Texas Trying Not To Be Disappointed In The Desert

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The Texas Longhorns came to the desert determined not to let disappointment ruin a good season.

But they can’t forget that if not for one play with one second left on the clock and the slimmest of margins in the Bowl Championship Series standings, they would be 2,300 miles away on the beaches of Florida getting ready to play for a national title.

So many things went wrong for the third-ranked Longhorns (11-1) over the last month of the regular season that’s it’s hard to imagine they’re not feeling a bit sorry for themselves heading into Monday’s Fiesta Bowl against No. 10 Ohio State (10-2).

“We were disappointed. We’re human,“ quarterback Colt McCoy said. “But that’s not how it turned out, and great teams overcome that.“

Consider all that has happened:

-Texas was No. 1 when McCoy rallied the Longhorns to the lead late in the fourth quarter at Texas Tech, only to watch the Red Raiders’ Michael Crabtree score the winning touchdown with one second left. One play earlier, freshman safety Blake Gideon dropped what would have been a game-clinching interception. And just to twist the knife a bit more, Crabtree’s highlight catch seems to be on ESPN every five minutes during the bowl season.

-The loss at Texas Tech ultimately put Texas in a three-way tie in the Big 12 South. Conference rules sent the team with the highest BCS rating to the league title game. That ended up being Oklahoma, the team Texas beat 45-35 on Oct. 11. Those same Sooners are now in the BCS championship game against Florida.

-McCoy was runner up for the Heisman Trophy, losing out to none other than OU quarterback Sam Bradford.

It all added up to a feeling among some Texas players that they were denied a title shot they deserved.

The team had two meetings to clear the air. The first was on the day the BCS rankings were announced. The second was when they started Fiesta Bowl practice.

“The first one was, ‘All right, it happened,‘ “ senior wide receiver Quan Cosby said. “The second one was, ‘All right, let’s get over it.‘ “

But even Cosby said he’s not sure he’ll be able to stomach watching the BCS title game that he feels snubbed his team.

“Being a sports fan, I probably will watch some of it, but I definitely won’t put too much into it,“ he said.

Texas can’t let hurt feelings and frustration linger too long. Many a good bowl team lost when it felt as though it deserved better of its destination.

It happened to Texas in 2003 when the Longhorns thought they were going to the BCS but got bumped to the Holiday Bowl. The dispirited Longhorns lost to Washington State in what turned out to be Texas’ last bowl defeat.

Texas players say there’s still a lot to shoot for in the Fiesta. To begin with, the pride of eight senior starters is on the line.

“This is our last game wearing the Longhorn helmet,“ senior defensive end Brian Orakpo said. “Let’s not hold back nothing.“

There’s also the future to think about. With McCoy’s pledge to return next season, a big win could set them up to start the 2009 season ranked No. 1.

And there’s the distant hope of earning a “split” national championship.

While Oklahoma or Florida is guaranteed to claim the BCS title, the Longhorns could finish No. 1 in the Associated Press rankings if the much-hyped Sooners-Gators matchup turns into a dud. If the Sooners win, it’s possible that some AP voters might remember that the Longhorns beat Oklahoma on a neutral field in Dallas.

Unlike USA Today coaches’ poll voters, who are required to put the BCS championship game winner No. 1 on their final ballots, the 65 AP voters don’t have to put the winner of that game on top of their final ballots.

Texas coach Mack Brown was cautious this week not to sound too hopeful of such a scenario. There’s no point talking about it unless his team wins Monday.

“If you start talking about all that stuff that comes at the end, you probably won’t get the result you want,“ Brown said. “Obviously, wanted to play for the (BCS) national championship in Miami and that didn’t happen.“