How one player ruined Texas Longhorns football

Many of you have probably never heard the name Blake Gideon. For those of you who may not know, Gideon is currently the DB coach for Western Carolina. He did a stint at Florida and South Carolina as a graduate assistant under Will Muschamp. But before all that, Gideon was a bright eyed freshman on the 2008 Texas Longhorns football team.

It was November 1 and #1 Texas was playing #6 Texas Tech on the road in Lubbock. The Longhorns had a 33-32 lead over the Red Raiders with just under a minute left. Texas Tech was driving and, with 11 seconds left in the game, Graham Harrell threw a pass up to Edward Britton. The pass was high, deflected off of Britton's hands, and bounced up into the air where a diving Blake Gideon was waiting for it. The ball hit Gideon right in the chest, but the ball slipped out of his hands and hit the turf for an incompletion. On the very next play, Harrell hit Michael Crabtree for a touchdown and #1 Texas was upset 39-33.

If Gideon had made the easy interception, Texas waltzes to an undefeated season, and plays Florida for the national championship. Who knows what happens then? But the saga of Blake Gideon doesn't end there.

Let's flash forward to the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. It's 4th & 23 on Alabama's first possession of the football game. The ball is right at the Tide's own 20-yard line. In the most un-Saban move ever, instead of punting the ball, Alabama fakes it by throwing a pass up to one of the gunners (WR #7 Kenny Bell). Who was opposite Bell on the play? None other than Blake Gideon.

Instead of having the awareness to bat the ball down, allowing Texas to take possession of it on the 20-yard line, Gideon does what he should have done against Texas Tech one year earlier - he intercepts it. So instead of having the ball 1st & 10 on Alabama's 20-yard line, Texas starts 1st & 10 on the Tide's 38-yard line.

Five plays later, from the 11-yard line, one of the most infamous plays in Texas football history occurred. Colt McCoy, Texas's All-American QB and Heisman finalist, is knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. Alabama goes onto to win the national championship by a score of 37-21.

Had Gideon batted the ball down, Texas gets the ball on the 20-yard line and most likely scores a TD before McCoy is ever hurt. Two different plays, one player, both of which altered the course of Texas's football fortunes. And the man most responsible for these negative things? Blake Gideon.