Even in defeat, Manning goes out a winner

MIAMI -- No matter how gifted he is, a quarterback can't be expected to win a national championship by himself.

He can play a gargantuan role as Nebraska's Tommie Frazier did in 1994 and '95 and Florida's Danny Wuerffel did in '96 in leading their schools to the last three national titles. Michigan's Brian Griese -- who threw three touchdown passes in a 21-16 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl Thursday, and was named the game's Most Valuable Player -- played extremely well, but he had plenty of help from his teammates.

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Peyton Manning might not have won a national championship, but he still leaves a rich legacy at Tennessee. (AP)

quarterback is one player, not Superman. Ever since Peyton Manning signed to play at the University of Tennessee four years ago, an 'S' was put on his chest by the crazed Volunteers fans.

National championships were predicted.

Here we are, four years later, and Tennessee possesses as many national titles as it did when Manning arrived ... zilch.

If Michigan's Rose Bowl win wasn't enough to deflate Tennessee's faint national championship hopes, Nebraska finished the job with a 42-17 rout of the underachieving Volunteers in the Orange Bowl Friday night at Pro Player Stadium. But this loss was hardly Manning's fault.

A QUARTERBACK ISN'T responsible for stopping the running game. A quarterback isn't responsible for muffing a punt inside a team's own 20-yard line. A quarterback isn't responsible for mental mistakes, like failing to get out of bounds just before the end of the first half and allowing the clock to run out.

Manning does deserve some of the blame for performing poorly against archenemy Florida throughout his career. And that does raise a legitimate question about his ability to play in big games.

Surely, the cynics will say Manning won a bunch of games, threw for a ton of yards, won a few meaningless bowl games in his tenure at Tennessee, and left school with a hole in his resume.

There's no question Manning (21-for-31, 134 yards, one TD, one INT) was disappointed with the outcome of the Orange Bowl. Any competitor would be. This loss won't leave a lifetime scar.

Nor should it.

"The one thing about this year is I've had a ball," Manning said. "I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing. Besides the wins, I really enjoyed a lot of the things that happened off the field. Marcus Nash, a receiver I came in with in '94, signed with, made a lot of touchdowns with, I was the groomsman in his wedding in August. That's something you remember. That's special.

"Tuesday nights, when my line and I would go eat wings together ... that was special. Those things were a lot of fun to me. Those are the things that stay with you. I made a lot of friends.

"People say college is supposed to be the best four years of your life. I had such a positive experience. I'm definitely going to miss it."

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS GOING to miss Manning dearly. For everything that is wrong with the NCAA (and that's a long list), Manning has been refreshing. He has already graduated with a scintillating 3.60 grade-point average. He has spent countless hours helping out in the Knoxville-area community.

So he never won a national championship. So what?

"I've tried to play every game like it was my last one," Manning said. "I was taught that if you're not having fun, you should get out of what you're doing. This has been a fun time, my entire senior season."

Said Vols coach Phillip Fulmer: "I wouldn't trade this kid for anyone. He's a winner."

Manning closed his career with an impressive 39-6 record as a starter. His 11,335 passing yards rank him third in Division I history behind only Brigham Young's Ty Detmer (15,031) and San Diego State's Todd Santos (11,425). Last time we checked, neither of those two QBs won a national championship.

John Elway never won a title at Stanford. Dan Marino never won a title at Pittsburgh. Peyton Manning's father, Archie, never won a title at Mississippi. To say that Peyton's career has been tarnished would be foolish.

Great players aren't always fortunate to celebrate a national championship. You need some luck along the way.

IF MANNING WERE BITTER, he did a terrific job hiding his emotions. After the final gun sounded, he sought out Nebraska QB Scott Frost and hugged him. Manning shook Nebraska coach Tom Osborne's hand, then politely answered the blitz of questions from a horde of reporters.

Manning understands that he has plenty of football left to play. Projected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Manning will soon be lining up with the greatest players in the world. Once again, his every move will be scrutinized.

That's in the future. For now, Manning chose to reminisce on his years at Tennessee.

"It was everything I wanted it to be," Manning said. "Would I have loved to win the Heisman Trophy? Yes. Would I have loved to win a national championship? Yes. The reality is that we didn't. I've said time and time again those things won't ruin what I accomplished and we as a team accomplished."

Tennessee's defense was abysmal against Nebraska. So was its special teams. When Tennessee, or any team, wins, the quarterback usually receives the praise. When a team loses, the quarterback usually receives the majority of the criticism.

Manning handled himself with class and dignity in defeat. He might not have won a national championship, but he's a champion in every sense of the word. That, you can't debate.

Andy Jasner is a sportswriter on CBS SportsLine's staff.

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