Carroll went for it on 4th and 2 because he saw last year's Rose Bowl, which scarcely got mentioned during last night's broadcast. In that game, Texas played Michigan, which was ranked in the top 5. Michigan, like SC, was ahead by a comfortable margin (10 points with under ten minutes remaining). But every time Texas got the ball in the fourth quarter, Young would make these amazing moves, escaping tacklers and finding his way to a first down or touchdown. He ended up rushing for 192 yards in that game, and four touchdowns. His passing last year wasn't quite as good as this year's performance, but it was good enough, as he led Texas down the field for a game winning field goal as time expired for a 38-37 win.
Carroll was quoted after last night's game as saying he went for it on 4th and 2 because "it didn't really matter where they started." I was in Pasadena last year and saw what Young did, and I have to agree with Carroll: The only way to beat that guy is to keep the ball on offense. Last year, Michigan faced a 4th and 2 with about 3:10 remaining and the ball on the Texas 25. The difference was, Michigan was behind by a point, so they felt they had to go for the field goal to take the lead. They made the kick, but Young took over on the final drive, as he did last night. Here's the 4th quarter log:
sports.espn.go.com
Last night, as soon as Texas stopped SC on the 4th and 2, I turned to my son and said, "Texas wins."
Vince Young may be the best college football player I've ever seen. |
