The better team won last night, regardless of Colt McCoy's injury. Did the game lose a little bit of luster? You bet. Was it disappointing to see Colt go out like that? Yup. But just like UT-Austin fans wouldn't accept any Bradford-out-for-Oklahoma excuses, (You didn't hear that OU was the 'better team' after hat game right?) it's not right to suddenly hear them now. Yes, it sucks that McCoy went down. I, for one, would have liked to see him in the game for the duration. That being said it's pertinent to look at the "facts", as UT-Austin fans like to call them.
Colt McCoy wouldn't have helped UT-Austin's tackling. - Nope, not one bit at all. The fact is Ingram and Richardson ran all over the UT defense. What this did is limit the Alabama passing game to obvious situations, where they were predictably terrible. Ingram bowled over UT-Austin defenders (62 of his 111 yards were after contact) and Richardson flat-out ran them.
Texas wasn't an offensive house of fire on Colt's drive - Early on it looked like Nick Saban was going to gift wrap the game for the Longhorns. That being said, after the inexplicable fake punt attempt the mighty Colt McCoy led Texas vaunted spread offense exactly 36 yards in 10 plays. He was 2-2 passing with zero yards and had 1 rush attempt for zero yards. Texas jumped up 6-0 because Alabama gave it to them, not because Colt McCoy was some super QB before he went out of the game.
It wasn't Gilbert's fault the Texas receivers had stone hands. - Here's an idea: Catch a ball in the first half. Or, in the case of Michael Williams, make a meaningful catch sometime in the game. And don't give me that hogwash about the officials either. What was clear fairly early on was that this group of officials were going to allow the hand-fighting that takes place when a receiver and DB are positioning for the ball. It was the same for both schools, like it or not. The only pass interference they flagged all night was an obvious obstruction. If I remember correctly they flagged Alabama for holding on a crossing route as well. Yes, they missed the Terrance Cody false start (I'm still not sure how you miss that guy) but besides that obvious blunder they got the game pretty much right.
Colt McCoy can't call the plays - Two words: shovel pass. What in the blue hell was the Texas coaching staff thinking? That being said....make a tackle.
Maybe this was a fitting end to a football season that promised so much and delivered less. First Sam Bradford went down in his first game, then Tim Tebow got a Bible verse knocked off of his cheek and now we have Colt McCoy not getting to fire a meaningful shot in the B(C)S Championship Game. In this season of "what ifs" maybe its fitting that we get the ultimate what if....
What if the championship were settled on the field via a playoff, as opposed to a one game, winner-takes-all crap-shoot where the loser is always left with an excuse to hang their hats on?
Nah, never happen. (At least, not until the 'guardians of the game' give way to a new generation.)
Until then: Congratulations to your B(C)S Champion Alabama Crimson Tide, and congratulations to the University of Texas-Austin Longhorns for a great season. Congrats also to Colt McCoy, Mark Ingram, Mack Brown & Nick Saban for showing class. (See the coaches handshake after the game if you don't understand what I mean.)
Boo to you T-Shirt Longhorn fans. For, once again, making the championship game all about perceived slights against you and those you claim as yours.