I bought the Hype - Rose Bowl '06

Okay, I admit it: I bought the hype. I really did. Seeing as how this was Reggie Bush’s last game, I decided that this was, like the NBC line-up of old, Must See TV. I even considered taping it, too. After all, you don’t see players like Reggie Bush every year (Depending on who you ask, he’s like a mutant hybrid of Sidney Crosby and Jim Brown or he’s the best running back to come along since LaDainian Tomlinson).

This isn’t the first time, either. After reading a review for the Beastie Boys “To the five boroughs” I went out and bought a copy - only to be let down by it. After seeing all the ads for King Kong, I went out and saw it - and I could barely sit through it. And tonight, in the last college game that Reggie Bush will likely ever play, I assumed would be a true feat to watch; he is, after all, the best Running Back - Player, even - in the NCAA today.

Make that yesterday, actually. Today belongs to Vince Young.

Last night, he led the Texas Longhorns to a 41-38 victory over the #1 ranked USC Trojans. In a fantastic night, he scored three touchdowns - including the winning one, scored with only 19 seconds left - and went 30/40 with no interceptions. Not only that, but the kid is amazingly fun to watch. When he gets the snap, it’s like watching Mario Lemieux on a 2 on 1 or Manny Ramirez stepping to the plate with two on and two out. You don’t know just what the kid’s going to do, but you just know that it’s going to be either amazing or nothing at all… there’s no middle ground for Young. He either seems to rush madly up the field for 15 yards or throws a pass while scrambling like a madman deep behind the line of scrimmage.

And the game was amazing too… After the one-two combo of amazing games that the Sugar Bowl (Georgia coming so damn close in the last few seconds) and the Orange Bowl (A three overtime marathon that left both the viewers and player spent)provided, I would never have guessed that the Rose Bowl would top them all.

But it did.

A 14 point comeback in the last five minutes of the game; blown Field Goals and Extra Points that would have made a major impact in the game; a desperate comeback attempt that just couldn’t keep up with the clock - this is why we have ESPN Classic...

(Speaking of clocks, why did USC use their last timeout after a touchdown, but before Texas' two-point attempt? Since they used their last timeout, they were forced to pass to the sidelines on their last desperate attempt to win - and then they ran out of time)

Out of all the pre-game hype, Reggie Bush wasn’t the factor that I thought he was going to be. He had only 13 carries and while he scored one touchdown, he also fumbled early in the second quarter (on one of the worst laterals I’ve ever seen) - which led to Texas’ first score. LenDale White, USC’s other running back, looked just as good tonight, coming through with some major plays for them when they were needed most.

In the end it didn’t matter, however. Vince Young was utterly unstoppable for the Longhorns tonight, running for touchdowns with ease and making stellar passes almost at whim - and he looked almost a million times better then the assumed #1 overall pick on the NFL Draft, too...