Longhorns' Legend Colt McCoy Talks New Era, QB Battle, As Season Looms
The burnt orange faithful adores former players, and none more than the beloved Colt McCoy. When he talks, Longhorn Nation listens.
This becomes especially true when the topic involves anything current about Texas football, as the Longhorns are preparing for one of their most anticipated seasons to date. During an interview on Austin's The Horn-FM, McCoy made sure to give Texas fans a glimpse of what's to come on the Forty Acres.
"I love what (Sarkisian) does and I definitely think it's gonna be successful here," McCoy said. "There's just a different vibe with Sark and his staff."
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McCoy, an 11-year NFL vet who is a recent addition to Kliff Kingsbury's roster with the Arizona Cardinals, has seen first-hand what it takes to be successful at the college and pro game, something he says will be important in the growing process for this new coaching staff.
"I watched Sarkisian's offense in the league and he had a top ten offense with Matt Ryan and those guys," McCoy said. "But let Sark implement what he's trying to do and get it established like he wants to."
One of only six Longhorns to have their football number retired by the university, Number 12 has had his fair share of position battles in his time at UT. In the interview, Howe mentions these experiences and how the tandem of Casey Thompson and Hudson Card can learn from it on their journeys to directing the huddle.
"Listen, this is a big job. Lots of eyes on you," McCoy said. "I would just lock in and appreciate the fact that I have an opportunity to compete for a job here at UT. Give it all you have and let everything else separate itself."
The two-time Walter Camp Player of the Year spoke on his thought process during the post-national championship QB competition with Jevan Snead in 2006, as McCoy realized there were some big shoes to fill.
"There was still this thing inside of me like 'I don't know how I'm gonna replace Vince (Young),'" McCoy said. "When I was earning that job, I wasn't thinking about beating Jevan Snead out, I was thinking about 'How do I play at a high level so that all these guys that just won a national championship will listen to what I'm telling them?'"
Though this current Texas team isn't coming off of a championship, the pressure to fill the role left by former Longhorns QB Sam Ehlinger will certainly be felt by both Thompson and Card.
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Through the air and on the ground, Ehlinger made his mark in the offense and in the Longhorn record books over the past four years. The current Indianapolis Colts QB is second all-time in Texas football history for both career passing yards and passing touchdowns at 11,436 and 94, respectfully.
The guy in the number one spot? Colt McCoy.
Of course, no one is expecting this kind of production from Thompson or Card off the bat. Both QB's have had valuable experience and will soon look to blossom under the offensive-minded Sarkisian.
"I think Casey has done a lot of great things," McCoy said. "He played well in the bowl game last year and he's got some tape. I think Hudson throws the ball great. I think we're gonna be good with either one of those guys."
As a new era of Texas football begins, McCoy noted that this kind of competition will be key in setting a foundation early on.
"I'm just excited that, when there's a competition at that position and both those guys are good, it helps the team," he said. "Let that play out like it's supposed to. That's the way Sarkisian's doing it."
Texas fans still have some waiting to do until we find out who Sarkisian and Co. name the starter. The Longhorns open up the season Saturday, Sept 4 against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. It's likely that a definitive starter won't be announced until Big 12-play begins against Texas Tech on Sept. 25.
After what has been a wild turnover for Texas football over the past few months, the new era is just getting started.
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Who do you think will win the starting QB job? Comment and join in on the discussion below!
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