A Heartbreaking Loss, But 'Horns Hold Their Heads High

The world watched as the #2 Texas Longhorns fell to the #1 Crimson Tide in a four hour nail biting match up. The teams met for the Bowl Championship Series held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California Thursday, but only one team walked away the winner. But the other team, while being the insufficient point scorer, is in no way a loser.

Ricardo B. Brazziell AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

In fact, it's quite the opposite. Senior quarterback Colt McCoy took a big hit in the first drive of the game. It was the last time the 23 year old college football star on the verge of a promising NFL career would play for the Longhorns. He said of the injury after the game (in the embedded video clip above) that his arm didn't hurt. He simply couldn't feel it.

Texas may have not had a team as physical as Alabama, but they have far more heart. They're a classy bunch. In post-game remarks, McCoy congratulated his rival team and credited their hard work for the overall win. Heisman winner and sophomore running back Mark Ingram did not provide the same mentions. He may have been overwhelmed at the moment, but McCoy appeared to be more humbled, retrospective instead of introspective, and the epitome of a superb sportsman.

At half time Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban, talked about the unfortunate circumstance Texas faced after McCoy got knocked out of the game. It seems each of the coaches respects the other's program and even each other. An observation made by sports writer and analyst, Peter Bean, who was a guest on The Austin Citysphere on BlogTalkRadio earlier this week, was that each coach had their own strategy. A stark contrast separated Saban and Texas head coach Mack Brown in pre-game concentration: Saban's philosophy looked more focused, while Brown's was more laid back.

Neither of the strategies can explain a win versus a loss, why the final score turns out as it does, or the validity of any program. In the end, the scoreboard reveals the fate of each team. But off the field and out of the limelight is perhaps the most telling of all. When the players go home to their families and friends and when they return to campus is where the real victory takes place: life.

Indeed, nice guys will finish... first.

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Reaction, game analysis and more on the BCS game:

Fans ride out painful loss at Austin bars, theaters and parties
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Without McCoy, Horns Fall Short
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Longhorns Fall Short in Pasadena
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