Texas began the year with four quarterbacks who all had a chance at the starting job. Following the transfers of Connor Wood and incumbent starter Garrett Gilbert, that competition whittled down to freshman David Ash and sophomore Case McCoy.
The latter two have split game time through much of the season, but it appears that Longhorns offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin finally settled on the quarterback he thinks will guide UT through the rest of the season -- perhaps beyond.
In a 43-0 rout of Kansas, Ash saw all meaningful playing time, going 14-of-18 for 145 yards and an interception. Certainly not bad; not particularly jaw-dropping either, especially when you consider how porous the Jayhawks’ defense has been this season. But with UT rushing for 441 yards -- five yards short of Stanford’s effort against Washington last week -- there wasn’t a need to sling it around.
But for the second game in a row, it was Ash who got a majority or all of the meaningful snaps, as McCoy came in for garbage time only. Harsin said the two practiced well this week, but even against one of the worst defenses in the country, Harsin made it clear during the game he wanted to give Ash as many game reps as necessary.
The Horns still have five games remaining this season, and at 2-2 in the Big 12, they’re smack in the middle of the conference standings. This looks like a bowl-eligible team, but with upcoming contests against the likes of Texas Tech, Missouri, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Baylor, Harsin and coach Mack Brown are in a tough spot.
Do they go with the quarterback who is obviously separating himself and continue to put him in as many game situations as you can for the future? Or, if Ash struggles, do they go back to the two-quarterback scheme to win as many games this season as possible knowing 5-7 isn’t going to cut it again?
Even after seven games, there’s a lot about this young Texas team that we don’t know yet. Their two losses this season have come to the Big 12’s best, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State; their two wins have come against the Big 12’s worst, Iowa State and Kansas.