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Oct. 13, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas junior QB Colt McCoy has been named the O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week, the Davey O'Brien Foundation has announced.

McCoy earned the honor for leading Texas to a 45-35 win over No. 1 Oklahoma in Dallas on Saturday. It marks the second time this season McCoy has won the award, after leading the Longhorns to a 52-10 win over Arkansas on Sept. 27.

McCoy posted a 155.9 passer rating against an Oklahoma defense that entered the game leading the nation in pass efficiency defense (85.6 rating) after going 28-of-35 (80.0%) for 277 yards and a TD (no INTs). He also rushed for 31 yards to give him 308 total yards, his second consecutive game of at least 300 total yards. In addition, McCoy was 7-of-10 for 89 yards and a TD on third down. For McCoy, it was his ninth second-half comeback and sixth fourth-quarter comeback of his career.

This season, McCoy has gone 131-of-165 (79.4%) for 1,557 yards and 17 TDs, with only three INTs, for a passer rating of 189.0. His 79.4-percent completion percentage is the best in the country and his 189.0 passer rating ranks fourth nationally. In addition, McCoy leads the team in rushing with 348 yards and four TDs on 59 carries (5.9 ypc). His 348 rushing yards over the first five games are the second-most by a QB in UT history to Vince Young's 413 in 2005. Overall, McCoy has posted 1,905 yards of total offense (1,557p/348r) and is averaging 317.5 total yards per game, which ranks ninth nationally. His 1,905 total yards are more than 26 teams in the FBS. He also is responsible for 21.7 points per game, which is tied for seventh nationally. His 21 total TDs are more than 68 teams in the FBS.

McCoy, who is a member of the O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award and WCFF Player of the Year award watch lists, improved his career record to 26-6, which is tied for third on UT's all-time list. During his 32-game career, McCoy has completed 624-of-907 passes (68.8%/No. 1 on UT's all-time list) for 7,430 yards and 68 TDs against 28 INTs for a passer rating of 156.2 (No. 1 on UT's all-time list). McCoy's 68 career TD passes and 642 completions are the most in UT history, while his 7,430 passing yards are third best. McCoy currently ranks second on UT's TDs responsible for list with 78, trailing only Vince Young (81). McCoy is the fifth QB in Longhorn history to rush for 1,000 yards. He has posted 1,010 yards and 10 TDs on 241 carries (4.2 ypc) during his career. In total, McCoy has produced 8,440 yards of total offense (7,430p/1,010r), including 14 games of at least 300 total yards. He is just the fourth Longhorn in school history to eclipse the 8,000-yard plateau and ranks second on UT's all-time total offense list behind Vince Young (9,167).

McCoy was a semifinalist for the O'Brien Award in 2006 and is a member of the watch list for the second straight year. Two Longhorns have won the honor in its history, including Vince Young in 2005, and Earl Campbell in its first year in 1977, when it honored the top player in the Southwest.

The O'Brien Quarterback of the Week is determined by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee. The subset of the committee is chaired by Verne Lundquist (CBS Sports) and consists of Dennis Dodd (CBS SportsLine), Ivan Maisel (espn.com), Joe Schad (ESPN/ABC), Dick Weiss (New York Daily News) and Kelly Whiteside (USA Today). This subset will select the quarterback of the week based on their performance during the prior weekend's game, taking into consideration individual statistics, contribution to team performance, strength of opponent, etc.

The O'Brien Award honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year. Semifinalists are announced on October 27. Finalists will be announced November 24.

Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at DaveyOBrien.org/fan/login.asp to show their support for McCoy. The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien Semifinalist List, and the Fan Vote will then count as five percent in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fans can also download an interactive "widget" at DaveyOBrien.org/FAN/fan_widgets.asp featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs.