Back in the Spring of 2002, a work buddy of mine convinced me I needed to go with him to a scrimmage over at UT. I took Max to first ever football game that day and met my buddy over at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, which unbelievably, had almost 10,000 people in it to watch a scrimmage! You see, it was the first ever public practice in which Vince Young was going to quarterback the Longhorns offense.
Playing behind Chris Simms, Young had little chance of starting that year (or that scrimmage), but late in the second half of what was actually a pretty boring intra-squad game, Vince Young entered the game and the entire stadium rose to its feet with bated breath. Young was being billed as the savior who was supposed to one day take Texas to the promised land. On his first play from scrimmage, he handed the ball off for a 3 yard rushing play...the crowd roared! The second play, he dropped back on a play-action pass and lofted one of the prettiest feather-touch passes I've ever seen to Roy Williams who went the length of the field for a touchdown. The crowd went bezerk.
Vince didn't take another snap that game and ended up redshirting the following season, but last night, the prophecy came true as Texas broke USC's 34-game unbeaten streak to win the 2006 National Championship with a touchdown in the last 20 seconds of the Rose Bowl.
Considering this is the first college sports team that I've followed to win a national title in my lifetime, it would be a bit of an understatement to say I'm a wee bit excited this morning!
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