By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP Sports Writer   Thu Jan 5, 3:55 AM ET
( with editorial additions by dailypicture.net )

Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns are no longer in second place  to Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and the University of Southern California. With the national championship down to a final play, fourth down and 5 yards to go, Young scrambled untouched for an 8-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left and the No. 2 Longhorns stunned the top-ranked Trojans 41-38 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night.

It was the ultimate revenge for Young, the disappointed runner-up to USC's Reggie Bush for the Heisman Trophy last month. Vince said the National Championship Trophy was a much sweeter victory.

On a night when he ran for 200 yards and passed for 267 more, Young capped a performance that Texas fans will remember forever by scoring his third TD and running for a 2-point conversion to end Southern Cal's 34-game winning streak and deny the Trojans an unprecedented third straight national championship.

"It's so beautiful," Young said about the Crystal Football National Championship Trophy. "Don't you think that's beautiful? It's coming home all the way to Auuusstiin, Texas.... baaabeeeee! "

With the two highest scoring teams in the country, many figured it would come down to which team had the ball last. It basically did. It came down to 4th and 5, less than a minute on the clock, and a single man, with a destiny to fulfill and a dream to live.

Texas players and fans streamed onto the field with the Longhorns' first outright national title since 1969. Young stood on the sideline in a sea of falling confetti, the hook'em horn sign raised high, toward the crowd, and senior tackle William Winston unfurled a big, white Longhorns flag and waived it triumphantly around the gridiron field. The enregy on the field was nothing less than electric, a magic moment. and how appropriate since this year's "Rose Bowl Theme" just happened to be "its Magical"...  Well the whole nation witnessed a little "Texas Magic" on Wednesday night.

The Longhorns (13-0) won their 20th in a row, overcoming the 38-26 lead USC (12-1) held with 4 1/2 minutes left.

While the Longhorns' band blasted Gabriel's horn to  "The Eyes of Texas" in front of a sea of burnt orange, the USC players looked startled, stunned and dejected. Some put their hands to their heads, while others dejectedly took off their helmets. Others walked around aimlessly as if their bell was rung or something.

"Well, we couldn't stop them when we had to," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "The quarterback ran all over the place.

"This is their night," he said. "It's wonderful doing what we've been doing. We didn't get it done."

Said Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart, the Heisman winner a year ago: "I still think we're a better football team. They just made the plays in the end." Hey Matt... A "W" is a "W" ... and a "L" is a "L" ...  nuff said.

Leinart did his part in his final college game while Bush was less than his best. Leinart passed for 365 yards, and his 22-yard TD strike to Dwyane Jarrett put USC ahead 38-26 with 6:42 left.

Earlier, Bush soared into the end zone on a 26-yard run, part of his 82 yards rushing. He also had 95 yards on six catches — and a boneheaded lateral that swung momentum Texas' way in the first half.

"It's been a great run. We've done some special things," Bush said. "I don't think we should be ashamed about anything."

In a game that produced more than 1,100 yards, a defensive stand was key for Texas.  Defensive Player of the Game was awarded to Michael Huff.

On fourth-and-2 from USC'S 45-yard line with 2:09 left, Carroll gambled. He decided to try to seal the game with his vaunted offense, dubbed by many the best ever in college football, and keep the ball out of Young's hands. But when LenDale White came up inches short, Texas defenders jumped in the air and charged off the field as Young trotted on.

"If you make that first down, you're squatting on the football to win the game," Carroll said. "We just missed it. By what — two inches?"  Two Inches  to destiny.  Close only counts in horshoes, Mr. Carroll!

Young stood poised in the pocket and passed the Longhorns to a first-and-10 at the 13. After a 5-yard scramble, he misfired on two passes to set up fourth-and-5 at the 8 yard line.

The Trojans brought the pressure, as they did all night, but Young broke free, found a lane and raced to the right pylon.  It was like his legs were slithered with grease.  Young sealed the deal with an eight yard run and steped into legendary status at the University of Texas.  Texas Loves Its Heroes!

The Longhorns erupted. One pounded the turf as he lay face down on the turf, while the shocked Trojans futilely looked toward officials, hoping they'd say Young stepped out of bounds, But he didn't, it was a clean six.

USC had one last chance, and it wasn't a good one. On the last play of the game from just beyond midfield, Leinart's pass sailed high over Jarrett's head around the 25.

With two of the most storied programs in college football, teams seemingly destined to decide the national title this season, the Rose Bowl was dripping with pageantry and tradition. Tommy Trojan atop Traveler galloped along the USC sideline. Meanwhile the Longhorns' beloved steer, Bevo, guarded the Texas tunnel.

