1964 – Orange Bowl

 PASS/FAIL

by Professor Larry Carlson   https://  texaslsn.org

(This part just below, Billy, for FACEBOOK only)

Back to the classroom now after a long, luxuriant Christmas break.

The remarkable college football season is over and Texas certainly graded out

with an “A” for its superlative season.  But with the Sugar Bowl fresh in the minds of everybody in Longhorn nation, now’s the time to review some of the lowest grades in the bigger moments of UT football history.  Here then, are my selections for the three biggest Texas passes that failed.  

The Horns, too, are back in the classroom, the film room and the weight room, aiming to take another giant leap forward next fall.  But if August 31st seems far away, know this. It’s already time to look forward to the Orange-White game set for April 20.

The Three Biggest UT Passes That Failed

III:   THE LAST SECOND LETDOWN

The Setting:  Sugar Bowl, CFP Semi-final, Jan. 8, 2024, New Orleans, LA

Texas, 12-1 and seeded third, was slightly favored against the undefeated, second-seeded Washington Huskies.

At Stake:  A spot in the national championship game In Houston.

The Situation:  The Longhorns, with some quirky good luck to accompany the grit they showed all season, suddenly had a chance to overcome what had been a seemingly insurmountable nine-point deficit a moment earlier.   Texas, trailing 37-31, reached the UW 13 yardline with only seconds to go.  After failure to score on three pass plays and with one tick remaining on fourth down, it was all or nothing at all for the Horns.

The Pass That Failed:  Quarterback Quinn Ewers targeted Adonai Mitchell in the end zone.  Mitchell appeared to have walled off CB Elijah Jackson.  The pass was thrown high, seemingly intended to be a jump ball that the 6-4 Georgia transfer with great leaping ability would haul in.  But Jackson went high while Mitchell, as if expecting a gut shot pass for an easy TD, did not sky. The pass was tipped away.

The Fallout:  Armchair QBs moaned, claiming Ewers threw the ball the only place it would not become a sure touchdown for Mitchell.  Many Longhorn fans also scrutinized the replays and wailed about what they saw as pass interference.

Alas, it was all over but the cryin’.   Washington 37, Texas 31

The Footnote:  One week later, Michigan would be crowned as national champs. after downing  Washington, 34-13.  Less than 100 hours later, the Huskies’ head coach, second-year boss Kalen DeBoer, would accept the biggest job in college football, succeeding Nick Saban as head coach at Alabama after Saban’s surprise resignation.

Texas now heads to the SEC.

II:  THE COLD SHOULDER

The Setting:  Rose Bowl, National Championship, Jan.7, 2010, Pasadena, CA

It was the first title game featuring two 13-0 teams.  Top-ranked Bama was a 

four-point favorite over second-ranked Texas.

The Situation:  Texas, with touted but untested freshman Garrett Gilbert at QB, was trailing 17-6 after a Tide FG with 29 seconds left in the first half.  Colt McCoy, out with a shoulder injury on the fifth play from scrimmage, was sorely missed. Texas had to settle for two short-range field goals for an early 6-0 lead and Bama  countered with 17 unanswered points.  It appeared though, that Gilbert and the Horns might utilize halftime to re-calibrate and rally.

The Pass That Failed:  Rather than take a knee and beeline it for the locker room, Texas elected to try to move the ball in the final seconds of ther first half.  A hurried shovel pass from Gilbert bounced off the hands of DJ Monroe into the welcoming arms of 300-pound Bama DT Marcell Dareus, the man who had delivered the hit that crunched McCoy’s shoulder.  Dareus steamed in for a TD from 28 yards out and Alabama suddenly had a daunting 24-6 halftime lead.

The Fallout:  What the …. hell?  What was Texas doing?  Or trying to do?  Greg Davis, the long-time Longhorn offensive coordinator who frequently served as a pinata for accusatory UT fans, was blamed by many.  Gilbert looked tentative on the play, which most observers felt was all risk with very little potential reward, the Horns being 45 yards from even field goal range with just seconds left.  

Bolstered by the sturdy Texas defense in the second half, Gilbert (15 for 40 on the day, for 186 yards and 4 picks) found some rhythm.  He hit the incomparable Jordan Shipley for two TD passes that pulled Texas into contention.  With six minutes left UT 

trailed 24-21.  Around the three-minute mark, the Steers had the ball at their seven with hope and momentum.  Crimson Tide defensive coordinator  Kirby Smart dialed up an outside blitz and Gilbert got blindsided.  He fumbled.  Alabama went on to score two touchdowns in the last two minutes for a 37-21 triumph

The Footnote:  It has been well documented.  Texas began a long, dark swirl down the drain, starting with a 5-7 mark the next fall..  Alabama would ride the coaching genius of Nick Saban to dominate college football, earning six natties in a 12-season span.

And Texas fans will always wonder what might have unfolded – for one night at the Rose Bowl, then for what turned out to be 13 largely nightmarish years –had Colt McCoy

never been injured.

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