Tag: 2005 BCS National Champion

Texas Recruiting: Where does their best class rank amongst its peers?

The Sporting News put together a ranking of the best recruiting classes since 2002. The Texas Longhorns class of 2002 finished second best.

In February, the Texas Longhorns will be wrapping up their 2021 class after signing a total of 20 recruits in the early signing period. The class currently sits at No. 17 overall in the 247Sports composite team rankings. Continue reading “Texas Recruiting: Where does their best class rank amongst its peers?”

WATCH: Former QB Vince Young discusses what it meant to win the National Championship

As part of our Championship Series, Vince Young discussed what it meant to win the BCS National Championship in 2005. Presented by Amway.

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The BCS National Championship between the Texas Longhorns and Southern California Trojans is still one of the greatest games in college football history. It certainly has to be one of the top three games and it might be the best championship game in the modern era. The Trojans were coming off two-consecutive championships when they drew the challenge of stopping Vince Young and Texas.

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So what did it mean to VY to win the 2005 BCS National Championship game? Young sat down with Aaron Murray as part of the Campus Lore Championship Moments series presented by Amway and XS Energy Drink to give some insight:

“Yeah, it was a beautiful moment,” Young stated. “Not only just for us as players but as well as our fans. They stuck with us through all the years. My teammates, we put in all the hard work in the offseason. Guys going to class. Guys doing what they were supposed to do, being accountable. Just the small things like that can really change your team if everyone is on the same page. On one accord to go to a championship game because it is not easy. I want people to know that it is not easy at all, to go to a championship.”

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WATCH: Former QB Vince Young discusses Mack Brown’s halftime speech against USC

As part of the Championship Series presented by Amway, Vince Young sat down to discuss Mack Brown’s halftime speech against USC.

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In 2005, the Texas Longhorns and Southern California Trojans faced off in one of the greatest games in college football history. The game took place 15 years ago, and it is still one of the most talked-about games. The players in the game, the storylines and the finish. It felt like a game that was written for Hollywood. You had USC alumnus Will Ferrell on one side. For Texas, it was Matthew McConaughey.

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The Longhorns found themselves down 7-0 after one quarter. Vince Young lateraled to Selvin Young for their first touchdown. Ramonce Taylor scored on a 30-yard run to give them a 16-10 lead late in the second quarter. They held that lead into halftime. Head coach Mack Brown gave them a speech before heading back out to win the championship game.

So what did coach Brown tell the team at halftime of the 2005 BCS National Championship game? Young sat down with Aaron Murray as part of the Campus Lore Championship Moments series presented by Amway and XS Energy Drink to give some insight:

“His first thing was ain’t this fun guys?”, Young said laughingly. “Which it was, it was fun. But he [said] let’s relax, let’s get back tuned in. Don’t forget who they are, they are USC, back-to-back national champions. He made sure that we humbled ourselves and get back to staying focused. So we were excited at halftime, but the first thing he said was let’s get back to being focused. Because we had a whole second half to go. Coach Brown was really good at those things.”

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Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Longhorns Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

WATCH: Former Texas QB Vince Young talks about setting the tone against Ohio State

Former Longhorns quarterback Vince Young reflects on Texas’ pivotal win over the Buckeyes in 2005 en route to the BCS national championship.

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During the 2005 season that ultimately led to the most recent national championship for the Texas Longhorns, the second game was one of the most important. The No. 2 Longhorns faced off with the No. 4 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. This game would catapult the Longhorns toward the BCS National Championship Game. There was some adversity, however. After leading 10-0 through the first quarter, Texas would need a comeback effort.

Vince Young and the Longhorns found themselves down 22-16 heading into the fourth quarter. With under three minutes left, Young connected with Limas Sweed for a 24-yard touchdown pass to take the lead. The final score became 25-22 after the Longhorns defense added a safety with 19 seconds left in the game. Young discussed that the Longhorns needed to set the tone for the season in this game. That was the message from head coach Mack Brown.

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So how did Brown and team set the tone against Ohio State? Young sat down with former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray as part of the Campus Lore Championship Moments series presented by Amway and XS Energy Drink to discuss the game at the Horseshoe:

“It definitely helped to know who our identity was,” Young said. “For the second game of the season, playing in that hostile environment down in the ‘shoe. Under the lights, I mean it was a tough game. At the same time, it wasn’t about them — it was about us. Like I said earlier, coach made us accountable thorugh that whole offseason. So when he said, ‘Hey guys, when we go down to Ohio State, it is going to tell us what type of team we are going to be.”

Young continued, “I really felt like the respect for Ohio State, those guys are really good. But it really wasn’t about them; it was about us. [And] we had to set the tone for that game. To let everybody know from the bowl game pickers, all the people in the polls and everything what type of team we were going to be.”

