Oct. 20, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas junior QB Colt McCoy has been named the O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week for games ending Oct. 18, the Davey O'Brien Foundation has announced.
McCoy received the honor for leading Texas to a 56-31 win over No. 11 Missouri. It marks the second consecutive week he has earned the award after guiding the Longhorns to a 45-35 win over No. 1 Oklahoma on Oct. 11. It is also the third time this season he has been chosen, after guiding Texas to a 52-10 win over Arkansas on Sept. 27.
Against Missouri, McCoy set a UT record by completing 90.6 percent of his passes (29-of-32), while throwing for 337 yards, which was just nine shy of his career mark, and two TDs. He also rushed for 23 yards and two scores. McCoy led UT on five consecutive TD drives in a first half that saw him go 18-of-20 for 230 yards and two TDs. In the second quarter alone, McCoy was 9-of-9 for 131 yards and two TDs. He went on to complete 17 straight passes to set a new UT mark, breaking the previous mark of 15 he shared with Vince Young.
For his efforts, McCoy has also been named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, and he received a helmet sticker from ESPN's College Football Final broadcast.
A member of the O'Brien Award, WCFF Player of the Year and Maxwell Award watch lists, McCoy has gone 160-of-197 (81.2%) for 1,894 yards and 19 TDs, with only three INTs, for a passer rating of 190.8 in 2008. His 81.2-percent completion percentage is the best in the country and his 190.8 passer rating ranks fourth nationally. In addition, McCoy leads the team in rushing with 371 yards and six TDs on 70 carries (5.3 ypc). Overall, McCoy has posted 2,265 yards of total offense (1,894p/371r) and is averaging 323.6 total yards per game, which ranks ninth nationally. His 2,265 total yards are more than 34 teams in the FBS. He also is responsible for 22.0 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally. His 25 total TDs are more than 72 teams in the FBS.
McCoy improved his career record to 27-6, which ranks third on UT's all-time list and is just one victory behind Bobby Layne (28-6, 1944-47) and three behind Vince Young (30-2, 2003-05). During his 33-game career, McCoy has completed 653-of-939 passes (69.5%/No. 1 on UT's all-time list) for 7,767 yards and 70 TDs against 28 INTs for a passer rating of 157.7 (No. 1 on UT's all-time list). McCoy's 70 career TD passes are the most in UT history, as are his 82 TDs responsible for, after passing Vince Young (81) against Missouri. His 7,767 passing yards are second best on school record, trailing only Major Applewhite (8,353, 1998-2001). In total, McCoy has produced 8,800 yards of total offense (7,767p/1,033r), including 15 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 http://www.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 www.DaveyOBrien.org/FAN/fan_widgets.asp featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs.
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