UTSA's Owen McCown Gives Texas Another Test After Ohio State

Texas will try to slow down another good quarterback.

UTSA Roadrunners quarterback Owen McCown. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texas Longhorns were battle-tested against Ohio State in Week 2. The Longhorns fell behind by as much as 20 points and pulled off an incredible fourth-quarter win to knock off the Buckeyes.

This week, Texas will host the UTSA Roadrunners. They're also 2-0, with wins over UT Rio Grande Valley and Texas State. UTSA is the Longhorns' final non-conference matchup this year.

While Texas will be heavily favored, they cannot look past the Roadrunners' quarterback, Owen McCown.

An Experienced Quarterback

Texas-San Antonio quarterback Owen McCown (2) passes the ball Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

McCown is in his fifth season of college football and his fourth at UTSA. He is the son of former NFL quarterback Josh McCown. With the Roadrunners, McCown has thrown for over 7,000 yards with 67 total touchdowns.

In fact, McCown and Arch Manning know each other well. They got to connect at the Manning Passing Academy this summer.

"We always talk about football, so we tried to not make it about football," McCown said, per Greg Luca of the San Antonio Express News. "I would tell him about my family, and he would say the same things back. So, there's a lot of similarities there, for sure."

Both players have the luxury of leaning on former NFL quarterbacks for advice. But McCown's collegiate experience is a massive advantage. Few players have as many games under their belt like McCown, let alone at one program.

McCown is a part of a dying breed in collegiate sports. Many players don't stay at one program, especially at the G6 level. His familiarity with the offense and head coach Jeff Traylor could create early troubles for the Longhorns' defense.

Will Muschamp will try to find ways to make McCown uncomfortable. Maybe they can lean on what worked against Julian Sayin and Ohio State. Increased pressure and forcing McCown into third-and-long situations could be the key.

While Texas should win this game, McCown is another tough test. The Longhorns can't allow the Roadrunners to hang around and let Traylor run the offense on his terms. Texas has to grab an early lead and make anyone but McCown beat them.

This will be the second time McCown and Manning face off. They competed against each other two years ago when Texas won 56-7. McCown completed 21 of his 29 pass attempts for 132 yards, while Manning was 9-for-12 with 223 yards and four touchdowns.

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