As I said awhile back when recapping the Michigan-Ohio State game, there are three games on Michigan’s schedule that there is absolutely, positively no reason not to be up for. So far, they’re 1-2 in those games, the “1” thanks in entire part to waking up for a key 10 minute stretch at the end of the game against Michigan State. Making it to the Rose Bowl adds another game to that list. So far *knocks wood* they’ve looked all right, though Vince Young taking off on a 15 yard run brought back the sphincter-clenching moments from late November.

If it’s not bad enough that the greatest bowl game going is now officially known as “The Rose Bowl Game presented by The Company That Fills My Mailbox With More Worthless Envelopes Schlepping High Interest Credit Cards Than Anyone Else” (err… “Citi”), but Mickey Mouse flipped the coin at the start of the game. Granted, the rat got a good rotation on the over-sized, trumped-up “coin”, but if having an overgrown imaginary mouse decide possession for the start of one of the biggest games of the year isn’t a smack to the ass of tradition, I don’t know what is.

Though I can look past the nauseating sponsorship and the coin-flipping rodent if ABC would put an end to the sideline interviews with nobodies. Well, not “nobodies”, per se, but people that have nothing to do with the game have no business on TV. I don’t care if Matthew McConaughey *founded* the University of Texas, what does he have to do with the football game? Moves like that are putting ABC Sports dangerously close to becoming FOX. And not in a good way. Not that there *is* a good way to be like FOX, but that’s definitely not it.

And Vince Young makes Michigan’s defense look sillier than Cedric Benson did on the rest of that drive. Also not good.

As Michigan finishes off the first half with a typical-for-the-last-four-years TD grab by Braylon Edwards, Texas comes back in the third quarter to retake the lead on a half bad defense/half hellified moves by Vince Young and 832 (or so it seems) yards later he has a touchdown. The poor tackling made it seem alot more impressive, but it still has to go down as one of the greatest TD runs by a quarterback who was hit in the goodie bag two plays earlier.

And could someone please tell Michigan that even though they get a generous amount of three timeouts per half, there’s no rule that says they have to use one of the in the first five minutes of each half? Please? At least Steve Breaston had his own nice bad defense/great speed and moves TD of his own, and this one is still a beauty of a football game.

While I’m pretty neutral on Texas, I’ve realized that I have to at least give *a little* credit to a school who’s “trademark move” is a variation of The Shocker. Hook ‘Em Horns!

(Just start tomorrow, okay?)

This Young kid is, um, pretty good. Of course, the bane of college football (and mostly of Michigan defense of the last 5 years) continues to rear its ugly head…the arm tackle. There have been about four instances of someone actually wrapping up and hitting the body, and one of them was that stupid roughing the passer call that put Texas at first and goal inside the 7. Of course, if Young doesn’t unwrap himself from one arm tackle and avoid two others, its a moot point.

Young does, however, need to walk to the back of the bench and smack the kicker. This kid is 5’7″ in cleats, and he emphatically celebrated making an extra point. An extra-freaking-point. You’re supposed to make those. You’re getting free tuition to make those. Put your arms down. Unless of course you’re Garret Rivas, which is Spanish for “every kick is an emotional roller coaster”.

Tee-hee… Texas has a defensive player named “Michael Hunt”. I’d go by Michael, too.

Of all the things wrong with college football these days, was there a greater move EVER than finding a way to get Keith Jackson back in the booth? Sure he’s a little oversugary (in a Dan Rather on Election Night sort of way) at times. With the herd of “broadcasters” ESPN is shuttling through the booth, Jackson is more of a delight than just even a breath of fresh air. Now we just have to work on getting him to replace Brent Musberger on Big Ten games.

Vince Young… really, really good. That stampeding sound you hear is every coach in the Big Ten rushing out to find an athletic quarterback to beat Michigan with next year. (And the ones that *have* an athletic quarterback are rushing out to keep him away from the boosters. And keeping their young wide receivers away from junior high schools).

Thank you Steve Breaston for bringing that kick back as far as you did. If this game comes down to Garrett Rivas kicking a field goal, I might not make it to tomorrow. I have faith in him, but it won’t be pretty.

Whew! There was the Rivas field goal, from 42 yards and every bit as clenching as I thought it would be. PLEASE stop them, defense, I don’t want to have to go through that again.

Damn kickers. Congrats Texas, that was a helluva game. (Incidentally, I think this will be Michigan’s 500th game for ESPN Classic, and drops their record to 2-498 in those games. What did I say earlier about winning the big one this year?)

Michigan’s defense, long a source of pride for the maize ‘n blue has now given up at, around or over 1,000 yards of offense in the last two games, with over 2/5 of that offense coming on the feet of the quarterback. Think the defensive coaches have some work to do before August? Me too.

Now excuse me while I try to get excited for a Fiesta Bowl between two teams with lame duck coaches, one of which backed into the title in the weakest BCS conference in recent memory. Speaking of lame duck coaches, Iowa pulled off an awesome last play win over LSU in the Corporate Someone Something Bowl earlier, leaving LSU not only without the coach that led them to a co-National Title last year (and former Toledo Rocket scum), but now it seems like no one wants the job, so they’re getting a guy with a 28-21 record as a head coach, and coming off an embarrassing effort in a bowl game. Let me know how that works out on the bay-yoooo.