Roll Tide and Assorted Other Notes from the Title Game

I knew the moment that Longhorns QB Colt McCoy left the game with an injury that UT fans across the country would want to place an asterisk next to this game should Alabama end up victorious. I didn't, however, think it would happen during the game.

A quick check of the Facebook pages of some of my Longhorn friends this morning had the usual whining by the losing team's fans about bad coaching decisions, Bama running up the score, and the expected laments that the outcome would have been different if McCoy had played the entire game. What surprised me was when I realized that many of these comments were posted long before the outcome of the game was over.

I honestly thought going into the game that the true title game had been played in the SEC Championship, and that UT would not last more than a half against an Alabama defense that embarassed Florida in December. At halftime last night, it looked like I was right. Then UT took advantage of some uncharacteristly conservative play calling by Bama and mounted a great comeback. For a while I thought I'd have a lot of crow to eat this morning, but then the first sack of the night by the Tide defense forced a fumble that effectively sealed the game.

Longhorn fans can lament all they want that the outcome would have been different with Colt at QB, but I beg to differ for two reasons. First, the aforementioned sack would have forced a fumble even if (insert legendary QB of your choice here) had taken that snap. Second, Alabama's defensive game plan likely used the tendencies they had seen in video of Colt McCoy not those of Garrett Gilbert. That's not to say that Gilbert fooled the Tide defense, per se, it's just to indicate that the Tide's McCoy-to-Gilbert videotape ratio was probably in the 10:1 range. Little-used players off of the bench can often wreak havoc on a defense that prepared for the other team's star. This was no different.

I'd also venture that the Tide defense also subconsciously relaxed a little after McCoy left as well. That would be a natural tendency of almost any competitor. But for those who still think that McCoy would have made the difference, look no further than the Longhorn's opening possession. After a fake punt that gave the Horns not only incredible field position but a chance to make a statement in the opening minutes of the game, they had to settle for a field goal. Points yes, but a moral victory for the Tide defense. Then the Horns had another chance after the mental lapse on the ensuing kickoff by the Tide special teams unit. Again, another field goal, albeit McCoy was out of the equation by this point.

Injuries are part of the game. Should we put an asterisk next to the Texas win against Oklahoma after Sam Bradford went out? Sooner fans would probably say yes, but I'll bet my life savings that Longhorn fans would claim that "Texas would have won with Bradford playing." Sound familiar?

What Longhorn fans should really be upset about is the absolutely asinine question that ABC's Lisa Salters asked Colt McCoy about 5 nanoseconds after his team had lost its national championship bid. You can hear the entire interview at http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/colt-mccoy-national-championship-postgame-interview/4259931995, but for the sake of this blog, here is the question that almost made me throw a damaging object through my TV last night.

"What was it like for you to watch this game, your last game in a Longhorn uniform, from the sidelines?"

While this question might be appropriate in the post game news conference, it has no business being asked right after the game. The only reason to ask that question with that phrasing is if you are trying to elicit an emotional response. It almost worked. Colt clearly choked back tears, then just as clearly suppressed the response that I wanted him to give, then answered Lisa with grace and dignity. A response for the ages.

In case you're wondering, my response would have been, "I don't know, Lisa. I guess I felt the same way that Dale, Jr. felt when he helplessly watched his father die during the Daytona 500. Or maybe the same way that Jackie Kennedy felt when JFK was shot while she sat helplessly next to him."

Of course, he could have replied, "Well, Lisa. It felt great. Even though Alabama was favored to win, since I left the game so early they're not really the national champions. Clearly this win will be forever tainted and Bama fans will never truly savor this win because they know Texas would have won if I had not been injured."

But what I'd really like one ballsy athlete to say one day is, "How would you feel, Lisa, if you had the chance to win an ESPY for sideline reporting, but lost it to Erin Andrews because you were having a bad hair day and got replaced for this game?"

A much better question, in my opinion, would have been, "Colt, once you realized you were not going to be able to return to the game, what did you do from the sidelines to try to help your teammates, especially Gilbert, maintain their poise and focus?"

The bottom line is that in a world where so many of the TV sideline reporters are nothing more than people who aren't good enough to be the game's color analyst, it's no wonder why coaches and players are wary of talking to the media. Players the world over should watch this interview to see exactly how to handle an idiotic question. And sports executives should watch the same interview and fire anyone who asks such a question. Those same sports executives should watch my friend Whit Watson for examples of exemplary sideline reporting.

I'm not saying tough questions are off limits. But questions that have no relevance to the game that just ended should be saved for the locker room or the interview room.

Longhorn fans have no reason to try to place an asterisk on this game. You fought well, but lost to a superior team. Alabama fans have no reason to apologize for this win. ABC, on the other hand, should just be ashamed of itself. And just think, we get to watch ABC/ESPN botch BCS coverage for the next four years.

I can hardly wait.