Bill Little commentary: For love of the game

DALLAS -- As he sat in the Longhorn Network studio and talked with LHN's anchor Lowell Galindo a couple of weeks ago, Case McCoy spoke about a summer of searching. He had traveled 3,000 miles and spent ten weeks in the country of Peru.

But unlike those who in a time past sought wealth and treasure on such an excursion, Case McCoy was looking for something different: he was trying to find himself.

"My life had been about me and about football," he said to his dad. "I just decided that I wanted to do something for somebody else."

In that interview, he reflected on the people he had touched -- and those who had touched him -- and he said this:

"I was just going through the motions here. I had lost my passion and I came to realize how much I loved this game, and there was a role that I could fill with my brothers on this team. I know that things haven't always gone well for me, and the Cinderella story that I had dreamed for myself never happened…."

And so it was that on a hot, humid day in Dallas with over 90,000 people watching and millions more tuned in on television, Cinderella arrived at the ball -- surrounded by friends that formed a cast of characters which body slammed their way straight into the finest moments of a series full of characters, and fine moments.

Kevin Costner did a baseball movie a few years back which perfectly fit the moment. He called it "For Love of the Game." There is truth in that, and it does take a commitment from players who are willing to pour themselves into the moments that transpire in the arena.

Saturday, however, was about far, far more than that.

Because to understand what happened in Dallas in the storied old Cotton Bowl Stadium, you first have to understand the people. The legendary attorney Joe Jamail talked to one of Mack Brown's first teams, and his subject was success. To boil it down and sanitize the language a bit, this was the gist of what he said:

He told them he had won more lawsuits and more money than anybody in that business, and he talked about the people he had faced on the other side of the courtroom. Then, he talked about a necessary key ingredient in any kind of competition -- pride.

"If come up against me and you have pride," he said, "then you've got a chance. If you don't, I will whip you every time."

Saturday's 36-20 victory over Oklahoma was vindication for a maligned football team, true enough. Passion, pride, love of the game - all of that mattered. But for the Longhorn family, it was something bigger than that. It was a win for a coaching staff, and it is important to understand why.

Coaches, in the purest sense and at every level, are never in this business for money. Those who are do not last long. Coaching is like being a farmer. You work hard every day of the year dealing with elements which you ultimately cannot control. You teach, nurture and hope. Ultimately, growth and maturity are the things that you cannot make happen.

But when it does -- when that crop comes in on a West Texas farm and when players rise to, and beyond your expectations -- there is the reward for a coach. You take pride, not in what you did (although that is certainly justified), but in what they did.

You celebrate the victory because half of the 90,000-plus people in the stadium are screaming and crying for joy. You deserve to take a moment to appreciate what you accomplished with a brilliant game plan and long hours in the office and on the practice field. Most of all, you gain your strength because, right before your very eyes, when the critics critiqued and the fans doubted, your players learned, and they -- even if nobody else seemed to -- believed.

Rival games carry with them commitment - and that is what Texas got from its entire football family. And while much of the limelight will be shared by Mack Brown and the players, every single person -from the student managers and trainers to the players who mirrored Oklahoma in practice - contributed to this one. That, as much as anything, is the definition of the team's theme of "For the man on my right and the man on my left."

The expanded football staff includes some really bright young people as well as veteran coaches. There are graduate assistants and quality control personnel who spend hours working with the full-time coaches. They have come from small schools and traditional powers, and all share a respect for Mack Brown and The University of Texas. As the Cotton Bowl turf filled with orange after the game and sweat and tears of happiness mingled with photographs and magic moments with the band, cheer, pom and service organizations, the smiles on the faces really did put special meaning in the phrase "The Eyes of Texas." The band played, the fans stayed, cheering as the players took turns wearing the Golden Hat -- the trophy that goes annually to the winner of the game.

When the celebration was over, Case McCoy trotted toward the sideline where the Texas bench had been. There, he shared a private moment and a long father-son hug with his dad, Brad, who had made his way to the field after everyone had left. Major Applewhite, whose game plan Case had executed to near perfection, soon joined them.

The press conference after the game would feature the seniors - guys like Jackson Jeffcoat and Chris Whaley from the defense, Mason Walters and McCoy from the offense. They accepted the praise for their 3-0 start in the Big 12, but quickly pointed out that there was still much more to be done. At 4-2, Texas is on a quest to run the table with its remaining six Big 12 games and win the BCS Bowl berth that goes to the league champion.

That means that you can't stop here. It is true that the moments and the memories of Saturday in Dallas will last a lifetime. But when Mack Brown was asked what he was thinking about, he said, "TCU." The Horned Frogs, of course, are Texas' next opponent. The luck of the draw does give the Horns some time to take in their victory over the Sooners, since next Saturday is a bye week on the schedule.

The Longhorns are halfway through their season. The circle of unity has tightened, and when the TCU trip comes on October 26, their goals to finish strong are still intact. On Saturday they put together a game showing what they are capable of.

Chris Whaley said he dreamed of making a big play against the Sooners, and he did - with a pass interception for a touchdown from his defensive tackle position. Case McCoy said he didn't sleep a wink on Friday night. Together with their teammates, they went out and made Texas Longhorn history with one of the best team performances in the history of the Texas-OU series.

They answered the critics who wrote them off, and they gave an affirmative answer to those who questioned "Can they?" and now they have converted that to "Will they?"

In the end, this stop on the road in the middle of the 2013 season was, plain and simple, about "team."

And whether you are Cinderella or a superstar or just somewhere in between, together you can go a long, long way.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics