Freddie Steinmark by Thomas J. Yousse

Author:Thomas J. Yousse [Yousse, Bower]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 2015-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

THE GAME OF THE CENTURY

FREDDIE STOOD IN THE BACK OF THE HUDDLE, shaking out his leg and tapping his left toe against the turf. The previous play had been damaging for the Longhorns. On third down, Chuck Dicus had run a twenty-yard crossing pattern, twisted at exactly the right moment, and caught the pass from Arkansas quarterback Bill Montgomery. Freddie’s ailing leg wouldn’t cooperate, and he arrived late—much too late.

The sea of Razorback red roared. The stadium shook. Cowbells clanged. The university marching bands, each perched behind their team’s bench, worked to overcome the other. They bobbed to the rhythms, jabbed their instruments into the air, and shot out close-fire notes. The low ceiling of grey clouds amplified every cymbal crash, every rat-a-tat drumbeat, every lung-bursting note, every shout in the stands, every grunt on the field.

Texas linebacker Scott Henderson, breathing heavily, looked to the sideline for Coach Campbell’s signal. Henderson would later remember Campbell as a defensive “genius,” a man often capable of predicting the offense’s next play. With the flashed signs, Henderson pivoted to the huddle and leaned in. “80 regular!” he screamed. “80 regular! Ready—break!” The Longhorn defense clapped in unison and spread out.

Arkansas, leading 14–8, had a first down on the Texas thirty-eight-yard line. If the Razorbacks scored, the game would probably be out of reach.

Freddie cheated backward a few steps to compensate for the lack of mobility caused by his painful leg. He nodded to Danny Lester on his right and then to Tom Campbell on his left. They silently acknowledged the coverage scheme—each was responsible for a deep third of the field. Though this “cover 3” spread zone had proved stout all season, it seemed vulnerable to the Arkansas offense. So far, Montgomery had completed twelve passes, seven of them to Dicus.

The scoreboard clock showed 12:27 left in the game. If Texas could stop Arkansas now, there was enough time for the Longhorns to score again. Freddie crouched with his weight on his toes, catlike, ready to pounce. Dicus set slot right, and flanker John Rees split to the left. Freddie knew they were coming his way. He splayed his fingers and fixed his eyes on Dicus.

AIR FORCE ONE HAD TOUCHED DOWN EARLIER IN THE day at Fort Smith, sixty miles south of Fayetteville. The game, referred to by the media as the “Big Shootout”—Coach Royal’s description—was set to begin at high noon in the style of a Gary Cooper–like showdown.

President Richard Nixon, a well-studied college football fan, appeared uncharacteristically excited as he stepped from his plane and addressed the crowd gathered on the tarmac: “All that I know is that we’re going to see, today, in this hundredth anniversary of football, one of the great football games of all time.” Marine One lifted off for Fayetteville shortly after eleven thirty. Among those accompanying Nixon were Congressmen George H. W. Bush of Texas and John Paul Hammerschmidt of Arkansas. Four Chinook helicopters, one of them carrying members of the press, embarked for the stadium.

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