WATCH: Former Texas QB discusses enforcing the Mack Brown rules

As part of the Campus Lore series, Vince Young discusses enforcing the Mack Brown rules following the 2004 Rose Bowl win over Michigan.

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During the Vince Young and Mack Brown era, Texas football was at it’s highest peak. Longhorns were back on the map as one of the premier programs. In 2004, Vince Young and the Longhorns found themselves playing the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl after a 10-1 regular season. The win over the Wolverines gave this team plenty of confidence to return to Pasadena the following year for the BCS National Championship.

Following the Rose Bowl win over Michigan, Young said he needed to remind the team they weren’t done.  He sat down with Aaron Murray as part of the Campus Lore Championship Moments series presented by Amway and XS Energy Drink to discuss his time in Austin. Murray asked Young if he felt they had something special brewing.

Yeah we did. At first we had some guys who were smelling themselves a little bit. So when we came back off that win, the guys came back a little happy go lucky. [They] forgot about Coach Brown’s rules and regulations and I saw that in my team so I asked coach if I could speak to the team for a second.

I was pointing out his team rules like in his team meeting he always wanted you to sit up straight. He didn’t want you to wear a hat, he didn’t want you to wear earrings. There were a lot of things that he didn’t like in his meeting room and a lot of guys came in doing that. And I had to say something because I felt like that was going to tear us down. Guys felt like because we won that first Rose Bowl against Michigan we were done.

I was like nah dude we’re not finish yet

The rules were obviously important to Mack Brown and Vince Young. That two season run the Longhorns were one of the best in the country with a combined 24-1 record. That is still a really high bar that the current team is still chasing 15 years later.

WATCH: Former Longhorns QB Vince Young reveals why he chose Texas

In part of the Campus Lore series presented by Amway, former Longhorns quarterback Vince Young reveals why he chose Texas back in 2002.

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When Vince Young was being recruited to Texas, he was a hot commodity for many schools. The Longhorns ultimately earned his commitment but Young was being recruited by many top schools. Among the list were the LSU Tigers who were coached at that time by Nick Saban. Florida State was also in the running for the talented quarterback as well as Miami (Fl).

Vince Young is the only quarterback in the history of the 247Sports rankings to be given a perfect recruiting ranking. He was a player who changed a lot for the Texas Longhorns. Culminating with the 2006 Rose Bowl victory that gave Texas their first National Championship since 1970.

So why did VY decide to stay home and wear the burnt orange? Vince Young sat down with Aaron Murray as part of the Campus Lore series highlighting his time in Austin. Campus Lore is presented by Amway and XS Energy Drink.

From the get go Coach [Mack] Brown, Coach [Greg] Davis and the guys came down and recruited me. They brought me to Texas. I thought it was the best fit for me. A lot of other college wanted to basically take me and put me at wide receiver. I liked that Coach Brown came in and told me the truth that I want to bring you in to the University of Texas and play quarterback. That’s all I needed to hear.

When he said that he kept his word. When it was my time, my opportunity to play I made sure I didn’t give the keys back to nobody. When he said that you’re the starter, I took the job head on. It was a great opportunity. Coming out that smoke, playing for the University of Texas. In front of that crowd that screams and hollers that burnt orange, that I truly, truly love. – VY on why he chose Texas

Vince Young made the right decision as he is still viewed as the best quarterback in Texas Longhorns history. He still owns plenty of records in school history. Not to mention he was the catalyst for the last National Championship in Texas football. His performance against the USC Trojans will forever be remembered as one of the greatest in college football history.

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Locked on Longhorns Podcast: ‘Mack Brown on Vince Young, Jalen Milroe decommits’

On the latest Locked on Longhorns Podcast we discuss Mack Brown’s appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. Plus Jalen Milroe decommits.

The podcast kicks off with what former Longhorns head coach Mack Browns has to say about the upcoming season.

  • Why is the Big Ten/Pac-12 out while ACC/Big 12/SEC are in?
  • What a Travis County health official thinks about the 25 percent capacity
  • Mack Brown on Vince Young in the NFL
  • The final play, whose call was it?

With Quinn Ewers committing to the University of Texas is there going to be fallout? It appears that the dominoes have already begun to fall.

  • Jalen Milroe decommits, but why?
  • How does this impact the QB recruiting in 2021? Anyone on the way?
  • Plus could we see a fifth year of Sam Ehlinger?

With the 2020 college football season just over three weeks away, we break down the upcoming season. What will the record be?

  • ESPN released their game-by-game predictions using win probability. Which game is the closest? Which game should fans circle on the calendar?
  • PFF ranked all 130 QBs in FBS, where is Ehlinger? How does the entire Big 12 QB rankings shake out?
  • Plus a surprising NFL comparison for Ehlinger