Texas Football: Longhorns Can Win With Tyrone Swoopes at QB
By Tyler Brett
Charlie Strong still hasn’t made a decision on who will be the starting quarterback for Texas football. While fans are clamoring for freshman Shane Buechele, it’s possible senior Tyrone Swoopes could get the nod. Many would consider that a disaster considering Swoopes’ struggles at QB over the years, but this offense could be just what he needs to succeed.
Now, don’t go jumping off any bridges just yet. Yes, Swoopes has been up and down bouncing in and out of the starting lineup over the last three seasons. Yes, he was a disaster last season in South Bend. After completing just 7 of 22 passes for 93 yards and rushing for 17 yards on 10 carries, Swoopes became the scapegoat for the 38-3 loss.
He has shouldered a lot of blame for Texas’ struggles the last two seasons. But not all of that is warranted. In his Texas career, Swoopes has completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 2,972 yards with 17 touchdowns and 12 interception. Most of that production came in 2014 when he was the primary starter. That season, he accounted for 2,409 yards passing with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 58.3 percent of his throws. Not great, sure, but also not terrible.
In addition to his passing, Swoopes is a legitimate threat running the ball. He’s rushed for 792 yards and 17 touchdowns at Texas since 2013. He really found his rhythm as a runner last season in the 18 wheeler package, rushing for 451 yards and averaging 6.09 yards per carry while scoring 12 touchdowns. That success has helped rebuild the confidence of a young player who has endured a ton of criticism since arriving in Austin.
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That boost in confidence has helped him make serious strides in this new Texas offense. While he started out poorly in the spring game (4 for 16, 71 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions), all indications this fall are that he’s playing extremely well. As he gets more comfortable in Sterlin Gilbert’s offense, his play continues to improve.
And let’s give credit where it’s due; Swoopes can throw the football. He has tremendous arm strength and has shown that he can be an effective passer. Three times in 2014, Swoopes threw for 300+ yards. Against Oklahoma that season, he led a near miraculous comeback completing 27 of 44 passes for 334 yards while rushing for 50 yards on 11 carries and accounting for three total touchdowns. While the team came up short, 31-26, Swoopes gave Texas a chance to win.
The very next week, Swoopes carved up Iowa State in a 48-45 shootout win. He completed 24 of 36 passes for 321 yards while rushing for 95 yards and scoring two total touchdowns. Later in the season, Swoopes led Texas into Stillwater and played arguably his best game as a passer. He completed 24 of 33 passes, a 72.7 completion percentage, for 305 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-7 win.
Perhaps with his renewed confidence and an offense that caters to his strengths, Swoopes could deliver more performances like that. Gilbert’s up-tempo spread attack would allow Swoopes to play fast, which he has excelled at, and minimize how much he would have to read defenses. This new offense is built on short, quick throws to receivers running in open space. That suits Swoopes much better than the slow-developing passing concepts the team ran last season.
Additionally, with the offense spreading defenses from sideline to sideline, it opens up running lanes for the power rushing attack between the tackles. That’s a perfect fit for Swoopes and the Smash Brothers, D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren.
There’s no question that Shane Buechele is the quarterback of the future at Texas. With so much riding on 2016, however, there’s an argument to be made for turning to the veteran QB this fall. With improved skill players to take some pressure away, an offense that caters to his skill set, and what should be an improved defense on the other side of the ball, Tyrone Swoopes can lead the Longhorns to wins in 2016.