mtbray
08-19-2005, 02:13 PM
http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/image_lib/young_v_mcneal_081905_300.jpg
Two-Houston area quarterbacks befuddled defenses throughout the 2001 season. One combined for 3,819 yards and 59 touchdowns, while the other racked up 3,241 total yards and 34 TDs. That is where the saga of Texas' Vince Young and Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal began. Shortly after they had finished demolishing prep-school schemes and earning every honor possible, the two made individual decisions that would link them together forever in the lore of Texas football. One would quarterback the Longhorns, while the other would lead the Aggies.
"The first time we ever met was at a photo shoot set up by the Houston Chronicle," said McNeal, the 6-2, 198-pound gunslinger. "I held up an A&M flag and they had Vince hold up a Texas flag." It was certainly a sign of things to come.
Since their days in high school, the two athletic signal-callers have been compared, but one can understand why. Of Young's 3,819 yards during his senior season at Madison High School, 2,545 came through the air and 1,274 came via the rush. McNeal, who played his high-school ball at Lufkin, was also a dual threat with 2,385 yards coming thanks to his arm and the remainder, 856, coming thanks to his feet.
"There was a lot of talk about both of us during high school," said Young, the 6-5, 230-pound dual threat. "We were both doing a great job for our teams and then we signed with Texas and A&M and the hype grew even more."
But, despite their ability to dominate on the high school level, the college game is much different. The athletes are bigger, stronger and faster and the schemes are more intricate, developed and, at times, confusing.
That didn't stop McNeal. He chose Texas A&M mainly because they told him he would have the opportunity to play as a freshman. He would eventually see action in eight games, starting one, while compiling 593 yards and a two-to-one TD/INT ratio.
"I used the experience I gained playing as a freshman," said McNeal. "There is no substitute for live game action. It helped me pick up the speed of the game."
Young took a different path. With Chris Sims firmly entrenched as the starter and backup Chance Mock already in place, Young decided to redshirt, giving him the opportunity to grow both physically and mentally.
"The biggest thing for me was getting my class work in order" said Young. "I ended up with a 3.0 after my freshman year and I also used the time to watch a lot of film and get comfortable with the offense. It was tough though. I was really anxious to get back on the field."
The choice to play or redshirt as a freshman is pretty much where the differences end when it comes to these two players' career. In fact, the duo would burst on the scene thanks to their parts in comeback victories during their first years on the field.
McNeal's big day came in the 10th game of his freshman season against the Oklahoma Sooners, who at the time were the top-ranked team in the country. With the Aggies trailing late in the first quarter, McNeal entered the game, taking over for Dustin Long who he would eventually split time with. After using one series to get warmed up, McNeal and the Aggies took off.
"My coach just told me to play my game," McNeal remembered. "He told me I was a good athlete and to just go out there and not worry about making mistakes."
The mistake may have been not having him start the game. McNeal led Texas A&M to touchdowns on four of their next six possessions and had the usual raucous crowd at Kyle Field going ballistic as the Aggies knocked off the Sooners 30-26. McNeal finished the game having gone 8-13 for 191 yards and four touchdowns. He added another 89 on the ground.
Young had a similar coming-out party during his redshirt-freshman season. The game, versus No. 16 Kansas State, was picked by ESPN as its site for that weekend's edition of College Gameday. With 83,643 packing Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Young let it be known that Big 12 defenses would be dealing with him for the next few years.
At the time, Young was splitting the QB duties with incumbent Chance Mock. The two had helped Texas jump out to a 17-3 lead at halftime. Kansas State made a furious comeback and took the lead at 20-17 on the first drive of the fourth quarter. But, the Longhorns got the ball with nine minutes to play. Young ran and threw UT down the field, finally scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 5:19 to play. For the game, Young rushed for 80 yards and the game-winning touchdown and put up another 69 yards through the air.
"I was excited to get in there and play," remembered Young. "I wanted to make something happen when coach called my name. I had been studying the playbook a lot and I just wanted to prove that I could play on this level."
It was only the beginning for each of these young guns. Their talent was blossoming and their roles in the offense would increase sooner rather than later. For Young, he ended up starting the final seven games of his redshirt-freshman season. McNeal's time would come during his sophomore year after an ankle injury robbed him of the final two games of the 2002 season.
