The 2006 Rose Bowl between the universities of Texas and Southern California stands as one of the greatest finishes in college football. The highly-anticipated game matched two Heisman winners against a runner-up in one of the greatest showcases of talent ever seen. Draft-happy National Football League coaches nationwide must have drooled enough to fill the Superdome over those four quarters.
Monday marked the first regular season reunion between several stars from that historic night as the Saints lost to the Tennessee Titans 31-14. In some ways, Monday’s performances of Reggie Bush, Vince Young and LenDale White paralleled their last match-up in Pasadena – and hopefully, for Saints fans, it wasn’t an indication of Bush’s performance for the long-term future.
Last year Bush had a remarkable season for a rookie, complementing Deuce McAllister’s power-back style of running with his speed and agility. In a utility role, Bush’s big plays came from surprise reverses and dump passes.
However, as Emmett Smith noted in the post-game show, the NFL has caught on to the “Bush Surprise,” and the Saints need Reggie to start playing like a typical runningback. Unfortunately, Bush has rarely played that role effectively.
Despite winning the Heisman Trophy for the 2006 season, Bush only averaged 69.4 rushing yards a game. In comparison, Texas’ Cedric Benson averaged 160.4 yards and the University of California’s J.J. Arrington averaged 167.7 that same year, and neither was even in the top five for the Heisman race.
Bush’s edgea was his 40-yard-per-game receiving average and his electric punt returns – it was his sheer versatility and highlight reel plays that created such a spectacle.
In the Rose Bowl, Bush gained the majority of his yards off passes and returns. For USC, the brunt of the rushing game came from fellow running back LenDale White who had three touchdowns and 124 yards on 20 carries. Bush only rushed for 82 yards in the game.
After a disappointing rookie season for Tennessee, this year the bulky 235-pound White has improved in his first three starts, as he shares the running load with Chris Brown.
This Monday, White more than tripled Bush’s rushing yards, averaging almost a full yard more per carry. And, although not a truly spectacular performance by either backs, more should be expected from the first-round pick Bush.
Bush needs to become more productive between the tackles. The stutter-step behind the line may have worked against college linebackers, but it won’t in the NFL. One major hindrance for Bush is his size. Weighing 200 pounds and standing at 6 feet, Bush is small by NFL standards. Although there are smaller elusive backs – like Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook and Atlanta’s Warrick Dunn – most are spelled by somewhat solid No. 2 backs that can at least move the line in short-yardage situations.
Currently, the Saints boast the worst pass rating in the NFL and the fifth lowest in rushing per game. Furthermore, none of the opposing defenses played so far this season ranked above 17 for 2006.
Although much of this can be blamed on the offensive line, it only means that the Saints have to focus on their running game. Defenses adapt quickly to offenses that are relegated to outside sweeps and screens. With Deuce McAllister out for the season, Bush is going to have to learn to run up the middle effectively.
On the other hand, Vince Young’s poise showed like it did in the Rose Bowl as he continues to live up to his Rookie of the Year status.
Even as a Longhorns fan, I must admit to being somewhat skeptical of Young’s NFL potential going into the 2006 draft. But he not only had the highest rushing average Monday, he also showed excellent judgment and precision accuracy in his passing for most of the game. In his own awkward third-person words, “It’s not all about ‘Vince Young’s not (just) a mobile quarterback, Vince Young is a quarterback” – and looking to be a darn good one at that.
Maybe the Saints made a mistake picking Bush over Young in the draft. His size and mobility would help negate the suffering Saints line and at least they’d have his running game to compensate for Bush’s spottiness.
That also leads me to wonder, if the National Collegiate Athletic Association strips Bush of his Heisman after the ongoing investigations over accepting financial benefits as a student at USC, does Vince, as the runner-up, get the trophy?
Steve Heath can be
reached at [email protected].
