Rose Bowl Remembered: Vince Young's Scintillating Performance Hooks the 'Horns a National Title and Respect

I've had the privilege to witness many incredible feats in the world of sports during my 22 years of existence. Very few of them have brought me as much satisfaction and joy as Vince Young's breathtaking performance during the 2006 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Perhaps it was because leading up to game, very few people were giving Young and Longhorns the respect they deserved. ESPN and many other members of the media were prematurely crowning the 2005 Trojans as one of the greatest college football teams of all-time. They fell in love with USC and its Hollywood appeal. Reggie Bush's jaw-dropping touchdown runs left them in disbelief, Matt Leinart's pinpoint accurate passes dazzled them, and Dwayne Jarrett's leaping catches mesmerized them. The problem was many of those same members failed to look at the whole picture. The Trojans' glamorous offense blinded them from remembering about USC's porous defense and how good the Longhorns actually were this season.

I can't say I blame them. The Trojans' 2005 offense was by far the greatest college football has ever seen, loaded with an arsenal of weapons. I don't think I'll ever see the combination of two 1,000 yard rushers(Reggie Bush, Lendale White), a 3,000 yard passer(Matt Leinart), and a 1,000 yard receiver(Dwayne Jarrett) on the same offense ever again in my lifetime.

That's where many members of the media were misguided; in crowning the 2005 USC team the "greatest team of all-time" they overlooked that four-letter word that means everything in sports. Team. Certainly, this was the greatest college football offense of all-time, but team. That was a huge stretch even before the Trojans 34-game winning streak was ended last night. They were behind in more than a few games throughout the season, and needed late-game heroics to escape defeat against Fresno State and Notre Dame. Still, they were lulled into believing that Reggie Bush and his ankle-breaking moves would coast to the BCS National Championship over Vince Young and his Texas Longhorns.

People were too busy remembering about Reggie Bush gashing the Fresno State defenders for over 500 all-purpose yards and not remembering enough about how Vince Young danced around the Ohio State defense for over 300 all-purpose yards. I guess I can't blame them either. After all, the events that are the most recent will always be the freshest in our minds. That is just a part of human nature. Looks like all the Heisman voters that allowed Reggie Bush to run away with the hardware needed a little refresher of just how good Vince Young can be.

Well, the nation's memory was refreshed during the 2006 Rose Bowl after Young passed for 267 yards and rushed for 200 in lifting the 'Horns to a 41-38 victory over the Trojans, earning them the BCS national championship. Young's 200 rushing yards were more than any other college quarterback in bowl history, one more than Nebraska's Tommy Frazier. The Madison High School product made it look easy as he's done so often throughout his college career, gliding across the field and tormenting Trojan defenders with his precision passes and effortless scrambles.

You know what they say, "Leaders aren't made, they're born." Well, that old adage definitely applies to Vince Young. The man is a natural born leader, ladies and gentleman. Time and time again, when his teammates have needed him the most, Vince Young has strapped them on his shoulders and carried them to victory. He silenced everybody in Ohio Stadium with his game-winning pass to Limas Sweed and stunned the crowd last night in Pasadena with his legs. "I told you it would come down to the last play," Young said. "I told y'all." Young was of course referring to the 8-yard scramble he had on fourth down to clinch the victory for the 'Horns late in the 4th quarter. The man thrives under pressure in the biggest of stages. Just ask Michigan in last year's Rose Bowl, Ohio State this year and USC after the 2006 version of the Rose Bowl. Every time Young escaped the pocket, the USC looked defenseless against the fleet-footed Texan. Don't worry they weren't his only victim.

Young and his 6'5, 233 pound frame combine a blend of precision passing and smooth scrambling that the game of football has never seen. The closest thing is Michael Vick, but I'd argue that Young is a much better passer at this stage in his career than Vick was. He'll get his chance to prove that in the NFL soon enough. In the meantime, Young and Mack Brown should enjoy gazing into that coveted Waterford crystal football. It is mesmerizing.