Longhorns' Story Behind the Game

It's good to see guest blogger Jason Patlan has graced us with his presence. I don't want to write this game into the ground, but there was an undercurrent to this game of which I'm not sure many people were aware.

That undercurrent was a potential new Longhorn quarterback controversy. We've seen this before. A high school star whose first name is his sweet ass nickname comes to Texas after the Horns missed out on their top QB choices. He redshirts. The Longhorns lose a Senior QB early and he's thrust into action. He shows guts. He shows character. He just maybe doesn't have the sexy physical tools the fans want in their QB.

Next, comes a recruit at the the top of the Horns wish list. He's got those physical goods that the fans and coaches drool over. We haven't seen him play but the chatter begins among the coaches. Next thing you know their splitting time followed by the younger kid taking the helm in favor of the favorite.

Major Applewhite and Chris Simms, meet Colt McCoy and Jevan Sneed. (Please tell me you didn't think I was talking Chance Mock and Vince Young.) Admittedly the current story hasn't bore itself out just like that to this point. But it appeared to be heading that way.

The early weeks of the season, Snead had struggled, temporarily removing him from any thought of starting this year. McCoy hadn't been superb but had displayed the equine balls to step up into a blitz and throw a pass for a first down or a touchdown. He also, despite some struggles with accuracy, had avoided an unhealthy number of interceptions.

Dateline: October 1, 2006. McCoy plays well against program fundraiser Sam Houston State. Snead, however, knocks everyone's socks off in half a first quarter of play. After the game, you hear Mack Daddy talking about his true freshman quarterback. Says he wished they had played him more early in the year because with his strong arm and running ability he thinks Snead could help them win ballgames. Certainly sounds like Colt needs to assert himself against OU (sucks).

Dateline: October 8, 2006. Colt struggles in the first half with a textbook Greg Davis play-it-safe-and-lose-without-really-trying gameplan. You get the feeling the coaches don't trust the kid in a big game. You wonder if they may insert Snead to try and open up the offense in the second half. Coach Brown stays in Colt's camp, though. Demands Davis open up the offense and turn them loose. Suddenly Colt looks like more than a gutsy quarterback. He looks like a college quarterback. Connects for a 33-yard touchdown strike to Limas Sweed to put the Horns back in front of the Sooners. He follows that with a beauty of a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Shipley with a defensive end in his grill. His job is safe.

And if Colt continues to play like that, they will have no worries against Baylor next Saturday in the battle for first place in the Big 12 South. That is, unless Aaron Harris treats his former teammates to an early morning hayride.