ESPN College Football

The Big 12 season is approaching, and there's no league in which the quarterback position is more important. Want success? Experience is a good place to start. How do the QBs rank in experience? Let's take a look.

1. Landry Jones, Oklahoma (37 starts): Jones is the league's elder statesman by a long, long ways. He took over as a redshirt freshman in 2009 when Sam Bradford injured his shoulder, and didn't miss any of his 27 starts in 2010 and 2011.

2. Geno Smith, West Virginia (26 starts): Smith has been the team's unquestioned starter for each of the past two seasons, and should be ready for a big 2012 after topping 4,000 yards in 2011.

3. Collin Klein, Kansas State (15 starts): Klein had two more starts at receiver earlier in his career, but we're not counting those. Klein was a gadget QB in 2010, but took over as the team's offensive workhorse in 2011, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the team's total offense.

4. Casey Pachall, TCU (13 starts): Pachall played well in his first year as a starter, but often relied on his three star running backs in the offense and didn't top 3,000 yards. He's ready for more responsibility if necessary this year.

5. Seth Doege, Texas Tech (13 starts): Doege earned one start all the way back in 2009, but ceded that spot by the end of the game. He did no such thing in a strong 2011 season, though Tech missed a bowl game and had a losing season (5-7) for the first time in almost two decades.

6. Dayne Crist, Kansas (10 starts): Crist's 10 starts all came at Notre Dame, but there doesn't look to be much challenge from any other QBs on the roster this season. Does he have the offensive weapons to be productive?

7. Nick Florence, Baylor (seven starts): Florence started seven games in 2009 when Robert Griffin III suffered a knee injury, and earned a half of playing time last season against Texas Tech that cost him his redshirt season.

8. Steele Jantz, Iowa State (seven starts): Jantz got off to a strong start, but never figured out his very serious turnover issues. That cost him his starting job in midseason, despite three fourth-quarter comebacks to begin the 2011 season 3-0.

9. David Ash, Texas (six starts): Ash was the fourth-string QB last summer, but when Garrett Gilbert and Connor Wood transferred, it was up to him and Case McCoy to carry the load. By season's end, Ash had established himself as the future at the position, at least immediately, but Texas' coaches haven't given him the official designation yet.

10. Jared Barnett, Iowa State (six starts): Barnett took over for Jantz in the middle of the season and engineered wins over Texas Tech, Kansas and a historic win over No. 2 Oklahoma State, but struggled with inconsistency late and opened up the competition to Jantz in a Pinstripe Bowl loss to Rutgers. There's no assurance for either to be the starter after the spring.

11. Case McCoy, Texas (five starts): McCoy's gutsiest performance came in a comeback win over Texas A&M, but his lack of arm strength limited what the Longhorns could do in 2011. McCoy's got all the heart you could ask for, but his physical attributes bring about plenty of questions about his ability to carry the team over the course of his career.

12. Wes Lunt, Oklahoma State (zero starts): Lunt shocked even his own offensive coordinator by beating out junior Clint Chelf and redshirt freshman J.W. Walsh in the spring to earn the starting job. He still has to validate that spot in the fall, but Lunt is in a class of his own at the bottom of the Big 12 when it comes to experience. He's a big, NFL-sized QB with a big arm, though. Can his mind catch up fast enough to help the Cowboys defend a Big 12 title?

HornsNation has more coverage of the Texas Longhorns:

HornsNation roundtable : The HornsNation staff takes turns sitting in Mack Brown's throne to make their call about the Longhorns' quarterback decision.

Issues facing Texas : Sean Adams looks at the issues facing Texas and how depth at defensive end is a key factor facing the Longhorns in 2012.

Cayleb Jones Q&A: The incoming freshman wide receiver went to high school 10 minutes from the Texas campus but he's still viewing his transition as a very big move.

Sean Adams writes : Mack Brown has looked at how he has handled his Texas quarterbacks. He's changing philosophies so that the Longhorns don't always have to rely on the quarterback.

Another spring has come and gone in the Big 12. In this league, it's a long one. Texas Tech kicked things off on February 17, just two weeks after signing day.

Kansas and Kansas State didn't wrap it up until spring games on April 28.

Through it all, we learned a lot. Here's a taste.

