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One of the best college football games of this century took place back in 2006. It was the Rose Bowl between Texas football and USC. That Rose Bowl pitted Vince Young of the Longhorns against Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush of the Trojans. USC had a big lead in the fourth quarter of that game, but Young led a furious comeback in the late stages to lift Texas to a win, and it was for the national championship.
Vince Young recently appeared on The Herd w/ Colin Cowherd and he discussed that magical Texas football national championship victory. Young had a massive game and led the Longhorns to the famous win, but he admitted that he came into that game a little bit afraid.
“Well I sensed that at the Heisman actually,” Young said on the show. “I was pretty upset that I lost that Heisman but going up to the game, the hype of it, it was something that I never seen before, I was a little scared walking into this game. What do I need to do to make the Longhorns successful, a lot of praying, a lot of extra work, a lot of extra film work with Coach Greg Davis, I took it to the next level because I didn’t want to embarrass not only us as a University, but myself. It was a big game, and I was definitely afraid.”
Vince Young certainly didn't embarrass himself or Texas football in that game. It is one of the most famous games in the history of the program, and Young was the star of the show.
Vince Young was motivated after not winning the Heisman
![Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin gives a thumbs up while walking off the field after the game of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Ole Miss defeated Duke 52-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lane-Kiffin-after-bowl-game-.jpg)
USC quarterback Matt Leinart was the winner of the Heisman trophy in 2004 and Trojans running back Reggie Bush was the winner of the prestigious award in 2005. That gave Vince Young some motivation before he and Texas came into the game. He ended up showing in that game why he was one of the best players in college football.
It looked like Texas football was going to lose that Rose Bowl as they trailed 38-26 in the fourth quarter. Young and the Longhorns had their backs against the wall, and Young stepped up and led the comeback.
Young had three rushing touchdowns in the game, and the last two were the touchdowns that got the Longhorns back into the game and back into the lead. He scored his third rushing touchdown of the game with 19 seconds remaining in the game, and that score put Texas up for good. He then ran in the two-point conversion for good measure to put the Longhorns up by three points.
USC didn't have enough time to respond after that, and Texas won the national championship with a 41-38 victory. Vince Young certainly had some nerves coming into the game, and he is man enough to admit it. However, he ended up having one of the best performances that we have ever seen, and he led his team to a victory that will be remembered by college football fans forever.
