Most of the talk surrounding Saturday night’s Big 12 bout between Missouri and Texas was either about how Colt McCoy is the best quarterback in the nation or how overrated he is. He still might not be the best quarterback in college football, but he certainly made a compelling argument for himself in the Longhorns’ 56-31 rout over the Tigers in Austin.
McCoy was a-beyond-impressive 29 of 32 for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He also didn’t throw any picks and even rushed for 23 yards and two scores.
The argument from non-McCoy supporters will be that one, MIZZOU’s defense isn’t that good and two, McCoy completed a ton of short, underneath routs in which his receivers gained a ton of yardage after the catch. But aren’t good quarterbacks supposed to take what the defense gives them? You can’t fault McCoy for hitting open receivers, especially considering on more than a handful occasions he escaped defenders and kept plays alive with his feet. (On one play, he even fumbled the ball, but still had the wherewithal to pick it up and find an open receiver for a first down.)
Too bad McCoy won’t face another tough defense the rest of the way, because doubters are going to point to the fact that even though Oklahoma’s D is still ranked in the top 25, observers will note that they haven’t been the same unit this year. But regardless, even those not convinced in McCoy’s play this year, it’s hard to say he’s overrated after his performances against OU and MIZZOU the past two weeks.