Texas is inching much closer to contention: The offense? Well, it's still a work in progress, though David Ash showed some solid progression during the spring. But the defense? It's leading the way for the Longhorns' road back from the 5-7 implosion in 2010. Quandre Diggs and Carrington Byndom might just be the two best cornerbacks in the Big 12, and Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat are probably the two best defensive ends. Great coverage and a great pass-rush? Sounds like a good start to slowing down Big 12 offenses. Add in junior college man-child Brandon Moore, and solid linebacker play with Jordan Hicks, Demarco Cobbs and Steve Edmond, and the Longhorns have a unit that can help them get back into title contention.

Only one team doesn't know who its quarterback will be: Baylor hardly had a competition to replace RG3. Kansas replaced Jordan Webb with transfer Dayne Crist. Oklahoma State pulled the trigger on a youngster. Texas hasn't officially named him, but Ash has all but sewn up the job in Austin. That leaves Iowa State, which has sophomore Jared Barnett and senior Steele Jantz competing for the job for a second consecutive fall. Anything could happen there.

Mike Gundy has guts: Oklahoma State said goodbye to a mature, big-armed passer in Brandon Weeden, who won 23 games in two seasons. However, the reigning Big 12 champion again will have a big arm at quarterback. Gundy made the league's gutsiest move this spring, handing the reins to 18-year-old Wes Lunt from Illinois. He's one of just six players in the Big 12 from Illinois, and he's a decade younger than Weeden. Robert Griffin III was the league's last true freshman to start a majority of games, but Lunt might be the first to win the job in the spring.

There's a new sherriff in town: The Big 12 knew Chuck Neinas was a quick fix at the commissioner spot, but the league made a quick move in pegging Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby as the new commissioner to replace Dan Beebe, who was fired in September. The Big 12 is likely to cash in on a nice TV deal shortly after Bowlsby takes over, but he'll have to help reconnect a league that must work through some possibly divisive issues like expansion in the near future. He'll also need to manage the relationship between Texas, who he referred to as an "800-pound gorilla," and the rest of its Big 12 brethren. The relationship sounds good now, but over time, issues could arise.

Charlie Weis is making sure KU looks nothing like its 2011 team: Kansas has undergone the biggest change of any team in the Big 12 this offseason. New coach Weis saw a lot of problems at KU, and went about fixing them quickly. He welcomed six Division I transfers, including three from Notre Dame, which included his new quarterback, Crist. He also saw gaping holes along the defensive line and tried to fill them with junior college players and high schoolers who will be challenging for playing time in the fall. Kansas will look a lot different, but will it be better?

Texas

2011 overall record: 8-4

2011 conference record: 4-5 (6th)

Returning starters:

Offense: 9; defense: 8; kicker/punter: 0
Top returners

RB: Malcolm Brown, C Dominic Espinosa, WR Jaxon Shipley, QB David Ash, LB Jordan Hicks, S Kenny Vaccaro, DE Alex Okafor, CB Carrington Byndom

Key losses

LB Emmanuel Acho, LB Keenan Robinson, K/P Justin Tucker

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Malcolm Brown* (742 yards)

Passing: David Ash* (1,068 yards)

Receiving: Mike Davis* (609 yards)

Tackles: Emmanuel Acho (131)

Sacks: Jackson Jeffcoat (8)

Interceptions: Quandre Diggs* (4)

Spring answers

Quarterbacks maturing: While Texas refuses to name an outright starter before the season, it is clear that both Case McCoy and David Ash have taken strides toward becoming more complete quarterbacks. Ash, who was plagued by indecision and interceptions, matured throughout the spring and has started to become the leader Texas needs him to be. McCoy is still having problems with picks, but has increased the velocity on his throws and, as a result, can make more down the field throws.

Replacements fit: Texas did not have to replace much on the defensive side of the ball -- only three players. But two of those three were the leading tacklers from 2011, linebackers Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson. Still, it appears as if the Longhorns have upgraded at the linebacker with Steve Edmond and Demarco Cobbs. Edmond is bigger and faster than Robinson. Cobbs is faster and more agile than Acho. What neither has is experience and that will be tested early in the 2012 season.

Bergeron pushes Brown: Backup running back Joe Bergeron made his case for more carries in the spring. Despite playing in 11 of 13 games, the sophomore only received consistent snaps in two games as a freshman. During those two games, Bergeron rushed for 327 yards. An injury hampered him the rest of the season, but he was healthy over the spring and showed the coaching staff that he is ready to challenge Malcolm Brown for the starting spot at running back.

