Published: January 06, 2009 01:14 pm      

Texas should be 'Real McCoy' in 2009 campaign

Thank goodness Texas fans have Colt McCoy in their back pocket.

The Longhorns escaped a “game” group of Ohio State Buckeyes 24-21 late Monday night to capture the Fiesta Bowl when McCoy hit senior standout receiver Quan Cosby on a 26-yard game-winning touchdown pass in the waning seconds.

For those folks that fell asleep too early, McCoy attempted 59 passes, completing 41 of them, for 414 yards and two touchdowns and he also ran for another.

I kept thinking, after the final horn sounded, that Mr. McCoy should have won the Heisman Trophy this year. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, the Heisman winner, and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow deserve honors. However, you take Mr. McCoy off the Longhorns, and Texas would be just average.

When the season started way back in the dog days of August, I thought the Longhorns would go somewhere in the 8-4 or possibly 9-3 range. After all, t˙their defense was still “wet behind the ears” and former Port Arthur standout Jamaal Charles opted for the NFL, leaving Texas’ running game weak to say the least.

Honestly, my thoughts were that Texas would get a decent bowl game, say the Cotton, and were a year away from contending for a national title.

They fooled me, and I enjoyed every bit of it. The Longhorns wrapped up a nearly perfect season record-wise, going 12-1, including a big win over Oklahoma.

The thing that sums up the Longhorns’ season is they can win football games, but just can't prevail in debates.

The No. 3 Longhorns walked away from Tempe with a victory, but it was one that surely won’t be enough to convince Associated Press writers to vote for them in the AP version of the national crown.

A three-point victory over the 10th-ranked Buckeyes isn’t going to be quite enough.

Not when undefeated Utah captivated the nation with a stunning 31-17 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama. And not when Ohio State is representing the beleaguered Big Ten, which went 1-6 in bowl games. And not when the Longhorns needed a late drive – and a good fourth-down spot – to pull out a victory.

It was a “Heisman” type drive for McCoy, no doubt.

The Longhorns’ only chance for any kind of a national title would be to annihilate the Buckeyes, not barely escape them.

The Buckeyes (10-3), who lost by 32 points to USC earlier this season and also fell to Penn State, which was dominated by the Trojans in the Rose Bowl. Those losses, as well as blowout losses in the last two national championship games, have tarnished Ohio State's national reputation.

However, the Buckeyes, full of seniors, physically beat up on the much younger Longhorns.

The winner of Thursday night’s BCS national championship game between Florida and Oklahoma will be ranked No. 1 in the coaches’ poll. Texas might be able to climb to No. 2, but after the way USC and Utah closed their seasons the Horns can't even count on that.

We Texas fans need to take solace that the Longhorns, with most of their talent back, will be one of the top three teams to open the season next year and they might even be preseason No. 1.

Texas fans don’t want to have to wait another year for a shot at a national title. The Longhorns have the same record as the teams in the BCS championship game and defeated Oklahoma by 10 points on a neutral field. But, we have to live with it and there is no playoff system coming anytime soon.

Next year looks to be awesome.

A young defense grew some teeth and West Orange-Stark products in cornerback Deon Beasley and Earl Thomas had some shining moments through out the season. Thomas led the Mustangs with nine tackles against the Buckeyes from his safety spot.

The offensive line returns four starters and wide receiver Jordan Shipley returns. The Longhorns just need to find a breakout running back, and fast.

Last but not least Longhorn fans, we have Colt McCoy, who has proved time and again that he’s the “Real McCoy.”

I thought all along that the 2009 campaign would be Texas’ shot at a national championship again. The 2008 season was great but 2009 looks even more promising for the boys in burnt orange.