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Texas Longhorns Q&A: Chance Mock is Forever Burnt Orange

By Eric Moreno

AUSTIN, TX - AUGUST 31: Quarterback Chance Mock #5 of the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns throws a pass against the New Mexico State University Aggies at Texas Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2003 in Austin, Texas. Texas defeated New Mexico 66-7. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - AUGUST 31: Quarterback Chance Mock #5 of the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns throws a pass against the New Mexico State University Aggies at Texas Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2003 in Austin, Texas. Texas defeated New Mexico 66-7. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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An Interview with former Texas Longhorns QB Chance Mock: then and now.

There is a saying about best-laid plans often going “awry.” For example, coming out of The Woodlands High School, then Parade All-American Chance Mock was sure he was headed to that school in College Station. Sure of it.

That is until he visited Austin and took a meeting with Mack Brown. After that, it was fait accompli: Mock was going to be a Longhorn. His place in history will forever be associated with bridging the gap between the Major Applewhite/Chris Simms and Vince Young eras.

His finest year came as a starter for six games in 2003 when the Horns went 4-2. This stint included a big win over Kansas State. He later came off the bench to defeat Texas Tech in what he considers his finest moment for the Texas Longhorns.

Now, Mock keeps himself busy in a variety of ventures, including his online radio station, WoodlandsHits.com and his home renovation company, The Woodlands Remodeling Services.

A Lifetime Longhorn, Mock took some time to talk to us about his career in Austin, being a part of one of the most prolific offenses in school history, and his opinion on the 2017 version of the Horns.

Chance Mock Explains Texas Football Decision

EM: What was it that fully changed your mind about switching commitments from Texas A&M to UT? I’m sure it had something to do with Mack Brown, right?

CM: Yeah, I was all set to go to A&M and did a visit to Texas just because I wanted to see what it was all about. I was really blown away by Austin, but the campus, by the facilities, and the coaching staff, especially Mack.

I tell you though, what really sealed the deal, the first three people I met while I was on campus oddly enough were Casey Hampton, Shaun Rogers, and Leonard Davis! At that point, I made up in my mind that I could either play with these guys or against these guys. Playing with them seemed like the better option.

EM: What are some of your favorite memories of Mack Brown?

CM: Well, obviously the game at Texas Tech was a personal favorite of mine. The Cotton Bowl win over LSU [in 2003] was great. My favorite memories of Coach Brown, though, are things that happened in the locker room and outside of ball games. He would do things like surprising us with ice cream during training camp. His compassion, the way he treated us as men, those are things that I’ll never forget about him. He would treat us, all of us, as if we were his own children.

In the game of college football, and this goes especially for the NFL, you’re nothing but meat. We’re cattle. Everyone is looking for the next “best” guy. Not Coach Brown. Whether it was a walk-on or a Lombardi candidate, everyone was on equal footing with him. That was something that was very different than I personally experienced anywhere else.

Chance Mock: The Bridge to Vince Young

EM: So, you came to Austin at a time in which the Longhorns were really loaded at quarterback. Did you have any extra pressure on you as the team was coming off the Applewhite/Simms years and with Vince Young waiting in the wings?

CM: No, I didn’t have any pressure. Frankly, coming after the Major Applewhite and Chris Simms era, the expectations were very high. With Vince Young waiting there, the anticipation level was also high. But, the fact of the matter was that despite the talent level Vince obviously had, where he was at that point was not the Vince he was in 2005. When we went head to head in competition in the spring and in practice, it wasn’t close. He was still developing as a player.

I was in a great place because, in a weird way, it was my job to get the team from point A to point B.

I was surrounded by such a great cast. It was hard to feel pressure when you know that if you can get a ball just in the area of Roy Williams or B.J. Johnson or Sloan Thomas or Bo Scaife, they’re gonna catch it. And, when you hand the ball off to Cedric Benson behind that offensive line, that takes a lot of pressure off of anybody.

Chance Mock on 2017 Texas Longhorns

EM: So, what are your thoughts on this upcoming season and the 2017 Longhorns? What about Coach Herman? What do you think of the job he’s doing so far?

CM: Well, I get asked this question a lot. The only way I can answer it is that this year, the major difference is that Texas is not going to lose any game that they should win. For example, Kansas last season. So, I think they’re going to win all the games that they’re supposed to win and I think there will be a game, whether it’s Oklahoma or Oklahoma State – USC is a tough hill to climb early in the season – where they pick off one of those kinds of teams.

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As a Texas Longhorns fan, I think under Tom that this team is going to execute the way they are supposed to. They’re going to win when they’re supposed to and get one that people don’t think they are supposed to. I love what Tom is doing right now. I love the attention to detail.

A lot of times, coaches get caught up in big picture stuff and they don’t get down to the nitty gritty. What really defines a team is the ability to focus on the little things. When you focus on the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.

When you look at Tom, it’s small things like finding trash in the team lounge and because of that, he is going to delay moving back into the locker room for a day. We’re going to do things right.

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