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Colt McCoy defends Quinn Ewers ahead of Cotton Bowl: 'He's got us in position to go win a national championship'

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•about 9 hours•

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Texas great Colt McCoy
© Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Friday night, Quinn Ewers and Texas will look to secure their spot in the College Football Playoff national championship as they take on Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. It’s been an up-and-down year for the Longhorns quarterback, but UT legend Colt McCoy defended Ewers’ performance ahead of kickoff.

Ewers led the SEC with 29 passing touchdowns this season while throwing for 3,189 yards, but he also had 11 interceptions – the second-most in the league. With Arch Manning waiting in the wings as Texas’ backup, some wondered if he should jump in Ewers’ place as the Longhorns made a run to the SEC Championship and, ultimately, the CFP semifinals.

But McCoy praised the way Ewers handled this season, between the high expectations and a former highly touted recruit as his backup throughout the struggles. Considering Texas woke up Friday morning one win a way from a national championship game appearance, he wasn’t sure how much more people could ask out of the quarterback spot this year.

“I think Quinn has done a great job of just locking in and recognizing he has an outstanding football team around him, and he’s got to go out there and play well,” McCoy said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio. “So far, he’s really done that. There are some times where you scratch your head, but at the end of the day, I think Quinn has done an awesome job at blocking out the noise and understanding the pressures and demands of playing quarterback at UT.

“Ultimately, he’s got us in position to go win a national championship. What more do you want from your starting quarterback?”

Colt McCoy: ‘Coach Sark is going to get the best recruits every year’

Of course, if anyone knows what it’s like to deal with high expectations in Austin, it’s Colt McCoy. He put together a decorated career at Texas from 2006-09 after redshirting as a freshman, winning two Walter Camp Player of the Year awards and becoming a unanimous All-American as part of his impressive senior season.

During McCoy’s time as the starting quarterback, Texas went 45-8 and made the BCS national championship in 2009. But even as the Longhorns made a run, he recalled a message from Mack Brown about how he’d keep UT at the top of the college football world.

“It’s a pro team,” McCoy said. “The way that you’re in the state capital, you’re the biggest university in the state – the flagship school of this state. There’s a lot of eyeballs on this program. Coach Brown told it best to me when I got there. He said, ‘Listen, you’re going to have to earn your job every year. I’m gonna go get the best quarterback in the country ever year. So don’t ever feel comfortable with your seat and where you are. You’ve got to earn that every year.’ I truly felt that.

“I know we went through 10 or 12 years of not really playing to the standard that I think Texas fans want the University of Texas to play. But now, Coach Sark is going to get the best recruits every year. He’s got Arch Manning sitting behind Quinn. I don’t think there’s a better quarterback room [or] situation in all of college football, and I think Texas is very fortunate for that.”