After taking over as the starter for the final seven games, Young proceeded to lead Texas to a 6-1 record. He ended the season just two yards shy of running and throwing for at least 1,000 yards and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
While Young was emerging in Austin, McNeal and the Aggies were getting used to the style of new head coach Dennis Franchione. Despite going 4-8 in the first year, McNeal greatly increased his production, throwing for almost four times as many yards (456 to 1,782), while recording two times as many touchdowns (6 to 12).
Despite their strong early-career performances, it was the 2004 season that saw McNeal and Young take off. McNeal had one of the best seasons in Texas A&M history, while Young led Texas to one of its most memorable.
After throwing for 2,791 yards, the most in school history, while rushing for 781, the most by an A&M quarterback, McNeal ended up as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. As a byproduct of McNeal's success, the Aggies were once again a threat to the rest of the Big 12. Despite a sluggish start at Utah, A&M ran off six-consecutive wins and would finish the season at 7-5.
Maybe the most telling statistic of McNeal's junior season came via his evolution as a quarterback. After throwing for 14 TDs and 10 INTs his first two seasons, McNeal had a 14-to-4 ratio as a junior.
"The biggest thing for me was being more comfortable in the system," McNeal explained about the increase in production. "Everyone was on the same page from receivers to offensive lineman, which made it so much easier on me."
It was also a record setting year for Young. He became the first quarterback in UT history to run and throw for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,849 yards throwing and 1,079 yards rushing, tops in the NCAA for quarterbacks. He was also responsible for 26 touchdowns.
Young put a stamp on the season by wowing 93,000-plus in Pasadena, Calif. on New Year's Day. He led the Longhorns to their first Rose Bowl victory after shredding the Wolverines for 180 yards and a touchdown through the air and a UT single-game QB record of 192 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Young earned the Rose Bowl MVP and was named to several All-Bowl teams, setting himself up for what could be a historical 2005 campaign in Austin.
There is hype and expectation in College Station as well.
The Longhorns are building off their first BCS bowl victory and Texas A&M is back. These two fine quarterbacks are right where they expected to be when they gathered for the Houston Chronicle photo shoot as high-school seniors. McNeal and Young, who are both being mentioned in the Heisman conversation, are two of the main reasons why.
They started their college careers as the pride of Texas high school football. Now, three years later, they've become the pride of Texas college football and have re-established Texas' rightful place among the college football elite.
http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=40&url_article_id=1424&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2
Two-Houston area quarterbacks befuddled defenses throughout the 2001 season. One combined for 3,819 yards and 59 touchdowns, while the other racked up 3,241 total yards and 34 TDs. That is where the saga of Texas' Vince Young and Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal began. Shortly after they had finished demolishing prep-school schemes and earning every honor possible, the two made individual decisions that would link them together forever in the lore of Texas football. One would quarterback the Longhorns, while the other would lead the Aggies.
"The first time we ever met was at a photo shoot set up by the Houston Chronicle," said McNeal, the 6-2, 198-pound gunslinger. "I held up an A&M flag and they had Vince hold up a Texas flag." It was certainly a sign of things to come.
Since their days in high school, the two athletic signal-callers have been compared, but one can understand why. Of Young's 3,819 yards during his senior season at Madison High School, 2,545 came through the air and 1,274 came via the rush. McNeal, who played his high-school ball at Lufkin, was also a dual threat with 2,385 yards coming thanks to his arm and the remainder, 856, coming thanks to his feet.
"There was a lot of talk about both of us during high school," said Young, the 6-5, 230-pound dual threat. "We were both doing a great job for our teams and then we signed with Texas and A&M and the hype grew even more."
But, despite their ability to dominate on the high school level, the college game is much different. The athletes are bigger, stronger and faster and the schemes are more intricate, developed and, at times, confusing.
That didn't stop McNeal. He chose Texas A&M mainly because they told him he would have the opportunity to play as a freshman. He would eventually see action in eight games, starting one, while compiling 593 yards and a two-to-one TD/INT ratio.
"I used the experience I gained playing as a freshman," said McNeal. "There is no substitute for live game action. It helped me pick up the speed of the game."
Young took a different path. With Chris Sims firmly entrenched as the starter and backup Chance Mock already in place, Young decided to redshirt, giving him the opportunity to grow both physically and mentally.
"The biggest thing for me was getting my class work in order" said Young. "I ended up with a 3.0 after my freshman year and I also used the time to watch a lot of film and get comfortable with the offense. It was tough though. I was really anxious to get back on the field."
