The regular season has come and gone, and it's time to do the end of year report cards. We'll do them in a series, rather than one long post, for myriad reasons. First up, Mssr. McCoy.
Colt McCoy First, the numbers: McCoy completed 191 of 278 pass attempts (68.7%) for 2,262 yards (188.5 per game), at a rate of 8.14 yards per attempt. His final passer rating was 164.07, good for 6th nationally. His 27 touchdowns was a single season Texas record for a quarterback of any age.
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| McCoy had a tremendous season by any standard. |
Can we honestly give McCoy anything short of an 'A' for his freshman season? It's hard to argue against it. Still, let's briefly talk about the things he didn't do well.
McCoy never mastered the zone-read option. That, in and of itself, is not a sin, but the play remained a part of the offense for a good chunk of the season. And if the play calls for the quarterback to make a read - in this case, on the defensive end - he must make that read. McCoy never got that down, handing the ball off each time. Eventually, the play was just weeded out of the playbook entirely. It was a little bit furstrating, though, because 1) McCoy's a good runner, and 2) it's a dandy of a play in college. It never took with McCoy, though - for whatever reason - and should be pointed out.
The other thing McCoy sometimes struggled with was dancing out of the pocket before the pass rush actually got there. That's hardly unique to quarterbacks of his experience, but it should be noted. Still, one of McCoy's greatest strengths was his ability to make adjustments in the middle of games. As the coaches said, "Stay put and go through your reads," he did. With a lot of quarterbacks, you have to wait until Monday's film session; not McCoy. You could see him actively making adjustments throughout games. That's rare in any quarterback, and especially a young one.
And we're pretty much through Colt's weaknesses. His arm strength was fine (not great, but plenty good), his touch was marvelous, he showed poise and leadership... it's a long list of things he did well. By the Kansas State game, he was being mentioned as a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate.
And that's why what happens with McCoy and this injury is so tense. We're all well aware of the eleventy-star quarterbacks that are in line to attend Texas in 2007 and beyond, but you just can't take performance at that position for granted. By Kansas State, McCoy was looking like a Big 12 championship quarterback, if not more. The only question was whether his upside included a national championship, but if that's the debate, then you're certainly in the right neighborhood.
The jury's still out on Colt's ceiling, but his Texas debut exceeded even the most optimistic projections. For that, we proudly hand Colt a Grade: A and resume biting our nails as we approach the bowl game.
[Lastly, a brief word on Snead, who as we all know is transferring. I don't think there's anything meaningful in giving him a grade. He was beat out for the job, did an adequate job of keeping Texas in the Kansas State game in emergency duty, and saw only one pass in the A&M game. He never got a chance, which means there's not much to evaluate. And that his decision to transfer isn't a shocking one. Best of luck to Jevan, wherever he winds up.]
--PB--