The Trojans think of the Rose Bowl as their home away from home — no team has won the "Granddaddy of Them All" more often. But a Texas-sized contingent of Longhorns fans turned half the hallowed stadium burnt orange and was loud enough to force USC into at least one penalty for delay of game.

Texas led 16-10 at halftime, but being behind after two quarters was nothing new to the Trojans. Four times this season they trailed after 30 minutes and regained control in the third quarter.

And that's what they did again, forcing a punt by Texas and driving 62 yards on seven plays with White finishing with a 4-yard run that made it 17-16 USC.

Young, back at the site of his breakout performance last year against Michigan, responded with a 14-yard touchdown run, reaching a long arm toward the pylon to make it 23-17. 

Remember last year ??? Vince told us then that the Horns would be back, What an uncanny prediction.

On fourth-and-1 from the Texas 12, White burst through the line for a touchdown, his third of the game that made it 24-23.

On the second play of the second quarter, Bush bolted down the middle for 37 yards with a screen pass, but inexplicably pitched the ball sideways to unprepared teammate Brad Walker. Texas All-America defensive back Michael Huff fell on the loose ball, and Bush came off the field with his hands on his helmet, shaking his head, looking as baffled as anyone by what he had just done.

Texas turned the break into its first points, with Young passing and running into USC territory and David Pino booting a 46-yard field goal. 

When Young went no-huddle, he found tight end David Thomas a couple of times and showed Bush how to pull off a late pitch.

Young went 10 yards on an option keeper, and just before his knee touched turf — or so it seemed — chucked the ball to Selvin Young, who took it the final 12 yards for a score and Texas' first lead, 9-7.

Replays appeared to show the quarterback's knee hitting the ground before he let go of the ball, but with Selvin Young standing way out on the playing field, officials never stopped play for a review.

Less than 2:30 later, Texas was on the board again as Ramonce Taylor, known as Bush Lite around Austin, ran 30 yards to make it 16-7.

But in the end, the elusive Texas quarterback ran for 200 yards for three touchdowns and completed 30 out of 40 pass attempts for another 267 yards, earning offensive player of the year honors and praise from team mates and opponents.

While the Longhorns and their thousands of orange-clad supporters celebrated, the Trojans were left to absorb the shock loss of a game they had been leading 38-26 with less than seven minutes to play.

It was a particularly devastating defeat for Trojans' quarterback Matt Leinart who had spurned the NFL and millions of dollars to return to USC for one final season to chase history.

Instead it was Young who wrote the headlines, scoring the two decisive touchdowns, the biggest of his career coming with just 19 seconds to play.

Fourth down on the USC eight and time running out, Young sent a shudder through the 93,986 fans crammed into every corner of the Rose Bowl when he raced around the right end into the endzone for the game-winning score.

Minutes earlier, Young had put his team in position for the victory when he capped off a 69-yard drive with a 17-yard run to trim the deficit to 38-33.

In the buildup to the Rose Bowl, the game had been hyped as perhaps the greatest college football game of all time and, after an uneven opening half, managed to live up to expectations with the two teams combining for more than 1,000 yards of offence.

President Bush called Texas coach Mack Brown on Thursday morning to congratulate the Longhorns on their dramatic Rose Bowl victory over Southern California.

"Congratulations on a wonderful moment," he said, according to press secretary Scott McClellan. "Tell the team congratulations, we're proud of them."

Brown got an early wake-up call from the president after a late night.

"You know your life is different when the first call you receive is from President Bush at 6 in the morning, and my wife Sally asks me, 'Can you take it,'" Brown said at news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Vince Young scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left and the Longhorns beat the top-ranked Trojans 41-38 on Wednesday night, winning their first outright national championship since 1969.

The president apparently fell asleep during the game but woke up in time for the exciting finish.

McClellan said Bush wished Brown and the Longhorns all the best, and said that he looked forward to having them visit the White House soon.

Bush is a former Texas governor. His daughter Jenna is a UT graduate.

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Texas Longhorns to Be on Wheaties Box

Thu Jan 5, 10:39 AM ET

The national champion Texas Longhorns are going to get their Wheaties.

General Mills said it will produce a commemorative Wheaties box to mark the Longhorns' 41-38 win over Southern California in Wednesday night's Rose Bowl.

The cereal box will feature Texas coach Mack Brown and a Texas Longhorns helmet on the front. The Longhorns box is scheduled to appear on Texas grocery shelves in two weeks and nationwide starting next month.

General Mills said Texas is the first national college football champion to be featured on a Wheaties box since Nebraska in 1997, after coach Tom Osborne's Cornhuskers won a share of the national title.

 

  

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THANKS VINCE ! !