| Navigation Bar Placeholder |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Opinion
| | | | | | | | | | |
:: Arizona Pool Scene www.azpoolscene.com
| Arizona Pool Scene |
| www.azpoolscene.com |
1/5/06
Over the years, during the time we owned the Arizona Billiards News, I wrote a few
opinions on some of the major sporting events that were happening at any given time.
The feedback, on those opinions, was extraordinary especially when you consider the
opinions had absolutely nothing to do with pool. With that said, I decided to write a little bit
about the National Championship game between USC and Texas that took place last
night.
First of all, the game itself was an instant classic and lived up to every bit of the hype that
preceded it. One team carried a 34 game winning streak and the other team came in with
19 in a row. Both teams were undefeated for the year and ranked numbers 1 and 2 in all
the polls. One team had the past two Heisman winners and the other team had the best
player in the nation. The lead in the game changed hands four times. It was the only
game I watched out of all the bowl games. I knew it was going to be a great game.
The play that the media is talking about the most is the one that took place with USC
leading 38 to 33 and just over two minutes remaining in the game. USC had the ball and
the lead and was faced with a fourth and two around the 40 yard line of Texas. USC coach
Pete Carroll decided to go for it. I agreed with his decision. He had the past two Heisman
winners on his side and a first down would have all but wrapped it up for USC and gave
them their third National Championship in a row. What I could not believe was the fact that
Carroll went for it with current Heisman winner, Reggie Bush, standing on the sidelines!
Bush wasn't even in the game for heaven's sake. The gamble failed and Texas was 60
yards from their own National Championship with two minutes to play.
Everyone that watched or heard about the game knows what happened from here. Texas
quarterback Vince Young put on a display that resembled "men against boys" as he
marched the Texas bunch down the field for the go ahead score with 19 seconds left in
the game. Right here is where USC coach Carroll really blew it.
The Texas score gave Texas the lead 39 to 38 with 19 seconds left. We all know that
when you lead by one or two points, an opponent field goal is still going to get you beat.
The USC coaches were not prepared for what they were going to do if Texas scored at the
end. Texas immediately kept their offense on the field to go for the two point conversion in
hopes of getting their lead to three. Kicking the extra point and increasing their lead to two
was useless. USC coach Pete Carroll had his kick block team on the field and had to use
his last time out to get that kick block team off the field and get his regular defense back
on the field. Not recognizing what to do if Texas scored, and using that last time out to
correct his error, cost him any chance he had to win the game from that point.
Texas, who did complete the two point conversion successfully which increased their lead
to 3 points, was not going to kick off deep to Reggie Bush with 19 seconds left and take
the chance on Bush returning the kickoff all the way for a touchdown. And they didn't. They
kicked short and USC got the ball outside their own 30 yard line with the past two
Heisman winners on the field and enough time to run a couple of plays hoping to get in
field goal range. Problem was they needed that last time out to get this done. A time out
that they wasted because they were not prepared to do what was necessary when Texas
scored the go ahead touchdown. One pass over the middle for 20 yards, another pass
over the middle for 30 yards, a timeout, a long field goal, and we have overtime. Instead
we got ..... oh my gosh, they are going for two! Call time out and get the defense back on
the field. A totally bone-head blunder that cost them any chance of winning the game. You
would think, that at that level, someone on the USC sideline would know that Texas was
going to have to go for two. I am surprised that they didn't know.
Ron Merseal
Over the years, during the time we owned the Arizona Billiards News, I wrote a few
opinions on some of the major sporting events that were happening at any given time.
The feedback, on those opinions, was extraordinary especially when you consider the
opinions had absolutely nothing to do with pool. With that said, I decided to write a little bit
about the National Championship game between USC and Texas that took place last
night.
First of all, the game itself was an instant classic and lived up to every bit of the hype that
preceded it. One team carried a 34 game winning streak and the other team came in with
19 in a row. Both teams were undefeated for the year and ranked numbers 1 and 2 in all
the polls. One team had the past two Heisman winners and the other team had the best
player in the nation. The lead in the game changed hands four times. It was the only
game I watched out of all the bowl games. I knew it was going to be a great game.
The play that the media is talking about the most is the one that took place with USC
leading 38 to 33 and just over two minutes remaining in the game. USC had the ball and
the lead and was faced with a fourth and two around the 40 yard line of Texas. USC coach
Pete Carroll decided to go for it. I agreed with his decision. He had the past two Heisman
winners on his side and a first down would have all but wrapped it up for USC and gave
them their third National Championship in a row. What I could not believe was the fact that
Carroll went for it with current Heisman winner, Reggie Bush, standing on the sidelines!
Bush wasn't even in the game for heaven's sake. The gamble failed and Texas was 60
yards from their own National Championship with two minutes to play.
Everyone that watched or heard about the game knows what happened from here. Texas
quarterback Vince Young put on a display that resembled "men against boys" as he
marched the Texas bunch down the field for the go ahead score with 19 seconds left in
the game. Right here is where USC coach Carroll really blew it.
The Texas score gave Texas the lead 39 to 38 with 19 seconds left. We all know that
when you lead by one or two points, an opponent field goal is still going to get you beat.
The USC coaches were not prepared for what they were going to do if Texas scored at the
end. Texas immediately kept their offense on the field to go for the two point conversion in
hopes of getting their lead to three. Kicking the extra point and increasing their lead to two
was useless. USC coach Pete Carroll had his kick block team on the field and had to use
his last time out to get that kick block team off the field and get his regular defense back
on the field. Not recognizing what to do if Texas scored, and using that last time out to
correct his error, cost him any chance he had to win the game from that point.
Texas, who did complete the two point conversion successfully which increased their lead
to 3 points, was not going to kick off deep to Reggie Bush with 19 seconds left and take
the chance on Bush returning the kickoff all the way for a touchdown. And they didn't. They
kicked short and USC got the ball outside their own 30 yard line with the past two
Heisman winners on the field and enough time to run a couple of plays hoping to get in
field goal range. Problem was they needed that last time out to get this done. A time out
that they wasted because they were not prepared to do what was necessary when Texas
scored the go ahead touchdown. One pass over the middle for 20 yards, another pass
over the middle for 30 yards, a timeout, a long field goal, and we have overtime. Instead
we got ..... oh my gosh, they are going for two! Call time out and get the defense back on
the field. A totally bone-head blunder that cost them any chance of winning the game. You
would think, that at that level, someone on the USC sideline would know that Texas was
going to have to go for two. I am surprised that they didn't know.
Ron Merseal