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December 7th, 2009
Big 12 Championship Game reaction
Everything's bigger in Texas, including the game clock. Here's the question to answer. If Texas was ahead 12-10 and Nebraska was in position for a game-winning field goal and Zac Lee rolled out, oblivious to the game clock like Colt McCoy, and Lee's pass touched down with one second left, then the clock ticked to zero and the Longhorn players were celebrating like they always do, and 70% of the fans were going wild, would the referees put that one second back on the clock? Would the refs have given Nebraska another shot to take down Texas and keep a Big 12 team out of the BCS national championship game? The answer is I don't think they would have. And that my friends is the problem I have with how the game ended for the Huskers.
Texas very narrowly avoided an ESPN special "Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Colt McCoy (and/or Mack Brown) For Losing To Nebraska." McCoy looked like a freshman quarterback with his clock management skills and Mack Brown isn't a very good coach without Vince Young on the field. If you were Brown and you somehow beat Alabama to win a second title, why wouldn't you retire before you screw up your legacy? Secretly I'm hoping to get another crack at Mack Brown in Lincoln next year. Too bad McCoy's college career is done, and Suh's for that matter. This game deserves to have a rematch, or maybe replayed in 15 years.
In the biggest game of his college career, Ndamukong Suh dominated like few ever have, recording 4.5 sacks, 12 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 pass break-ups. Is there any doubt he's the best player in the country? Too bad they only award the Heisman to quarterbacks and running backs with flashier stats. In a down year for the Heisman, Suh should be in New York for the ceremony. Mark May of ESPN, who I normally can't stand, appears to be coming around on the Huskers. May said Suh is the best defensive lineman he's seen in 15 years. As for Colt McCoy's Heisman chances, how can you award the Heisman to a guy who wasn't even the best player on the field Saturday night, let alone the best player in the country?
Speaking of Suh, the big man has a lot on his plate this week. The Nagurski Award banquet Monday night, followed by the Lombardi Award on Wednesday night, the ESPN College Football Awards Show on Thursday night, hopefully the onto New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation.
At 9-4, NU has now lost three games this year by two points or less. Three games by a total of four points is all that separates NU from being 12-1. Iowa got the breaks this year. Why aren’t they 9-4? Why do the college football gods like Kirk Ferentz more than Bo Pelini? Don't they know Tom Osborne is our A.D.?
A few things that bothered the Husker Faithful:
Why do we follow up Eric Martin's punt block by throwing an interception on the next play? I understand the momentum argument in college football, but don’t we need to have a good passing quarterback to challenge the Texas defense in that spot? Zac Lee has struggled to hit his targets in most of our big games this season. Why not hold onto the field goal opportunity and go up 9-0 on the Longhorns? I question that play call. Just run the ball three times and take the field goal. Let's face it, Alex Henery is our offense. Let him do his thing whenever possible.
Pass interference penalties on uncatchable passes. Don't know what it looked like on your dinky 72" big screen, but on my 159' x 71' HDTV, the Longhorns were given at least 30 yards on such plays.
So much for a neutral site. Two thirds of the fans were in burnt orange and Gatorade had two "That's G" commercials that played on the big screen showing Texas highlights from this game. As if we had forgotten those two Zac Lee interceptions. That made us Husker fans feel right at home. We would loved to have played McCoy and Shipley on the frozen tundra of Arrowhead instead. I'm sorry, but that's football. What we experienced was Jerry Jones inviting 76,000 people over to his mansion to watch the game on his new big screen.
UT only has four national titles (1963, 1969, 1970, and 2005). How can a program that sits square in the middle of the largest pool of high school football talent not win more? Sitting on that hotbed of talent and getting the cream of the crop every year, tells me that their coaches are overrated, and have been for some time.
So it's now onto the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl in San Diego to face the Arizona Wildcats, coached by Mike Stoops. Let's hope the Huskers can refocus their anger from the Big 12 outcome on the Cats and avenge the 1998 defeat in the same bowl game.
Check out our photos from the Big 12 Championship game against Texas.
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