The cameras had stopped shuttering, and half the stadium was empty. Most fans in Oklahoma crimson were already outside the nearly century-old venue, either eating corndogs and going on rides or heading home. But inside the Cotton Bowl, on the west side of the field in the northwest corner of the natural grass terraria, the Texas family met together, screaming a lyric in which a man named Gabriel likes to blow a horn.
The same people who pointed their fingers at an inexperienced quarterback after Columbus, Ohio, and Gainesville, Florida, and even Austin, Texas, sang with wide smiles, their right arm raised with their pinky and index fingers to the sky.
Here Manning was — the so-called, forced-into-the-title “goldenboy,” helping win arguably the biggest game of the regular season, wearing a shiny gold cowboy hat and sporting a shinier smile. All the uncomfortable jargon in the press conference, all the self-blame, all the bust declarations and overrated proclamations — they all meant so little in this moment.
How strange.
The Texas fanbase has been stuck in the past this season, making claims of what the AP poll used to say, what the college football semifinals showed, what the hiring of Steve Sarkisian meant or what Texas football used to do. Nobody wanted to live in the moment, not until now, at least.
When Texas wins, Manning is hailed a hero. When the Longhorns lose, he’s a scapegoat. This is a 19-year-old kid who was vaunted as the greatest quarterback to come to Texas before he ever threw a college ball. How strange.
“I think so much is made about (Manning),” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in the post-game press conference. “When we don’t win, it’s his fault. When we win, everybody praises (him).”
The praise, in reality, should be directed all across the roster. Manning did his job well, but sophomore wide receiver Ryan Niblett did, too, by housing a punt to stretch the score to 20-6. Sophomore edge Colin Simmons significantly contributed by taking down Sooner junior defensive back John Mateer over two times, and so did Malik Muhammad by picking off the Oklahoma quarterback twice of his three interceptions.
How about the team play, in which Texas forced three turnovers compared to Oklahoma’s none? Or the rushing yard total, in which the Longhorns ousted their foe by 88? Or the 31-35 penalty margin, the 5-1 sacks and the third down conversions?
Regardless, the attention will go to the general, the quarterback, and that’s just how it goes. It’s a week-by-week analysis in the Sarkisian-led locker room, and as Texas prepares for Kentucky, the cycle will start all over again. Manning will either be the problem or the promise once more.
But for now, peace has been found. The “golden boy” in his golden hat smiled and waved goodbye as the fans wrapped up the Eyes of Texas. For once, Texas wasn’t chasing the past or worried about what was next. They were simply living with what was right in front of them.
How strange.
