SN 140 Moments: No. 12 – Vince Young lifts Texas past USC in greatest college title game ever

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SN 140 Moments: No. 12 – Vince Young lifts Texas past USC in greatest college title game ever originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The buildup toward the 2006 Rose Bowl between No. 1 USC and No. 2 Texas focused on whether anybody could beat the Trojans – a team on a 34-game win streak under coach Pete Carroll with two Heisman Trophy winners in Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. USC was being compared to national championship teams ranging from 1945 Army to 1995 Nebraska. 

Texas had Heisman Trophy runner-up Vince Young with Mack Brown looking to lead the Longhorns to the BCS national championship. Brown told The Sporting News he still remembers ESPN "College GameDay" analyst Lee Corso's prediction. 

"They're gonna shock the universe!" Brown says in his best Corso impersonation. "Texas is going to win the game!" 

The Trojans and Longhorns then painted a masterpiece using the Rose Bowl as the canvas. USC led 38-26 in the fourth quarter before Young – who had 467 total yards – led a comeback. Texas stuffed LenDale White on an ill-fated fourth-and-2 with 2:09 left and had one more drive. The Longhorns faced a fourth-and-5 from the 8-yard line when, well, you can still hear legendary announcer Keith Jackson's call – "He's going for the corner … He's got it!" 

Young’s scramble to the pylon for the game-winning TD capped gave Texas a 41-38 victory. A record audience of 35.6 million people watched on television. It remains the standard for college football championship games.

MORE: Back to The Sporting News' 140 Greatest Sports Moments of All Time

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