This was indeed the #2 waste of defensive talent in UT history, only behind the 1983 team. #1 ranked D all season, and if memory serves correctly, all senior starters drafted into the pros, and a backup senior drafted as well. Many people maintain that if Fred had started Rob Moerschell at QB in the 1984 CB, we would have an additional NC to our name. Instead we had Rick McIvor throwing darts at receivers who dropped many passes in the CB and the infamous dropped punt by Craig Curry in the 10-9 loss to Georgia.
The strange factoid of the day is that nobody knew that game lost us the NC while it was being played. We didn't know it until Miami upset Nebraska 31-30 in the Orange Bowl, in the best bowl game I have ever seen until the 2003? Fiesta bowl, Ohio State vs. Miami, the game when Miami's great RB got hurt, and then of course the top two bowl games ever, the 2005 Rose Bowl and the 2006 Rose Bowl.