What a difference 30 minutes make in one’s life. How many times have we heard the comment “Give me 30 Minutes and…”?
In 30 minutes you could get a pizza back in the day. Sitcoms were supposed to make you laugh in that amount of time. Your girlfriend or wife has said at least once in their life, give me 30 minutes and I will be ready to go. It takes at least that much time to go from Cowboy Stadium to the American Airlines Center in Dallas (minus traffic). There are countless workout videos that promise a fitter you in that amount of time.
30 minutes in a football game is one half of the game. Stop with the analysis that a half of football usually takes an hour and half to complete. Work with me here. Two 15 minute quarters offered the fate of the 2013 Longhorn football season. The start of the football season with a 1-2 record saw the fan base throw up their hands and say enough is enough. Mediocrity is not something that the fans like served season after season after posting a 30-20 record over the past 4 seasons. Something changed the dynamic of the 2013 season when the Horns went to Dallas and whipped up on OU. The season looked salvageable with a Big XII title in the mix. Another slip up at home (12-10 record at home during the same four year stretch) against Oklahoma State caused fans to reflect on the season while Coach Brown focused on one game at a time. Fans look at every loss and over analyzed while coaches and players need to be focused on the task at hand. Horns fans even had to reassess their loyalty after cheering for the hated Sooners to come through earlier in the day. That is why even on the final day of the regular season the Longhorns had a chance to claim the Big XII outright with 30 minutes left.
Tied 3-3 at halftime in Waco with all the “Case Closed” shirts donned by Baylor fans hoping for their own Brazos Miracle. The Horns were hoping to win the game while the Bears expected to win the game. Amazingly those 30 minutes could have resulted in a birth in the Fiesta Bowl, a Big XII Championship and surely a 10 win season. Thirty minutes would have erased a roller coaster season and solidified Mack’s determination to right the ship. Heck 30 minutes would have yielded a sign shop order to put ’13 on the upper deck of DKR. Thirty minutes would have earned Mack another $5 million dollars for the 2014 season, because no one is going to fire a BCS bound coach.
The regular season has ended and Coach Brown has decided to give way to another regime since it has been four years trying to get the momentum back. Mack will be remembered for many positive things including a family atmosphere, a strong relationship with Texas High School kids and coaches plus a winning program that included a national championship. It will be very difficult to replace such a dynamic and classy coach as Mack Brown. I will miss him on the 40 acres but in his own words “I hope with some new energy, we can get this thing rolling again.”
Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter @40AcresSports or follow me @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!
reply to #1
texasbuzztap
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:23 am
40 Acres Sports >> WTH Commentary – 30 Minutes http://t.co/uKSoo9jZL0
reply to #2
BurntOrangePost
January 2nd, 2014 at 11:45 am
WTH Commentary – 30 Minutes http://t.co/JWrd92WrxD