The Longhorn Experiment by Johnathan Oberhoff
UT 27 vs. aTm 25
Well folks…it was a nail biter, a fight to the bitter end, and luckily enough the sky shined Burnt Orange in victory when the final clock showed all zero’s. When I say final clock, it truly has a different meaning for this game doesn’t it? This was the end (at least in the near future it would seem) of a rivalry that has lasted longer than some states have been in our great union.
The second coming of McCoy was not quite as smooth or outstanding as it was when we first saw a young kid wearing an Orange jersey with a 12 on the back. The passing stats were not outstanding, but what Case did was deliver when it mattered most. He played nearly the entirety of this game, save a few plays from David Ash, and he did not turn the ball over. He still has no interceptions to his name, and in a game like this that is what mattered most. It was turnovers on the Aggie side of the ball that lead to points for the boys in Orange. So not giving the Aggies the ball on bad plays on offense probably saved the game. But for Case McCoy to take the ball from his own 20 yard line and drive the horns into fairly easy field goal territory in less than 2 minutes speaks worlds of his poise. Mack Brown stated to ESPN that he spoke with Case before that final drive. "I told him: 'Here's where you become the guy and here's where you take us down and win the game,'" Brown said. "'Every quarterback has to have a signature moment and this is going to be yours.'" So on third and long with pressure coming into the back field McCoy not finding any receivers open to toss it to; he decided his moment would be on the ground. The horns needed 13 yards for a first down; he scrambled for 25, and refused to go down easily when the Aggies finally caught up with him. The offensive stats were not impressive, McCoy did not eclipse 100 yards passing until the final drive, no receivers had 100 yards receiving, and no running backs 100 yards on the ground. But in the end, The Burnt Orange nation received the final win in a storied rivalry.
We have to say goodbye to a State of Texas thanksgiving tradition. No matter which side of the fence you are on, maroon or orange, you still have to be somewhat melancholy about the ending of this rivalry. The United States were only a country of 44 when the first game was played between these two schools. There was no air-conditioning, television, or even the Ford Model-T the first time these two institutions met with each other. A lot of history has come and gone, both worldwide and nationally, during this long time rivalry. I am glad that the Longhorns got the win; it is one that all of those young men can say they were a part of for the rest of their lives. Because if this rivalry doesn’t return any time in the near future we will all still remember where we were when the game ended…and where better to be for that game than in the stadium on the field where those young men were. Good bye to Texas A&M, it was fun…..and until next week…..HOOK EM!