Fall questions

Who is going wild? Texas deployed the wild formation to great success under first year co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin in 2011. But headed into 2012, the Longhorns have yet to figure out who will be running that formation. There are several candidates, many of which are freshmen. Johnathan Gray, the most heralded recruit of the 2012 class, should get the first shot. The running back has great speed and instincts but has to prove he can read the linebackers and make the right decisions. Texas also will try two other freshmen, Daje Johnson and Jalen Overstreet. Overstreet was a high school quarterback so he could bring the option of throwing out of the wild as well.

Rotating quarterbacks: Texas could not make up its mind until the last game of the season last year when it came to quarterbacks. In that game Ash took every snap. Whether or not he continues to take the significant snaps for Texas is the largest question surrounding this team. If Ash is at all shaky under center, the Longhorns have no qualms about going with McCoy. But if both finally prove inadequate, Texas might have to make a decision on freshman Connor Brewer. Texas would prefer to redshirt Brewer, but the Longhorns have suffered through two years of poor quarterback play and a third may not be tolerated by fans.

Wide receiver: Mike Davis, Jaxon Shipley and Marquise Goodwin are all back at wide receiver, but beyond those three players, Teas is severely lacking experienced depth. D.J. Monroe has been converted from running back to wide receiver to take advantage of his speed and shiftiness on bubble screens. But Monroe has had problems catching the ball consistently. DeSean Hales showed up in the spring. But the senior has shown up in the spring before and disappeared in the fall. He had two catches in 2011.

That means freshmen Cayleb Jones, Daje Johnson, Kendall Sanders and Marcus Johnson are all going to get a shot. Additionally, Texas will be working with a redshirt freshman M.J. McFarland at tight end.

Sean Adams from HornsNation takes a look at the state of the Texas Football program. In this video, Sean looks at what it takes to develop a successful line of succession at the quarterback position.

HornsNation has more coverage of the Texas Longhorns:

Jalen Overstreet Q&A: In HornsNation's ongoing final look at the 2012 recruiting class, the Tatum, Texas, QB discusses why he isn't worried about redshirting or the logjam at the position.

Building depth at QB : Sean Adams looks at the issues facing Texas in 2012. In this edition, Adams looks at why Texas must redshirt and strategically build its QB depth, not just for next season, but the future.

William Wilkerson writes : It took longer than expected, but with his commitment, CB Antwuan Davis finally gets to take his place in Texas' 2013 recruiting class.

More Wilkerson : WR Robbie Rhodes picked up an offer from Texas over the weekend.

The spring is nearing its end with just a little over a week remaining for some.

Oklahoma State and West Virginia will wrap up their spring practices this weekend. Until then, it's time to break down where we stand in the quarterback competitions around the league.

Baylor: Bears coach Art Briles said it was Nick Florence's job to lose entering the spring, and Florence did nothing to let Briles down. Instead, he seized the job ahead of talented backup Bryce Petty, who has a bright future ahead of himself. Florence gave up his redshirt last season by playing the second half against Texas Tech, but he'll try to make his senior season count. For now, this is his team.

Iowa State: Nothing's been settled after Iowa State's spring game last Saturday. Steele Jantz got back into the race when Jared Barnett struggled in the bowl game, and the competition was too close to call at the end of spring. ISU coach Paul Rhoads even said redshirt freshman Sam Richardson isn't out of the race. Former QB Jerome Tiller is, though. He was in the four-man competition last spring, which Jantz eventually won, but missed the season because of academic issues. He's a receiver now, and doing well at the position.

Kansas: Charlie Weis brought in his guy, Dayne Crist, from Notre Dame, and last year's starter, Jordan Webb, transferred. Crist has entrenched himself as the starter midway through spring practice, which ends with the spring game on April 28. BYU transfer Jake Heaps is taking reps with the second team now, but he'll be phased out in the fall while he sits out his NCAA-mandated redshirt season after transferring.

Kansas State: Collin Klein is still developing as a passer, but he is K-State's offense. Moving on ...

Oklahoma: Landry Jones returned for his senior season, but with a healthy set of running backs, the Belldozer, a power formation named after big-bodied backup Blake Bell, may be phased out this season. Bell, though, showcased his arm in the spring game and outperformed the older Drew Allen. The backup QB race should be interesting to watch this fall.

