Longhorns ready to unveil their own version of ‘Slash’
Let there be no doubt: Colt McCoy is unquestioned No. 1 quarterback for Texas after throwing for 5,873 yards and 51 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
However, his backup, sophomore John Chiles, brings some things to the table that McCoy doesn’t, mainly speed and a big-play ability on the ground. Texas has been a bit slow to adapt to the wide-open offenses prevalent now in college football, so this could be a step in the right direction for Mack Brown.
Chiles could be used to run pass patterns, take direct snaps, etc. Texas tried the two together at times last season, but nothing jelled.
“We’d like to see if it works,” Brown said. “We’re really developing that package as we speak. We’re going to start working on it immediately to see where it goes, simply because John and Colt are two of our best players and two of our most productive players.”
Brown and offensive coordinator Greg Davis say they’re still developing a package of offensive plays to use Chiles in multiple ways. They didn’t work on it in the spring to allow Chiles more time developing into a solid backup QB, and he will stay as the No. 2 signal-caller no matter what.
Chiles played in seven games last year but in very limited action. He ran for 77 yards and led two scoring drives against Rice. He scored a touchdown in a win over Iowa State and ran for a TD in the Holiday Bowl against Arizona State. He completed only one of nine pass attempts for 17 yards overall. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry during the year - tops among Texas’ returning rushers.
“John … will not move from quarterback,” Brown said. ” He’ll run a play in that package, then come back to the huddle as a quarterback [with the second-team offense].”
At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, the coaches say Chiles is one of the fastest players on the team. McCoy he’s excited to have Chiles more involved.
“John’s good at anything he does,” McCoy said. “He’s explosive with the ball in his hands.”
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