College football

Last drive cement's Young's big legacy

The quarterback leads Texas to the winning TD with his arm and legs.

By MICHAEL SNYDER
Published January 5, 2006

PASADENA, Calif. - Vince Young held the collective eyes of Texas on him.

Not to mention the hearts and souls of everyone who has bled Longhorns football for decades, while watching teams from Florida and California routinely win national championships.

But in the state where football truly is a religion it had been a very long time since Texas football mattered.

In the end, Young proved to be the differencemaker: Texas 41, Southern California 38 in a game for the ages.

With 2:09 standing between another long year - in a dryspell dating to 1970 and burns as much as the West Texas sun in August - and the exhilaration of being at the top of the college football landscape, Young drove the Longhorns methodically down the field.

And drove to the pinnacle. Yes, Texas can now truly be considered king of college football.

Finally.

There was a pass to Quan Cosby for 7 yards that became a first down after a facemask penalty was tacked on. That put the ball in Trojans' territory. Then came a 9-yard pass to Brian Carter, before Young's 7-yard run gave Texas a first down at the 30 with time ticking away.

Boom. A pass to Carter over the middle gained 17 yards. Then, after an incompletion, Young scampered for 5 more. A Young run on second down brought the ball to the 8. An incompletion followed.

USC was feeling it. One more play would bring an unprecedented third national championship in as many years.

But Young simply willed the Longhorns to victory.

On fourth and 5 at the USC 8, Young ran to paydirt to cap an 11-play, 56-yard drive. Texas ran the exact same play for Young on the conversion. Same result.

"We never, ever thought we'd lose the ballgame," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "They just kept playing. They never got discouraged and the never gave up."

[Last modified January 5, 2006, 01:54:34]