young lateral had actually been called down like it really was? What if that Texas fumble that wasn't called a fumble had been reviewed and the officials had awarded the ball back to USC like they should have? What White had made the extra foot? What if we had given the ball to Bush instead? What if we had punted instead? What if we had passed instead? What if we didn't have that idiotic facemask penalty when Texas had it at midfield and fourth down? What if we had stopped Young on 4th and 5? What if Leinart hadn't used up all 8 remaining seconds looking aimlessly then throwing to the sideline? After a while you start stretching. And really, had the game gone the other way, Texas fans would have similar beefs. What if that pass Leinart threw where the Texas defender caught it in midair, then hit the ground, then lost it, had actually been ruled an interception like it actually was (ground cannot cause a fumble)? What if Texas hadn't missed the extra point? Or the field goal? It goes both ways. Had Bush completed that lateral, he would have been hailed as a genius for thinking quickly on the fly. If White had completed the 4th and 2, Carroll would be hailed for being bold and going for it despite being near midfield. But we didn't make the plays. And don't forget, Texas had that fumble at the start of the game. They fumbled three or four more times afterwards. What it call comes down to is defense. If you still don't believe defense wins championships, then this was your lesson 101. When the game was on the line, Texas' D came up big. Ours did not. They stopped White. We could not stop Young. Heck, you look at our whole game, and it was the defense that proved to be the weak link. Some horrendous missed coverages, and blown tackles galore. Texas had several plays that should have gone for only three or four yards, but ended up going for 20 or 30. We simply couldn't tackle. And it didn't hurt that they had Vince Young, who was Leinart and Bush in one package tonight. --- It hurts. I was stunned. I really thought we could have won. Should have won. Would have won. And looking back, yeah, we could have and we should have. But we didn't. It hurts to say it, but Texas outplayed us. At the end of the day, I have no excuse but to say they outplayed us. They were the better team tonight. And congratulations for that. I think it was ECC who, at the end of last year's NBA Finals, made the argument that Detroit was the better team despite losing. I headed a counterargument that said if you lose in the big game[s], then there's no excuse. Well, after tonight, I can kind of see his point of view a little better, but I honestly believe we SHOULD have won that game. I do feel that while both sides got some questionable calls, Texas benefitted more. And the NBA analogy uses a seven game series, while tonight was only one game. It's much more convincing to win four games out of seven than to win one. Maybe it's a sense of denial. But as a die-hard Trojan fan and a die-hard Trojan student, I really thought we would win... even at the end, with 19 seconds left. It ain't over till it's over, or till the fat lady sings. But then it was over, and just like that, the streaks were gone. 34 games, now history, as is the AP #1 ranking streak and a slew of others. But you know what? The immature fan will make the excuses and the blame game. As easy as it would be to use all those excuses I pointed out above to say we got "screwed" or "they got lucky" or whatever, the fact remains that they came back from a 12 point deficit and won the big game on the big night. So to put it plainly: we got beat. So a begrudging tip of the cap to Texas for winning the 2005-06 NCAA Football National championship. --- Next year is a "rebuilding" year for 'SC. Leinart is gone. Bush and White are most likely gone. We lose a good part of our offensive line in all likelihood, so our offense will be raw. I don't know if we can quickly get back to the absolute elite next year. It will probably take another year, although the last time we were in this situation, a guy named Matt Leinart stepped up and began one of the greatest college careers in history. Texas, on the other hand, now assumes the mantle that 'SC has ridden for three years. Vince Young, in all likelihood, is coming back (unless he really turns his back on his school; he's already said he'll be back, though not officially). Their offense AND defense returns intact. And next year, they will get the media title of "greatest team ever." As an 'SC fan, my personal solace might be in taking joy in watching Texas possibly falter. Hopefully, now that the pressure and historic labels go to them, the'll be the ones to lose in the big one, so they can experience the pain we Trojans are going through right now. The media's fickle. Three hours ago, it was Reggie Bush this and that, and Vince was the up and comer. Now... who's Reggie Bush? It's all Vince Young. And suddenly, Vince is the guy who should leave now, be #1 in the draft, and the Trojans are suddenly forgotten. Texas is in the limelight now. Texas has won 20 in a row. If they make it back to the big dance next year, they'll have won 32 or 33 in a row. Something about a 30something game winning streak on the line at the national championship game that hasn't been great for teams... just ask Miami. But you know what? Texas earned it tonight. As much as I do not want to say it (particularly because Texas the state absolutely sucks), Texas is king. But now the pressure's all on you. Lets see how you handle it, and lets see if you can accomplish what we did. And maybe in a couple of years, we'll be back. FIGHT ON! And a couple of notes: - I'll be gracious if you're gracious. If you're a Longhorn and try to rub it in my face arrogantly, acting like you annihilated us, then you'll receively equally harsh treatment. I've got arguments piled up like crazy. - Right now, my national title game prediction is indeed Texas vs Ohio State. Penn State will be good next year and could knock OSU from the top of the Big 10, but we'll see. Right now, that's my call. - Maybe this persuades either Bush or Lendale to stay? It'd sure help out Booty next year. - If Texas was in any other state besides Texas, I wouldn't be so incredibly pissed.