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“I hate that term,” said McCoy, who threw a Big 12-high 18 interceptions in his second year as Texas’ starting quarterback.
“It’s not a slump because I feel like I grew so much. I got better. I understand our offense. I gained a ton of experience in a lot of different ways that are going to help me this year. I’m just ready to play.”
Two full seasons have passed since the Longhorns rode Vince Young to the 2005 national championship, and the landscape in the Big 12 couldn’t look more different.
Texas has gone 10-3, missed out on the Big 12 championship game and lost to Kansas State and rival Texas A&M in back-to-back seasons. Missouri and Kansas in the North and Texas Tech in the South — all led by quarterbacks that Texas passed on recruiting — are threatening the Longhorns’ status as one of the assumed top two teams in the league.
“This is the first time we’ve been considered an underdog for a while,” Texas coach Mack Brown said.
Texas? An underdog? Brown was asked for an explanation of a statement that would have seemed absurd five years ago.
“Well,” Brown said, “it sounds like some people don’t think we’re going to win the conference. Some people don’t think we’re going to be a top-10 team. There’s the addition of having to go to Tech when some people have picked Tech as a top-10 team. Kansas is a top-10 team. Missouri is a top-10 team. Colorado is getting better, and we have to go up there.
“As you look at the schedule, it looks like a very, very difficult task for us. And I think there’s a little buzz within our team and our coaches about the fact that some don’t think we’re ready for that.”
Looking at the raw numbers, the Longhorns appear lucky to have won 10 games in 2007. They allowed 25 sacks (51st nationally), turned the ball over 26 times (71st), lost 55 yards per game in penalties (51st) and gave up an alarming 278 passing yards per game (109th).
In response, Texas went out and hired one of the most respected defensive coordinators in the game, Auburn’s Will Muschamp, to revamp its defense.
The Big 12 is about to find out what it’s like to play a Texas team with a chip on its shoulder. McCoy’s particularly has grown this offseason. He has spent more time in the film room with offensive coordinator Greg Davis, dissecting every throw, every decision.
“We spent hours upon hours just studying and watching and learning,” McCoy said, “and saying, ‘Why’d you go here with this? You know to go here.’ I’m thinking, ‘What an idiot. What are you doing? You know that.’ Those things, it just takes time. I feel like this year’s going to be a great year.”
For the first time in a decade, that may count as a surprise.
Texas coach Mack Brown at Big 12 media days
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