. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns (or variously as Longhorns or 'Horns), taking their name from the Longhorn cattle
that were an important part of the development of Texas
, and are now the official "large animal" of the State of Texas. The University of Texas at Austin is the apparent flagship institution of The University of Texas System
.
USC head coach Pete Carroll - "The quarterback just ran all over the place," he said. "He's a fantastic player. He was the difference. And how classic was it," Carroll added, "that he ran it in on the last play?"
USC head coach Pete Carroll - [speaking about Vince Young] "That's the best single-game performance I've ever had against me."
Texas head coach Mack Brown - "We never, ever, really thought we'd lose the ballgame,"
Texas quarterback Vince Young - "It's so beautiful," Young said as he received the MVP crystal. "Don't you think that's beautiful? It's coming home all the way to Austin, Texas, baby."
USC quarterback Matt Leinart - "This is what it's all about, 41-38 in the final game," said Leinart, the Trojans quarterback and Heisman winner a year ago. "You couldn't ask for anything better. This was a great football game. We gave our hearts, they gave their hearts, and they came out on top."
Dennis Dodd of CBS SportsLine.com - "What you saw Wednesday night was the best player in University of Texas history. That's the state university of the state that thinks it invented the game."
After the Rose Bowl, former USC and NFL safety Ronnie Lott said "Vince Young is the greatest quarterback to ever play college football".
John Ryan - San Jose Mercury News - "when the Rose Bowl chooses their "all century team", the quarterback will not be from the Big-10 or Pac-10, it will be Vince Young of Texas."
Mathew Zemek - Fox Sports - "In a once-in-a-lifetime national championship game, Vince Young became a once-in-a-lifetime college football legend...Vince Young is easily the greatest single player in the history of the Rose Bowl (a mouthful of a statement in its own right), and likely the owner of the greatest single-game performance in the 137-year history of Division I-A college football."