Young is lone star for Texas

PASADENA, Calif. – Finally, Texas’ lone star shined brighter than all the glitter and glamour Southern California could muster.

Vince Young, back in the Rose Bowl and at his best, lifted the Longhorns to a 41-38 Rose Bowl victory over top-ranked Southern California on Wednesday with his 8-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 19 seconds left.

“I went through all my progressions,” Young said, “so I just took off with it.”

The victory brought the Longhorns their first outright national championship since 1969.

This was Young’s show: He ran for 200 yards and passed for another 267 in a game that surpassed his 372-yard, five-touchdown effort against Michigan here last year, and became the first player in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,500 in a season.

“He’s a fantastic player and he made the difference,” said USC coach Pete Carroll. “How classic was it that he ran it in on the last play?”