Did Case McCoy Win Starting Job for Rest of Season?

After Case McCoy led Texas to an upset of No. 12 Oklahoma, Mack Brown appeared settled on his starting quarterback moving forward.

“This is his (McCoy’s) team now,” Brown said in the press conference following the game, “and he knows that.”

Amidst questions concerning David Ash’s head injury, Brown’s sudden revelation at least puts to rest any doubts as to who the leader of the team is.

Following a concussion Ash suffered in the second game of the season, McCoy started in a loss to Ole Miss. Fans seemed relieved when Ash returned against Kansas State, but McCoy was forced to take over for the injured quarterback in the second half. McCoy has taken every snap since.

With freshman quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, who has quickly become a fan favorite despite being an unknown talent, on the sidelines, McCoy has drawn the ire of Longhorn nation. Though much of this is likely the effects of a frustrated fanbase, the doubts cast upon the senior quarterback’s abilities were hard to ignore.

A closer look at McCoy’s statistics reveals a quarterback who has performed quite well despite all the doubts.

Here’s a comparison between Ash and McCoy:

As you can see, McCoy and Ash are nearly identical statistically. In fact, one would be hard pressed to pick one over the other. While Ash’s QB rating is slightly ahead of McCoy’s, McCoy’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is far superior. However, something these statistics do not show is the fact that McCoy has relieved a struggling David Ash six times. Meanwhile, McCoy has never been relieved as a starter.

“I grew up an underdog. I’ve been an underdog my whole life,” McCoy said. “I came to Texas and all the sudden I wasn’t an underdog. I’m back in my environment and I’m an underdog. I hope y’all keep putting us at a disadvantage, keep putting the heat on us. I love it. I love to play, I love this game, I love my teammates and we’re going to keep fighting.”

McCoy spoke about his legacy before the Oklahoma game. Though I hate to prognosticate the way history will judge McCoy, one thing is for certain. If McCoy is able to take the Longhorns from the brink of disaster to a Fiesta Bowl berth, he will no longer be regarded as Colt’s little brother, but one of the great underdogs in Longhorn history.

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