Pasadena Sets Up Miami Nicely for ABC

Man, to borrow a phrase from ABC’s new college football sideline analyst Matthew McConaughey, that was some Rose Bowl!

Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards played like a man who had NFL scouts to impress. Texas quarterback Vince Young was a one-man offense. Michigan all-purpose man Steve Breaston was too much for one man to bring down. And Texas kicker Dusty Mangum was the man who decided it with his game-ending field goal, 38-37, Longhorns.

Long before any of this played out, however, ABC was uncertain how to play it, even though it was fully loaded for bear, if not the California Bears, with its “A” bowl team, Keith Jackson and Dan Fouts, hunkered down in the broadcast booth.

It devoted a hefty portion of its pregame show to a 63-year-old dropped pass and the poor old Longhorn who bobbled it, Noble Doss, because nothing says Happy New Year like a lurking camera lens waiting, and waiting, for a tormented octogenarian to shed a few more tears.

It brought in its studio crew of John Saunders, Craig James and Aaron Taylor to hype ABC’s coverage of Tuesday’s night Orange Bowl championship matchup between USC and Oklahoma, the Rose Bowl’s main reason for existence Saturday, pre-kickoff, anyway.

It sent Todd Harris to the sidelines not to interview Mack Brown and Lloyd Carr as much as to cheer them on (“Hook ‘em, Horns!” “Go Blue!”) before remembering, oh, right, some viewers might actually be looking for some football insight and ... hey, look, there’s Matthew McConaughey!

McConaughey was dressed in a burnt orange Texas T-shirt partially covered by burnt orange leather jacket. Harris picked up on this right away.

Harris: “You’re a big Texas fan.”

McConaughey: “That’s why I’m here, man. This is a big day for us.”

Just then, the actor spotted Texas running back Cedric Benson sweeping right end.

McConaughey: “Here we go, Cedric! Cut the corner, baby!”

Corner cut, McConaughey got back to answering Harris’ non-question.

“This is the Granddaddy Bowl, No. 1,” he said. “No. 2, we had a good season, man. We’ve got a good program going under Mack Brown. He’s got his extension. It’s a good day, man.”

It was still early at the time, about five minutes left in the first quarter. The game was still scoreless, but McConaughey was feeling optimistic about his Longhorns’ chances.

“I think we’ve got ‘em on speed today, man,” he said. “They look a little one-dimensional. If we can snuggle up to No. 1, Braylon Edwards, then I think we’re fine. Because their quarterback doesn’t look too comfortable in the pocket. And we’ve got to keep beating them off the ball.”

Having run out of teams to cheer for, Harris then cheered McConaughey for helping break down the Xs and O’s, for being there and for being Matthew McConaughey.

Harris: “I thank you. My wife thanks you.”

McConaughey: “Right on, man! Hook ‘em, Horns!”

Too bad the cameras didn’t catch Jackson’s reaction as he quipped, unable to resist: “All right, man.”

Or Fouts’ as he watched Texas complete a pass and could not help but pile on: “You know what, man? There’s some of that Texas speed, man.”

And how did our man McConaughey do with his instant analysis?

Well, the Longhorns never really snuggled up to Edwards. The Michigan senior caught 10 passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns, which eventually helped Wolverine quarterback Chad Henne look comfortable enough. Henne, the first true freshman quarterback to start a Rose Bowl, completed 18 for 34 passes for 227 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Breaston also had the kid’s back, continually keeping Michigan in excellent field position with six kick returns for 221 yards. Breaston caught three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown and had 315 all-purpose yards, a Rose Bowl record.

But they, along with ABC’s announcers, were ultimately overwhelmed by Young, Texas’ dynamic sophomore quarterback, who ran for 192 yards and four touchdowns when he wasn’t passing for 180 yards and another score.

“Look out!” Jackson yelled as Young broke loose for his fourth touchdown, giving Texas a 35-34 fourth-quarter lead.

Fouts watched and noted an earlier camera shot of the Rose Bowl championship trophy.

“You know, Keith, we just showed the Rose Bowl trophy,” he said. “I think this young man may be looking at another trophy. That stiff-arm trophy they give away back in New York? That is definitely in his future.”

A few moments later, Fouts added, “People say, ‘Well, who does he remind you of?’ Well, after this performance, he doesn’t remind me of anybody. I have never seen anybody -- running back, quarterback, wide receiver -- take over [and] make the plays that Young has made today.”

So, as a promotional vehicle for USC and Oklahoma and ABC’s Orange Bowl telecast, the Rose Bowl turned out to be a pretty fair advertisement for Wolverines and Longhorns and the quaint notion of going with the flow whenever, out of nowhere, a classic happens.

Television networks, like football coaches, need to know they need to take them one game at a time.

“It was indeed a noble effort by both sides,” Jackson said, voicing over a replay of Mangum’s clinching field goal.

And it provided USC and Oklahoma an improbably tough act to follow. ABC has its work cut out as well, especially considering it is keeping Jackson and Fouts on the sidelines Tuesday night.

“It will be my distinct privilege to sit in my rocking chair and watch it,” Jackson said.

Fouts: “I’ve got one too, my friend. I can’t wait. That’s going to be a great one.”

But there are worse ways of biding time until Tuesday than Texas Longhorns 38, Michigan Wolverines 37.

“We are pretty sure you enjoyed it,” Jackson said as he closed Saturday’s telecast.

Man, you know that we did.