1st of 7 columns on the top positional
units in college football
When it
comes to college football, there’s
nothing like talking about who’s the best at something to get folks worked up.
Even at the quarterback position, in order to determine
which program has that “best unit,” more has to be
considered than simply the skills of the starter. Depth,
in college football, just like at the pro level, is
crucial. In college, the ability to get variety from your
quarterbacks, as a function of athletic talent on the
field, is gold. And there is no substitute for
experience.
So with
all due respect to USC, who may have the best college
quarterback in Matt Leinart, and to Oklahoma, who has the
reigning Heisman Trophy winner and QB-of-the-near-future
in
Paul Thompson, as well as the top freshman prospect in the
nation — the best quarterback unit is in Austin. The
answer to the question, “Why?” is that Texas scores on all
points for depth, variety and experience.
Texas
Longhorns Head Coach Mack Brown has never been shy about
swapping his quarterbacks and sometimes does so to a
fault. He did it with Chris Simms and Major Applewhite;
and in 2003, he did it with experienced veteran Chance
Mock and "uber-athlete," red-shirt freshman Vince Young.
When it
comes to style, Mock and Young playing quarterback are an
exercise in contrast. Mock is a pocket passer with a good
arm, great head for the position and experience leading
the Longhorn offense. Young on the other hand, is a
physical marvel with a cannon arm and the legs of a
running back. Young may not always make the best
decisions and is still learning to play the position, but
in terms of athletic quarterbacks, there may be none
better in the nation…and he’s a sophomore.
The two
quarterbacks essentially split the starts last year, with
Mock getting 6 and Young getting 7 as just a freshman.
During the course of those games, Coach Brown was not
afraid to swap one out for the other depending on the
situation. The two of them accounted for nearly 3,700
yards of total offense, with Mock throwing for 1,469 in 6
starts, and Young adding in 1,155 passing and 998 rushing
(7.4 ypc) in his 7.
Each kid
brings something different to the table. Mock brings
superior accuracy and decision making as evidenced by his
16:2 TD-to-INT ratio. Mock has also spent most of the spring working on his running
while maintaining that accuracy on his throws. Young is a
specimen at 6'5" and closing in quickly on 230 lbs. with
moves that Ced Benson wishes he had and a huge, albeit
erratic arm. Young might be the most explosive weapon in
college football if not for a conference foe named Smith.
The
biggest knock on the two-headed Texas quarterback unit is
the way they have been handled by the coaching staff.
Pulling one for the other, during questionable points in
games or the season, telegraphing the strategy of the team
based on which QB is in the game, and trying to get the
other ten guys on the field to adjust on the fly to which
signal caller is back there, has held both players back.
At this point, Vince Young is the starter, even after a
shaky spring, and Mock is going to be playing the role of
veteran, who can come in if need be.
This
spring, Texas OC Greg Davis has promised to have one set
of plays for whichever quarterback is in the game. That
means Chance Mock had better polish his running shoes,
because this is going to be a game plan that will play to
the strengths of Young. This doesn’t mean that Mock will
never see the field. If Mack Brown is anything, he’s too
quick to jump the gun and make a switch. I predict the
first QB change will happen in September against Arkansas.
The Longhorns get a pretty cushy schedule, with North
Texas, Rice and Baylor surrounding that road game against
the Razorbacks. That should be ample time for Young to be
comfy before the red river shootout on October 9th.
Mock
doesn’t scare opposing teams like Young does, so I don’t
see any way that he wins the starting job, but he’ll get
his chances. If last year’s Texas Tech game is any
indication, as a veteran, he’ll make the most of them. So
having Mock preparing to be better with his feet and Young
working to be better with his head should give Brown an
interesting and welcome problem — having the best QB unit.
