Ready for Leftovers?

The smell of sweet Thanksgiving bliss has long since faded from the hot oven. The fat has been trimmed and the bones have been picked of every edible morsel left on the bird. For weeks you will be left with turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie and even turkey cheesecake. All that's left is a big belly, a half empty bottle of Pepto and the need to buy some bigger pants.

This season Texas fans have been feasting on the nectar of Thanksgiving goodness. But, Ohio St. and Kansas State served us some of the dark meat. We covered it up with brown gravy and struggled to get that last bite in our mouth. But, a&m made sure that it was still frozen. And, it did not taste good.

This loss has made me feel like I did after the second helping of pumpkin pie: Why the hell did I keep eating when I wasn't even hungry?

Was Mack forcing Colt or was it the other way around? Do we hypocritically blame the refs? Do we blame the "untouchable" Chizik for not properly preparing our defense against the option? I'm not so sure that there's a wrong answer.

But, it's time to show the cards. I think this loss was for the best.

In places Horn fans don't like to talk about we knew that we weren't national championship caliber. We even questioned whether or not we could beat Nebraska a second time around. Colt has made outstanding strides for the pressure he has endured and he receives major credit for his toughness. But, the rest of the team has been a rollercoaster with nice highs, a few loops and a lot of whiplash. The comfort blanket of #10 hasn't been there to keep everyone warm. Quick...name me a breakout run for any of our running backs. Name the opponent in which "Hank the Tank" rumbled into the endzone on short yardage situation. Name me a Div 1A QB that didn't have a career day against the incumbent national championship defense.

I can't either.

But, our boys made us believe that we could do it. Anything less than a national championship would have been a let down. We knew that we were replacing an invaluable cog...but damnit, we're Texas. We do not rebuild, we reload. Our expectations were hypothetically set too low but we methodically gave each other a wink and a nudge. At the beginning of the season, I stated that 2 or 3 losses would be a success considering the departure of 2 Top 10 draft picks. Now that it has happened, I am left unsatisfied and questioning whether or not this season is a success or a failure.

But, when I step back, I can see the bigger picture.

We beat a great ou team in Dallas. We beat a very good Nebraska team on the road. We broke in a QB who challenged for a spot in this year's Heisman race as a redshirt freshman.

This is what we have been reduced to...the aggie trimmings of moral victories. And it makes me wonder why I loaded up so much on the Horn turkey.

Texas does not lose...we just run out of quarterback.