Colt McCoy named O'Brien Quarterback of the Week

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 20, 2008) - The Davey O'Brien Foundation has named Colt McCoy of the University of Texas the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for week eight. McCoy continues to rank first in the O'Brien Fan Vote, and Longhorn fans are encouraged to continue the support for McCoy by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and casting their vote. The top three candidates in the Fan Vote will automatically be added to the Semifinalist list announced Monday, October 27.

McCoy led the Longhorns to a dominant 56-31 victory on Saturday in front of more than 98,000 fans at Royal Memorial Stadium. His efficient passing and skillful play gave the Longhorns the advantage over the Missouri Tigers of the Big 12 North. Texas, who had ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Poll and the AP Poll, now also holds the No. 1 position in the first BCS rankings announced Sunday.

"We just came out strong, we came out ready to play and that's important for us every week," McCoy said after Saturday's game. "If we can do that every week that helps the defense out and it helps us get rolling. Like I said, we wanted to win up front and we did."

McCoy went 29-of-32 with no interceptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to two rushing touchdowns. The junior quarterback continues to set Texas school records as he broke the record for most consecutive pass completions with 17, as well as the record for touchdowns responsible for in his career with 82. Both records were previously held by 2005 O'Brien Winner Vince Young.

"He just needs to continue to be who he is. I don't know if we need him to play any better," Head Coach Mack Brown said of McCoy in post game comments. "He's showing fantastic leadership, he's poised and he's not into all of the hype... I've never seen him this settled, comfortable and this confident before."

This marks the third week McCoy has received the honor of O'Brien Quarterback of the Week in recognition of his outstanding performance on the field. After a near-perfect game, McCoy and the Longhorns are already focused on their upcoming match-up against No. 6 Oklahoma State.

The O'Brien Quarterback of the Week is determined by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee. The subset of the committee is chaired by Verne Lundquist (CBS Sports) and consists of Dennis Dodd (CBS SportsLine), Ivan Maisel (espn.com), Joe Schad (ESPN/ABC), Dick Weiss (New York Daily News) and Kelly Whiteside (USA Today). This subset will select the quarterback of the week based on their performance during the prior weekend's game, taking into consideration individual statistics, contribution to team performance, strength of opponent, etc. McCoy is the final quarterback to receive this weekly honor for the 2008 season as The O'Brien will announce its Semifinalists next Monday.

The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year. Currently all 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced on October 27. Finalists will be announced November 24. The 2008 Winner will be announced December 11.

About The O'Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at www.VoteOBrien.org to show their support for their favorite college quarterback. Fans will be able to choose from any of the 119 FBS quarterbacks beginning on Tuesday, September 2, leaving room for the possibility of a quarterback who is not on the Watch List to win the award. The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien Semifinalist List, and the Fan Vote will then count as 5% in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.