Nov. 7, 2009
Natalie England, Texas Media Relations
AUSTIN, Texas – Colt McCoy’s philosophy on the football field is so simple it can be summed up in two words.
“All in,” which is a team motto McCoy likes to quote.
McCoy has never been shy about his appreciation for everything team above himself. So it was fitting on Saturday, a day when his 470 passing yards were just three shy of a single-game school record, McCoy set up his roommate, best friend and favorite target, Jordan Shipley, for a school-record 273 receiving yards.
With McCoy and Shipley paving the way, the second-ranked Texas Longhorns used deep balls, hitch routes, great defense and just good, old-fashioned sandlot fun to dismantle UCF for a 35-3 victory at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
“They found every opening,” UCF linebacker Cory Hogue said. “They beat us deep down field. We didn’t do a good enough job stopping them at what they’re good at – and that’s the passing game.”
McCoy completed 33-of-42 passes, and also threw for two touchdowns. He’s now thrown a TD in 26 straight games, which stands as a school record and the longest active streak in the nation.
And one of those scoring tosses on Saturday will stand frozen in the highlight reels.
Early in the fourth quarter, Shipley broke free down the middle, and when he turned to look over his left shoulder, all he saw was the ball, launched in a perfect spiral, in the perfect position. Shipley caught the ball in stride, and didn’t stop until he scored 88 yards later.
It was a vision Longhorns fan have come to expect from the McCoy-Shipley connection, and it was mostly set up with the dominant duality of McCoy.
The Longhorns used an 87-yard TD drive late in the third quarter to gain a 21-3 lead, and McCoy engineered that march with his arms, and his legs.
On second-and-10 from the UT 25, McCoy took the ball on a draw, and scrambled up field for an 8-yard gain – hurdling one defender in the process. He tucked and ran on the next play for the first down.
Then, nine plays later, McCoy stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure coming from his right, and delivered a strike to James Kirkendoll for a 14-yard TD pass.
“Colt was scrambling out, making big plays,” UCF defensive tackle Torrell Troup said. “He was making plays with his feet, but also throwing the ball. He hurt us – he hurt us big time, with his arm and his legs.”
After a sun-splashed day of records, and near-records, even UCF coach George O’Leary appreciated what he saw. He sought out McCoy after the game, and offered up congratulations.
O’Leary admired the way McCoy managed the game, picking apart the UCF defense, with “10 yards here, 12 yards there.”
“But,” O’Leary added, “we gave up too many big plays. Shipley had so many big plays.”
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