Jan. 2, 2010
Ashley Walker, Texas Media Relations
The Texas Football team arrived in sunny California Friday afternoon and for some, the feeling was one of déjà vu. Just four years prior while redshirting, current senior Roddrick Muckelroy was coming into the same town with the same team that was playing for the national title.
However this time Muckleroy returns as a starting linebacker on a stout Longhorns defense that will face Alabama in the BCS National Title game.
“In 2005, I was basically just part of the scout team, and I didn’t really know too much about college football. I was just there to cheer on the team,” Muckleroy reminisced. “To come back this time and be more of a part of what’s going on as far as playing in the game, it’s exciting.”
Muckelroy, who leads the Horns with 92 tackles (52 of which were solo), will do more than just cheer on his teammates this time around when he takes the field against the Crimson Tide. It’s a moment he and the rest of the Longhorns have been working toward throughout the season and their careers.
“It started a long time ago, working hard in the offseason and the spring and then continuing to push forward through the season,” Muckelroy said. “It just shows that we were able to reach our goals. We’re out here in beautiful Pasadena with the sun shining and we’re focused and ready to play.”
While practices, team meetings and film sessions will fill up a lot of time during the week in California, the team does get to take part in various activities, including a trip to Disneyland. Even with the pressure of playing in the biggest game of the year, Muckelroy knows it’s important to have a little fun.
“It’s just a time to get your mind off football and enjoy yourself just a little bit out here,” he added. “We’re out here for a week and to just get to play around and explore the city a little bit is great. I’m from small town in east Texas, and this is big California, so it’s just fun to be out here.”
But when Thursday night rolls around, the Hallsville, Texas native knows it will be time to play.
The Longhorns will be going for their fifth national title in program history in a similar setting as 2005, a thought doesn’t fall short with the senior linebacker who walked onto the very same field just four years and 52 games ago.
“I just remember arriving at the Rose Bowl stadium on game day, there were a lot of fans out there waiting on you, it was just crazy,” he said. “I remember that like it was just yesterday just arriving at the stadium and seeing our fans, just smelling the atmosphere.”
With the memories of the 2005 Rose Bowl still fresh on his mind, Muckelroy will take the field on Thursday as a Longhorn for the last time of his career. He knows there couldn’t be a better finish to his Texas story.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to end where I started,” Muckelroy said. “It really is complete and I couldn’t ask for a better ending than this. You just hope to get to play in the National Championship again and it came back around in the same stadium, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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