The choice to play or redshirt as a freshman is pretty much where the differences end when it comes to these two players' career. In fact, the duo would burst on the scene thanks to their parts in comeback victories during their first years on the field.
McNeal's big day came in the 10th game of his freshman season against the Oklahoma Sooners, who at the time were the top-ranked team in the country. With the Aggies trailing late in the first quarter, McNeal entered the game, taking over for Dustin Long who he would eventually split time with. After using one series to get warmed up, McNeal and the Aggies took off.
"My coach just told me to play my game," McNeal remembered. "He told me I was a good athlete and to just go out there and not worry about making mistakes."
The mistake may have been not having him start the game. McNeal led Texas A&M to touchdowns on four of their next six possessions and had the usual raucous crowd at Kyle Field going ballistic as the Aggies knocked off the Sooners 30-26. McNeal finished the game having gone 8-13 for 191 yards and four touchdowns. He added another 89 on the ground.
Young had a similar coming-out party during his redshirt-freshman season. The game, versus No. 16 Kansas State, was picked by ESPN as its site for that weekend's edition of College Gameday. With 83,643 packing Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Young let it be known that Big 12 defenses would be dealing with him for the next few years.
At the time, Young was splitting the QB duties with incumbent Chance Mock. The two had helped Texas jump out to a 17-3 lead at halftime. Kansas State made a furious comeback and took the lead at 20-17 on the first drive of the fourth quarter. But, the Longhorns got the ball with nine minutes to play. Young ran and threw UT down the field, finally scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 5:19 to play. For the game, Young rushed for 80 yards and the game-winning touchdown and put up another 69 yards through the air.
"I was excited to get in there and play," remembered Young. "I wanted to make something happen when coach called my name. I had been studying the playbook a lot and I just wanted to prove that I could play on this level."
It was only the beginning for each of these young guns. Their talent was blossoming and their roles in the offense would increase sooner rather than later. For Young, he ended up starting the final seven games of his redshirt-freshman season. McNeal's time would come during his sophomore year after an ankle injury robbed him of the final two games of the 2002 season.
After taking over as the starter for the final seven games, Young proceeded to lead Texas to a 6-1 record. He ended the season just two yards shy of running and throwing for at least 1,000 yards and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
While Young was emerging in Austin, McNeal and the Aggies were getting used to the style of new head coach Dennis Franchione. Despite going 4-8 in the first year, McNeal greatly increased his production, throwing for almost four times as many yards (456 to 1,782), while recording two times as many touchdowns (6 to 12).
Despite their strong early-career performances, it was the 2004 season that saw McNeal and Young take off. McNeal had one of the best seasons in Texas A&M history, while Young led Texas to one of its most memorable.
After throwing for 2,791 yards, the most in school history, while rushing for 781, the most by an A&M quarterback, McNeal ended up as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. As a byproduct of McNeal's success, the Aggies were once again a threat to the rest of the Big 12. Despite a sluggish start at Utah, A&M ran off six-consecutive wins and would finish the season at 7-5.
Maybe the most telling statistic of McNeal's junior season came via his evolution as a quarterback. After throwing for 14 TDs and 10 INTs his first two seasons, McNeal had a 14-to-4 ratio as a junior.
"The biggest thing for me was being more comfortable in the system," McNeal explained about the increase in production. "Everyone was on the same page from receivers to offensive lineman, which made it so much easier on me."
It was also a record setting year for Young. He became the first quarterback in UT history to run and throw for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,849 yards throwing and 1,079 yards rushing, tops in the NCAA for quarterbacks. He was also responsible for 26 touchdowns.
Young put a stamp on the season by wowing 93,000-plus in Pasadena, Calif. on New Year's Day. He led the Longhorns to their first Rose Bowl victory after shredding the Wolverines for 180 yards and a touchdown through the air and a UT single-game QB record of 192 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Young earned the Rose Bowl MVP and was named to several All-Bowl teams, setting himself up for what could be a historical 2005 campaign in Austin.
There is hype and expectation in College Station as well.
The Longhorns are building off their first BCS bowl victory and Texas A&M is back. These two fine quarterbacks are right where they expected to be when they gathered for the Houston Chronicle photo shoot as high-school seniors. McNeal and Young, who are both being mentioned in the Heisman conversation, are two of the main reasons why.
They started their college careers as the pride of Texas high school football. Now, three years later, they've become the pride of Texas college football and have re-established Texas' rightful place among the college football elite.
http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=40&url_article_id=1424&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2