It was a painful for Colt McCoy to watch his understudy, Garrett Gilbert, struggle in the Citi National Championship game
Garrett Gilbert almost became a household name as he nearly pulled off a Texas rally in the Citi BCS National Championship game last night. When All-American QB Colt McCoy went down in the first series of the game over 90,000 fans saw Mack Brown call #3’s number. As the true freshman trotted onto the field, the Crimson Tide fanbase could smell Gilbert’s fear and taste victory.
Gilbert’s first half performance was expectantly poor. His nerves and lack of experience reflected as he completed 1-10 passes in the first half. At the start of the 3rd quarter, the Longhorns trailed 24-6 and everyone thought the game was over. But as Gilbert became more comfortable in the pocket, the fans started to see why he was Texas’ top qb recruit. Gilbert’s raw talent enabled him to hit Jordan Shipley for two strikes of 44 and 28 yards. The young gunslinger pulled the team within 3 points late in the 4thquarter. However, a costly fumble with minutes remaining in the shadow of his own endzone crushed any shot of winning the game.
Overall, the young Gilbert struggled completing 15 of 40 passes with 4 INTs. His stats would have been a little better but his WRs dropped several passes. Conversely, Bama’s McElroy went a paltry 6 for 11 for a grand total of 58 yards.
Texas fans, don’t fret one bit. The experience gained by playing in the national championship game with the world watching as a true freshman in invaluable. Come next season, he will be more than ready to lead Texas back to the promised land.
