Playing Through
UT inherits the curse that goes along with their No. 1 ranking
By Joe O'Connell, Fri., Oct. 17, 2008
No. 1.
So sudden. So decadent. So heady. So lonesome. So utterly true and bone-shakingly a sham. Turn the Tower's orange Klieg lights to the blinding setting, and shout it to the world.
Or ask Bob Stoops and the boys from Oklahoma. They had it all: the perfect Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, a defense on the rise, huge linemen on both sides of the ball, and a ground game that was, well, insignificant.
No. 1 is a curse. A target on your back. Bang! The Sooners roll to the turf. Colt McCoy's boys are behind, but he threads ball after ball just past the outstretched hands of myriad OU defenders. McCoy's childhood pal (and current roommate/pitch-and-catch partner) Jordan Shipley lopes down the field for a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Earl Thomas (who?) pulls down an interception from OU's godlike QB Sam Bradford (387 yards passing in a loss?). Chris Ogbannaya, the spark plug to a dormant UT running game, hits the ignition for 62 yards to seal a 45-35 Texas win. Done.
Meet the new boss, somewhat like the old boss. Texas is No. 1. A Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback. A defense on the rise under smoldering co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. A running game that is, well, uncertain. Here, Texas, catch the No. 1 hot potato. Longhorn coach Mack Brown shakes his head and says, "If I was voting, I would've [picked] Alabama at Number 1." Why would he want a title that comes without a flak jacket?
Ten football teams remain undefeated at the season's halfway mark. Texas will take on two of them in coming weeks: No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 8 Oklahoma State. First they must get past the wounded Tigers of Missouri, who were supposed to be No. 1 this week. They felt it in their bone marrow. It was theirs until crazy Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys bitch-slapped them 28-23 at home.
No. 1 Longhorns, meet the No. 11 Tigers. They've got a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Chase Daniel, whose high school coach was former UT QB Todd Dodge. He leads a potent offense that, save this past weekend, reels off more than 50 points a game without pity. They are bruised, bloodied, and angry. How does No. 1 feel, Texas? The last time you were here in midseason, Ronald Reagan was in office, and the World Wide Web was something Spider-Man weaved in comic books.
Savor the moment. You played the most exciting game since the last time you beat a No. 1. When was that again? Hazy memories. A guy named Vince Young dancing into the end zone against USC. No. 1 forever. Make us believe again. Pretty please.
