The Championship That Could Have Been

It's 3AM here in sunny California, but I can't sleep because I'm still reeling from the loss. I'm banging this post out in search of catharsis.

It's 11AM here in Austin and I've finally gotten over the loss for the most part.

I have to say I've never been so proud of my Horns. They played with heart today last Thursday, and if not for a missed blitz pick-up assignment, were within 3 minutes of tying or taking the lead after being down 24-6 to Bama at the half. The D played OUTSTANDING- don't let the final box-score fool you. The Legion of Boom Goon Squad held McElroy to 58 yards on 6/11 pass attempts. Bama fans like to point out that McElroy was nursing broken ribs, but the fact is almost every time he dropped back to pass, he was pressured or sacked. Furthermore, 23 of the 37 points surrendered came off offensive turnovers, 2 given up within Bama's redzone in the waning moments of the game and 1 from an ill-advised call for a shovel pass to end the 1st half. TCU fans and other Texas doubters can stuff it.

And Garrett Gilbert... what can you say about him? He's a true freshman thrown to the wolves and he played admirably. The kid stands tall in the pocket and has a cannon for an arm and once he settled down, he led Texas to an almost improbable comeback.

In Gilbert, we Texas fans have something to be VERY excited about going forward. I have no doubt that he will lead us to another MNC game in the next 3 years- he looked that good last Thursday. He looks that good on other days off the field, too, but whatever. Call me a homer, but I wouldn't even put it past the team to reach Glendale next year if Williams and Goodwin finally get their heads screwed on right. Yes, we lose two senior offensive linemen, but the way the line played this year, that's probably a good thing. On the defensive side, yes, we lose Kindle and Earl Thomas and their production will be hard to reproduce, but I have faith in Muschamp to put together another top-10 defensive unit.

Okay, so a title next year may be a stretch, but 2011 definitely looks doable.

On a final note, I have to tip my hat to Bama and their fans. People will point out that Colt being knocked out early somehow diminishes Bama's win, but the truth is injuries are a part of the game and they beat us fair and square. If the situation was reversed for us Horns fans, we'd take the win and run with no apologies, so kudos to the Crimson Tide. Not to say that I don't wholeheartedly believe if Colt was in, we probably win, but like the old saying goes, "If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle." Furthermore, Tide fans are some of the nicest, classiest folk around. Someone at either Barking Carnival or Burnt Orange Nation said they wanted to hate Bama fans and they just couldn't; I feel the same.

Anyway, here's to our number 1 ranked Men's Basketball and Baseball teams! Hook'em.



Random Xs and Os from being at the game:
1) The middle of the field was consistently open for us. Gilbert missed a receiver on a middle post route that would've gone for a touchdown if he hadn't stared down Shipley.

2) The quick out was also available for the taking. With Gilbert's strong arm, Davis should've called it at least twice, but then again, this is Greg Davis we're talking about.

3) I was really happy to see Gilbert placed under the center. He's not a mobile QB like Colt- he's not built for the spread but more of a traditional offense. His fake handoffs on play-action looked very deceiving, and if we can finally develop a run game, should produce big gains for the offense in the future. Davis also has to CALL play-action, but we'll see.

4) Other receivers not named Jordan Shipley need to learn to run with the quarterback when a play breaks down. Several receivers (John Chiles) stopped on their routes, but if they simply ran upfield, would've given Gilbert an area to throw to for a big gain.

5) I've never been a fan of the 5-wide formation outside of Madden and for Davis to call it at the 12 w/ 3 minutes left was idiotic. That said, Gilbert should've seen that corner walking up to the line; Goodwin was open as a result of the blitzing corner and Garrett missed him. Recognizing the blitz will come with experience, which brings me to my main point about why I'm so excited about Gilbert: all his mistakes are correctable and will be fixed with experience. Also, I would love to see the Horns implement fake snap counts like the Cowboys do to expose the blitz early.

Anyway. Hook'em.