Bill Little commentary: Burnt Orange Sunset

The southwestern sky looked as if it were brushed by that old master painter from the Hill Country as the Texas Longhorns concluded their Sunday practice at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The rolling clouds were a wintry mix of majesty and wind.

It was, by the way, dead-solid tinged in burnt orange.

Senior day had come and gone on Thanksgiving night, and the days that followed offered perhaps the most exciting college football in recent memory. Not lost, however, in the hustle and bustle of it was the fact that Texas—yes, Texas—has put itself into a position to play one game where a victory would earn it at least a piece of the Big 12 Championship in 2013.

The doubters have been many. When the Longhorns lost to what has turned out to be a very good Oklahoma State team just a couple of weeks ago, the faint of heart faded. The naysayers abounded. Never mind that this team had won six straight league games. Forget the fact that this season is the most balanced in league—and perhaps national—history.

Thursday night in the seniors final game in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas thrust itself right into the title mix with a dominating 41-16 victory over a Texas Tech team which had been ranked among the nation's top ten just a few weeks ago.

And with that, they validated the dream of the Big 12 Conference when it chose to avoid a "championship" game between two divisions. What it has now is an unparalleled "championship weekend." In games in Waco and in Stillwater, the contenders will play each other to determine the champion of a league which has seen each team spend nine of its games battling each other.

Texas, Oklahoma State and Baylor each have one league loss. The 'Horns play the Bears. Oklahoma State plays Oklahoma, which has two losses. At one point Saturday, when Baylor was holding on for dear life against TCU in a 41-38 victory, there was a very real possibility of a four-way tie at the end between Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Now, it has come down to a winner-take-all game between the Bears and the Longhorns to earn at least a piece of the championship. That is why, as the Longhorns began preparation for their trip to Waco, it was significant that the sunset was burnt orange. In a season of miracles, omens are good things.

In a well-publicized season that began with a win and two straight losses, it seemed improbable at best that Texas would fight its way to this position. More than a dozen Longhorns have gone down to season-ending injuries, including seven who have started at least a game.

In so many ways, this has been a season of retribution for Texas. It is a marvelous story of retribution, of redemption. There was a defensive coordinator inserted into the season after the third game, a guy who was looking to get back into the game he loved—a Super Bowl and Rose Bowl champ who was coaching in high school just to stay in the game until he got the call to come to the rescue of a Longhorn defense.

There was a quarterback who had accepted his role as a backup after coming to Texas four years ago with dreams that had been shattered…a kicker who had transferred last year and spent the year struggling with painful injuries…a defensive leader who had seen his last two seasons ended with torn pectoral muscles…two running backs who had struggled with injuries in each of the last two years…and a head coach who was only four seasons removed from a National Championship game, and had gone through the pain of reinventing himself and his program.

And so, here were the Longhorns on Thanksgiving night, trying to snap an uncharacteristic three game losing streak on senior night, and keep their dream of playing for the Big 12 Championship alive.

They did it with a dominating performance. The defense hammered a Texas Tech offense which had been leading the nation, and the offense rushed for over 300 yards and came from behind to completely control the game. The second half told the story—Texas held the ball for twenty minutes to only ten for the Red Raiders. Tech quarterbacks were sacked nine times, and Case McCoy seized his senior moment to throw two touchdown passes and rush for another.

As the seniors took a victory lap after the game and the Tower switched to orange, Texas had moved its record to 8-3 and stood at 7-1 in league play. They had done this, not as individuals, but they had done it together. The glue which had held them together through the tough times remained the bond of their theme—they play for the man on their left and the man on their right—in other words, they play for each other.

Sunday's recognition practice began the focus on Baylor, which will bring a 9-1 record into their final game in Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. Saturday, we had all watched college football at its finest—with last second wins, upsets, narrow victories and narrow losses.

What happens from here, only Saturday will determine. What we know is, this team which has found a love for each other and elicited support from its fan base, now has a chance to put everything on the table.

Kipling talked about this when he said "if you can make a heap of all your winnings, and risk it on one turn of pitch and toss…."

That is why Texas will spend this week getting ready. They have earned a shot. And that is all they have really asked for in this very strange, yet very special season of 2013.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics