Wow - what a game today. Both teams played their hearts out.
It was like a heavyweight fight out there. Last man standing won.
Unfortunately for my team, it was Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns.
Congratulations to them - they deserve all the respect in the
world for beating USC. I didn't think they were going to do it.
My boys were played great, but in the end, Texas was a little
more hungry, a little more aggressive. They just wanted it more.
Vince Young - you are a true champion. I saw the hunger in your
eyes from the start of the game. You were set to prove to the
world that you were worthy of the Heisman Trophy and you did that.
No doubt. Congratulations, playa! Not only were you a QB, but
a tailback as well. Your performance in the last 6 minutes of
the game will rank up there as some of the best ever in football,
no doubt.
Now, I got to be real and tell you that it just didn't seem like
the same USC Team out there today. I know my boy wasn't himself
- that little pitch he did at the beginning of the game threw
him off a bit and affected him, and perhaps his team. In high
school, he had this habit of sometimes pitching the ball when
he got stopped. It drove me nuts. His mind set is always to find
a way to score on every play, no matter what. He just expects
it. Little Reggie - I love him to death, but I taught him a long
time ago to stop doing that. The last time I saw him pull that
stunt was his first year at USC. It didn't go over very well -
the coaches then made him stop it right then and there. I haven't
seen him do it again until now.
That boy is so explosive and single minded (to get to the goal
line) that his instincts just take over - it didn't look like
his teammate was expecting it. In High School, his teammates really
knew him well, and it worked then. When he has the ball, he'll
play like a point guard, ready to dish it off. Reggie doesn't
care who scores - he just wants and expects to win. He does have
the ability to be a field general and push the game to a new level
never before seen.
Because he has never made mistakes in the past, the press was
all over him for it - and it wasn't fair. It was a case of - shall
we say - irrational exuberance at the heat of the moment. That
was it. All in all, I thought he had a good game, given the double
teams and the attention he was given.
My impressions of the USC defense was that they weren't themselves
either. I thought the corners and safeties played too soft. It
was the Vonage defense - long distance between defender and receiver.
The D-line: where was the pressure on the quarterback? And all
that arm tackling...can I get some helmet to the chest? The defense
made it too easy for VY to run up the middle.
USC should have won this game, plain and simple. They should
have won.
I think Matt Leinart had a great game, as did Lendale White.
The O-line played huge. Sorry boys - this was a game for the ages
and someone had to lose. As for Reggie, I think this game showed
him that he is in for a real big challenge ahead of him.
If there is a silver lining in all of this, I believe that losing
this game will teach him a lot. Being the perfectionist that he
is, I know he will look at everything, analyze and come out a
much better player at the other end. I was very proud of him and
his teammates being so gracious at the end of the game. They showed
a lot of class.
Reggie's sense of fairness and show of class is one part of him
I very much admire and proud of.
One last thing - I hope that Vince Young gets utilized effectively
in the Pros. Someone so multi-faceted and versatile as him leads
to a danger of being mis- or under-utilized by a less than astute
coaching team. I mean, where do you put him? He is equally as
adept at QB, Tailback, Wide Receiver. Triple Slash. I am hoping
for the best for him. He made a believer out of me today. I know
that Little Reggie has much respect for him.
- Reggie Bush, Sr.
