Colt McCoy named O'Brien Quarterback of the Week

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 13, 2008) - The Davey O'Brien Foundation has named Colt McCoy of the University of Texas the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for week seven. McCoy currently ranks 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 October 27.

A record crowd of 92,182 filled the Cotton Bowl Stadium to watch McCoy lead the Texas Longhorns to a 45-35 victory over top-ranked Oklahoma. Texas trailed the Sooners until the fourth quarter when the battle between the Red River rivals intensified. McCoy proved his ability to execute under pressure with his success in third down conversions, the most notable of which came in the fourth quarter with a 37-yard completion to wide receiver Jordan Shipley resulting in a touchdown on the next play.

"It was a game when every time somebody made a play, the other team would get more excited," Texas Head Coach Mack Brown said in post game comments. "It was one of the greatest football games I've ever seen."

McCoy's efficient play and consistent accuracy this season are reminiscent of previous Longhorn quarterback and 2005 O'Brien Winner, Vince Young. McCoy went 28-of-35 on Saturday, completing 80 percent of his passes for 277 yards and no interceptions.

"The most important thing for me to do was to get a win. That was the main goal," McCoy said after Saturday's game when asked about post season awards. "To be able to execute Coach Davis' plan was awesome."

Brown echoed the sentiments when he said, "There are not individuals on the team, not guys who talk about themselves. It's been about 'this team' from day one."

McCoy, a 6-foot-3 junior, has thrown for 1,557 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. His 68 career touchdowns are the most thrown by a Texas Longhorn, surpassing the previous record held by Major Applewhite. After defeating the top-ranked Sooners, Texas now holds the number one position. This marks the first time the Longhorns have exited the Red River Rivalry game with an undefeated record since 2005 when they went on to win the Rose Bowl and earn a National Championship Title. McCoy and his team now set their sites on Chase Daniel and the Missouri Tigers, who they will host at home this Saturday in Austin.

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.

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.

Fans can also download an interactive "widget" at www.DaveyOBrien.org/FAN/fan_widgets.asp featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs.


Fans can show their support by adding The O'Brien Facebook application to their Facebook Profile. The new application can be found by searching O'Brien Fan Vote and clicking the applications tab or at http://apps.new.facebook.com/daveyobrien/.

About The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®

The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.