Texas Football: Ehlinger vs. Purdy a battle of two 2019 Heisman contenders?

Two quarterbacks that combined for 40 total touchdowns and just four interceptions take the field at the home of Texas football in Week 12.

There is a good matchup between two rising stars at quarterback in Week 12 on the Forty Acres for No. 15 ranked Texas football and the No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones. This matchup involves sophomore signal caller Sam Ehlinger for Texas football and true freshman Brock Purdy for Iowa State. This is also a matchup under center that no one saw coming at the beginning of the season.

Purdy wasn’t inserted into action for Iowa State until injuries and incompetent play from the quarterback spot started to pile up. He got his first real action of the season in an eventual one possession win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys where he lit up an unsuspecting secondary. Ehlinger played pretty well against that Oklahoma State secondary too.

No matter the competition this fall, both Purdy and Ehlinger showed they can rise to the occasion. Ehlinger also had himself a Heisman-worthy performance with five total touchdowns in the Red River Showdown win over the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 6. Purdy didn’t post a flashy stat line, but he did lead Iowa State to a huge home win over the West Virginia Mountaineers a few weeks back.

The combination of Ehlinger and Purdy handed the only loss for both Oklahoma and West Virginia this year. And Oklahoma and West Virginia are the only teams in the Big 12 left alive in the College Football Playoff picture. Although you have to go far to draw these big time connections between Ehlinger and Purdy, they do highlight the potential of each quarterback.

Ehlinger seems to already be reaching that potential, and he should be in store for another big game against Iowa State. Against this inept Texas football secondary of late, Purdy should have himself a nice outing too. Purdy has also been a stud on the road this season with eight total touchdowns and just one interception.

Texas football and Iowa State are still battling it out to see who can stay alive in the race for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. A New Year’s Six Bowl could also still be a reality for the Texas Longhorns this year if it wins out and finds its way into the conference title game. However, that’s a long shot at best right now.

These two quarterbacks deserve a ton of credit for what each has done this season. There’s not enough that either signal caller could do to come close to even touching the likes of the Heisman quarterback trio in contention in 2018. That group includes West Virginia’s Will Grier, Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.

This does look like a good chance for fans around the nation to get a glimpse into what two potential Heisman contenders for the 2019 campaign can do. Ehlinger will be heading into his junior season and Purdy will be a true sophomore. That’s a good time for each to emerge as a potential Heisman contender.