Say it with us…

“These guys can go in and play big time,” said Burnet High School football coach and athletic director Walker. “Both are very capable of playing on the next level. They’re very talented. God has blessed them with great, great skills. Their skills, on a scale of 1 to 10, are a 10.5.”

Hanks, the superintendent of the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District, said not at all.

I agree.

Was it really three years ago when McGee was the surprise starter and scared the then No. 2-ranked Longhorns as he tried to lead them to an upset?

I watched that game with eagerness, knowing full well Texas was going to win, capture the Big 12 championship and move on to play for a national title.

And then all of a sudden, because of a quarterback who truly believed his team had a chance to win, it was in jeopardy. 

“I can’t believe we’ve come this far just to have it end now,” I thought. 

Texas ended up winning and six weeks later beat Southern California to clinch a fourth national title. 

No question the game that refocused the Longhorns was the near setback at College Station that season.

But don’t feel too bad for the Aggies.

They have a two-game winning streak on Texas, one the Longhorns hope to snap today.

The man who engineered those wins is the same one who started misery for the Longhorns in 2005. 

As for the Longhorns, Shipley’s big moment came when he returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against Oklahoma Oct. 11.

He saved their season. 

Thanks to his effort, it was easy to think during the fourth quarter, “We could win this.”

At about the time my family settles in for leftovers today will be the same time for the kickoff of the annual Texas-Texas A&M game. 

Perhaps Hanks and Walker best summarized the aim of the game for area residents.

“I’m an Aggie,” Hanks said. “I pretty much cheer for the Aggies. No doubt I want to see both of those guys do well. I’d love to see Jordan have the chance to play for a national championship team.”

“I hope it’s a tie,” Walker said. 

My hope is always the same – that McGee plays well and that Texas wins. 

But no matter the outcome, McGee and Shipley will remain the same. 

“They are two super guys,” Hanks said. “We were blessed to have a chance to see them in high school.”

And blessed to see them play today and in the future. Four years is definitely not enough.