Vince Young and The Texas Longhorns Have Come Full Circle

It was almost four years ago that Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns stepped into the Rose Bowl against the USC Trojans.

The second ranked Longhorns and their fearless leader were given no chance to beat Pete Carol's juggernaut, but the boys in burnt orange knew better.

On a night that featured college football's two highest scoring offenses and three Heisman contenders (two winners), the two teams traded punches well into the fourth quarter.

Just when it looked like USC was going to seal the deal on their third national title, Young ran to the rescue, scoring two touchdowns in the last four minutes including the game winner with 19 seconds left.

It was perhaps the finest moment in Texas football lore and was one of the greatest games in college football history.

In the months that followed that epic night, Young and the Texas Longhorns went their separate ways.  Young opted out of his final year of eligibility and entered the NFL Draft, where he was selected third overall by the Tennessee Titans.

At Texas, Mack Brown named redshirt-freshman Colt McCoy the starting quarterback following spring workouts.

The parting of ways damaged both sides in one way or another.

While Young's rookie season in the NFL was successful (Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl selection), he would soon face a great deal of adversity, so much so that many speculated his career was coming to an early end.

On opening day of the 2008 season, Young struggled against the Jaguars, throwing two picks and getting sacked four times. The young quarterback was booed by his own fans trotting back to the sideline.

Hesitant to return to the game, Young walked back on to the field only to suffer a knee injury on his first play.

In the weeks following that fateful day, Young lost himself.

Veteran Kerry Collins was named the starter and the Titans took off without Young at the helm, running off a 13-3 regular season record.

It would continue to go downhill from there.

One night, Young left his apartment without his phone and without telling anyone. A rumor began to circulate that Young was contemplating killing himself due to depression caused by his recent struggles on the football field.

It was all a big misunderstanding, but the constant media coverage hurt Young's image even further. Things didn't look good for the former Texas star's future.

While things weren't nearly as bad for Mack Brown and the Longhorns, it seemed that Texas was returning to its old self (winning 10 games a year, but losing one or two stunners).

The young McCoy had fourth-ranked Texas at 9-1 heading in to a match-up with Kansas State in Manhattan.

Texas got out of the gates quickly, driving to the Kansas State one-yard line in less than three minutes.  On fourth down, McCoy lunged across the goal line and scored, putting Texas up 7-0.

However, McCoy suffered a severe neck sprain on the play, an injury that would cost Texas its quarterback as well as a shot at the national title.

Texas lost 45-42 that night and dropped the next game against rival Texas A&M, effectively removing the Longhorns from the Big 12 and national championship pictures.

The Longhorns won 10 games over the course of the 2007 season, but lost three in ugly fashion, two of which were to rivals OU and A&M. 

The question of whether Mack Brown and Texas could win a Big 12 or national title without Young was being answered. It appeared the answer to that question was no.

Fast forward to 2009.

The Tennessee Titans started the season a horrid 0-6 with Collins still at the helm. 

That's when the cries for Young began.

Coach Jeff Fisher insisted Collins wasn't the problem and that it was the team as a whole that was struggling.

Following a 59-0 loss to the New England Patriots in week six, owner Bud Adams insisted Young start coming out of the bye week.

With nothing left to lose, Fisher started Young against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the same team Young faced the day his career took a turn for the worst.

Young completed 15 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown as the Titans won their first game of the season, 30-13.

The Titans haven't lost since.

Young has thrown for 1010 yards (completing 62 percent) and four touchdowns to just two picks in that span.  He has also rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown.

His finest moment came against Arizona last weekend when Young had arguably his best game as a pro. The resurgent quarterback threw for a career-high 387 yards and led a 99-yard, game-winning drive in the last two minutes of the game, in which he converted four fourth down attempts and threw the game-winning touchdown to Kenny Britt with no time left.

All of a sudden, the critics of the once beleaguered quarterback have been silenced.  Young has improved leaps and bounds since the beginning of the 2008 season and has finally proven he belongs at the helm of an NFL franchise.

The McCoy-led Longhorns marched into College Station on Thanksgiving night undefeated and squarely in the national title hunt.

The Aggies were determined to play the ultimate spoiler for their rivals from Austin, but McCoy and the Longhorns would have nothing of it.

In what was a track meet of offensive firepower, McCoy's 479 yards of offense (304 passing, 175 rushing) and five total touchdowns gave Texas a narrow 49-39 victory over the Aggies, keeping Texas on track to play for the national title in January.

Since the start of the 2008 season, Texas has gone 25-1 and has BCS bowl victory.  The Longhorns have righted the ship and have become legitimate national title contenders, with No. 12 behind center I might add, not No. 10.

This weekend Young and Texas will enter the big stage, but unlike 2006, they will do it separately.

Young's Titans face off against the 11-0 Colts.  At 5-6, the Titans are back in the AFC Wild Card hunt, and a win over the Colts would be absolutely huge for Young's confidence going forward.

As for Mack Brown's squad, they are back in the Big 12 title game for the first time since Young's departure.

A win against 23rd-ranked Nebraska would secure a conference championship trophy and guarantee Texas' place in the BCS National Championship Game.

Many wondered how Young would handle the NFL and whether or not he could transform in to a successful pro quarterback.

College football analysts doomed Texas following VY's departure, citing the fact that he was their heart and soul.

As was the case when they were united on the same field four years ago, Young and the Texas Longhorns have defied the odds yet again and have landed in the spotlight once more.

How they handle the pressure this weekend will be a significant indication of just how far they have come since 2006.