Matthew McConaughey: ‘Vince Young was levitated that day’ in 2006 championship game
On the Big Noon Kickoff set Saturday morning, former USC QB Matt Leinart and renown actor and administrator of culture for Texas football, Matthew McConaughey, reminisced on the great Trojans-Longhorns title game of 2006.
Leinart just had to bring up that ’06 championship game he was apart of and McConaughey was at, declaring it the last official time that the Texas football program was truly back.
“The last time we could say Texas is back, I’m going to bring it up, is 2006,” said Leinart. “Let’s go back there, because it is arguably one of the best games ever played, and obviously Texas beat us. Beside (Vince) Young scoring the touchdown, what do you remember leading up to that game?”
McConaughey is no stranger to the big stage, and said that before that game, he went around to look every Longhorn player in the eyes to see if they were truly locked in and ready to perform in a massive moment.
“Well, I was there with the team in the days before with coach Mack Brown and the entire team, and they understood who they were and they were looking it in the eye. I remember going around the entire locker room to every single player the day before and looking them in the eye, wanting to see if everyone was level. Everyone was level.”
But one guy wasn’t. That player: Vince Young, who McConaughey says was “levitated” that night.
“Then, I get to Vince, I look him in the eye and he goes ‘woo woo woo’ and starts shaking his head. I was like, ‘oh, he’s not level in a good way.’ And he was levitated that day and he levitated the entire team and they believed and he knew it from the opening kick-off.”
Of course, Young was supernatural in that title game and sprinted into the right corner of the end zone with 21 ticks remaining on the clock to give Texas its final lead over Leinart’s USC squad. To this day, McConaughey recalls that night as one of the all-time sporting events at the college level.
“Still the greatest sporting event I’ve ever seen as far as ebbs and flows. Talk about reality TV and real drama, that was incredible.”
Leinart commented back: “I can’t say the same, so it’s fine. I still live with that now.”
McConaughey took up for Leinart and that USC team, though. “But you know what, the great thing about that game is there was nobody on USC’s side — there was no excuse, like, there was not a bad play, there wasn’t a fumble, there wasn’t a stupid penalty. It was a helluva game all the way to the end, and Texas happened to come out on top.”
They sure did, and with a terrific roster in place this season, Matthew McConaughey is expecting the Longhorns to take care of business later today vs. Kansas State, regardless of who starts at quarterback.