Oklahoma State: Coach Mike Gundy really wanted to name a starter by the end of spring, but it doesn't look likely to happen. No quarterback has established any distance, but they'll have a huge chance in Saturday's spring game. For now, true freshman Wes Lunt is still in the race, though dual-threat man J.W. Walsh may be the favorite ahead of junior Clint Chelf, who has some game experience the past two seasons. This is the league's best race, but also its most difficult to predict. Just about anything could happen.

Texas: Coach Mack Brown isn't making anything official, but sophomore David Ash was getting nearly all the first-team reps in the spring, ahead of Case McCoy. There's no official title yet, but there would be major shock if anyone but Ash starts the season opener. Now, if Ash struggles...

TCU: Casey Pachall had a great first year, and brings back his top three targets in Josh Boyce, Skye Dawson and Brandon Carter. The sky is the limit for Pachall.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders' staff liked what Seth Doege did as a first-year starter, but the defense and injuries to his offense put too much strain on him in 2011. He'll look a lot better if his receivers and running backs can stay healthy.

West Virginia: Geno Smith may be the league's best quarterback, and coach Dana Holgorsen can't quit calling him "special." That's not to say he should. It could be a special season for him and the Mountaineers as they join the Big 12.

Last season, Oklahoma or Texas failed to win the Big 12 for the first time since 2003.

How?

Well, Oklahoma State had a little something to do with it, but so did two huge positions in need of improvement.

Both cracked colleague Travis Haney's list of positions with the potential for huge growth in 2012.

First up, the Texas quarterbacks.

Texas seemed to indicate it would like for the more athletic [David] Ash to be the guy, even as a freshman, but he could not sustain enough consistency to win the job outright. And, really, Ash simply could not take care of the ball. He threw an interception every 21.8 passes. (The most efficient quarterback in 2011, Wisconsin's Russell Wilson, threw one every 77.3 throws.

[Case] McCoy was more consistent in November, but no one was mistaking him for his older brother in terms of arm strength and accuracy. He did put up a 356-yard passing day in the loss to Baylor at the end of the regular season, but McCoy then gave way to Ash for the bowl victory against Cal. It was a yo-yo effect all season for the Horns, who would like to see one of the two emerge -- but still haven't really through spring ball.

My take: I totally agree with this one. How much Ash improves is the big question. An offseason full of first-team reps will be extremely valuable -- he got almost none last year before being thrust into the role of starter as a true freshman. During spring camp last year, he was a fourth-stringer. He could get better, but Ash has never really looked the part of future superstar to me. Fortunately for the Longhorns, the team is good enough everywhere else it doesn't need him to be a superstar. If he's solid, but able to get the ball to Texas' playmakers like Jaxon Shipley and Mike Davis, the Longhorns will be a factor in the Big 12 race.

Second, Haney looks at the Oklahoma defensive backs, who are under new direction this year with Mike Stoops.

Stoops has a variety of options for the different spots in the defensive backfield. Already, he has shifted Tony Jefferson from sam linebacker to free safety, his more natural position, and moved Javon Harris from free to strong safety. Harris was the goat in several games, including the Baylor debacle. Jefferson might be the most underrated defensive player in the Big 12 because he has yet to settle into one, specific position.

Another important piece of the OU defense, Aaron Colvin, missed the spring after minor shoulder surgery. He can play any of the secondary spots, again freeing up Mike Stoops to mix and match to find a solution for the big-play disease.

My take: The league's best quarterbacks gave the Sooners all kinds of trouble last year, and it won't be much easier this year. Yeah, Brandon Weeden and Robert Griffin III are gone, but TCU's Casey Pachall and West Virginia's Geno Smith are the new guys very capable of tearing up anybody's secondary.

It's tough to know exactly what the problem for Oklahoma was. The Sooners could be dominant at times. They have the talent and athleticism. Most importantly, they have lots of experience. For OU, it's a matter of just doing it. Stoops will try to make it happen, but big improvement could result in a big, big year for the Sooners.

A national title, perhaps?

When it comes to quarterback, Bob Stoops lives a charmed life these days.

Not many coaches can boast a bona fide Heisman contender -- Landry Jones -- with 37 career starts to his name entering the 2012 season. Stoops can.

