With David Ash being declared out for the Red River Shootout and his future in doubt, it’s time to at least try and make sense of the Quarterback situation for the rest of the season
Case McCoy
Likelihood to start remaining games: 90%
Effectiveness: 35%
Case McCoy is not his brother and no one should be confused by now. However, Mack Brown is enamored by Case McCoy’s ability to help win games in the final minutes. Keep in mind his comebacks are against bad teams. Let’s take a look at his 3 biggest comebacks:
2013Â Iowa State:Â Iowa State had only 1 win on the season against a bad Tulsa team. They lost to Northern Iowa from the FCS and Iowa (who lost to Northern Illinois).
2012 Kansas:Â That team only won 1 game. The Jayhawks collapsed and weren’t able to handle the pressure. Not to mention KU had a quarterback who couldn’t throw the ball that well.
2011 Texas A&M: This comeback was aided by a deserved 15 yard penalty by Texas A&M and the Aggie defensive line losing containment on McCoy. Nothing he did was spectacular. Not to mention the Aggies were in free fall after being ranked in the preseason top 15.
So when you look at McCoy’s “clutchness,” it simply isn’t there against elite teams.
Against the Cyclones on Thursday night, Case McCoy threw the ball 45 times for 244 yards. If you take out the Hail Mary pass to end the 1st half, Case McCoy averaged 4.54 yards per attempt. Â That would be good for 125th in the country. Only Virginia has a worse yards per attempt average than Case McCoy.
Unless Case McCoy collapses or becomes a turnover machine, he will be the starter.
Tyrone Swoopes
Likelihood to start remaining games: 5%
Effectiveness: n/a
Tyrone Swoopes showed Longhorns fans his athleticism and elusiveness in the spring game. However, we don’t know what he can do against real opponents. It was reported by multiple outlets that Tyrone Swoopes was getting half of the 1st team snaps in practice prior to the Iowa State game yet didn’t play a single snap in the actual game. So when Case McCoy is ineffective (which he will be against Oklahoma), Swoopes will be thrown into a fire. That doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. Hopefully in Dallas, Longhorns fans will have the opportunity to learn just how effective Swoopes can be under center.
Jalen Overstreet
Likelihood to start remaining games: 5%
Effectiveness: 80%
Jalen Overstreet came to Texas looking for a chance to play quarterback. He redshirted in 2012 and in the first game of the season against New Mexico State, Overstreet rushed for 92 yards on 9 carries. I know it was New Mexico State but why not give him the chance to take the ball every snap. He can use his feet and open up running lanes for Johnathan Gray and the other backs. He can also get wide receivers open while he is scrambling in the backfield. The complete refusal for the Texas Longhorns to play Jalen Overstreet has to go down as one of many questionable decisions made by this staff.
Recap:
It’s tough to make sense of the Longhorns QB situation. Common sense would say don’t play McCoy but if their is one thing Mack Brown lacks, it appears to be common sense. Expect McCoy to trot out on the field for the rest of the season.