But looking at both of the Sooners' rivals, it's a different picture.

Texas is engrossed in a two-man derby between David Ash and Case McCoy. North of the Sooners, Oklahoma State is playing host to a battle between junior Clint Chelf and a pair of freshmen, J.W. Walsh (redshirt) and Wes Lunt (early enrollee).

Texas nearly has its man; Ash is handling the majority of the first-team snaps.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State is still splitting first-team reps evenly and doesn't have much separation between the three. Neither Texas or Oklahoma State has named a starter.

Stoops will have to replace Jones next season, but if he were in Mike Gundy or Mack Brown's shoes, he wouldn't hurry to name a quarterback.

"There's so much that can happen from the end of spring," Stoops told ESPN in Norman this week. "Just think about the amount of time before you take a snap in a game. So, I always felt having our guys continue to remain very competitive was the best thing."

Brown didn't name Garrett Gilbert his starter until the week before the Longhorns' opener against Rice last season. Texas' spring ended with Sunday's spring game and once again, Brown didn't name a starter.

Gundy, meanwhile, has seven practices remaining in the spring and wants separation. What about the notion that a team needs a commanding presence during the summer, when coaches can't oversee player workouts and it's up to a team leader to organize?

"I think that's overrated," Stoops said. "What, Ryan Broyles can't do that? A big-time receiver can't orchestrate it? Or the two (quarterbacks) can't say, 'Hey, we're meeting at this time.'?

“Or your team pride. What, I need the quarterback to tell me I need to come in here and work hard? You've got 100 guys on a team … they oughtta all be pushing each other to get in here and work. Heck, (former OU tight end) Jermaine Gresham could have grabbed everybody by the throat and made sure they were here."

Gundy and offensive coordinator Todd Monken see it quite differently.

"I don’t think it’s overrated," Gundy told ESPN in Stillwater this week. "I think it needs to be there. Can you have a lineman do it? Yeah. It’s not the same. This’ll be a big summer for us, because whoever we feel like is going to be our quarterback, he has to develop some leadership and I feel like that’s all part of it."

Said Monken: "You’re staring at two guys who played quarterback, Mike and I. So from our end of it, that’s how we’re going to see it. Stoops, he played DB, so he doesn’t care. He sees it a different way, and he’s right, anybody can organize it, but that’s not usually the case."

Monken's biggest reason? Quarterbacks need it more than anyone else. OSU receiver Justin Blackmon lived with a walk-on quarterback during his career, and anytime he wanted to get some work, he had an arm who could throw him balls at full speed.

Quarterbacks, though? Work is work, but throwing to walk-ons or friends isn't the same as throwing to targets with sub-4.5 speed like they will in live games.

"Quarterbacks need those guys to function," Monken said. "I don’t blame anybody for their opinion. That’s their opinion, but the reality is that the guys that are usually in charge of the summer workouts are the QBs because it affects them the most."

He added: "There’s something to be said for the guy that leads your team being the organizer. It doesn’t have to be, but it certainly helps."

Oklahoma State doesn't know who its quarterback will be. It would love to name him by spring. But even with the stakes high during the summer, they have no plans to force a decision.

"If we don’t know, then we won’t do it, but if we do, then we’ll do it," Gundy said. "That’s as important as anything we do in the offseason."

Time to continue our series breaking down each team's best and worst positions entering the 2012 season. Texas is up next.

More spring superlatives:

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State

Strongest position: Defensive end

Look out for these guys. Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor just might take both of the All-Big 12 spots by the end of the season. The same might be true for Texas' cornerbacks, who were narrowly edged out for my "strongest position" on the Longhorns. Okafor and Jeffcoat combined for 29.5 tackles for loss last season as first-year starters, both ranking in the Big 12's top eight. They also had 14 sacks, both in the top seven in the league. No defensive line duo was more productive, and that should continue this season. Jeffcoat, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2010 class, has a bit more upside, but both of these guys have potential to win the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. Texas will have the luxury this season to rush just four players and drop back seven in coverage, but still get plenty of pressure on quarterbacks. The biggest reason why: Okafor and Jeffcoat. When that happens, the defense can at times look impenetrable.

Weakest position: Quarterback

It's a sad state of affairs at quarterback for Texas right now. Blue-chip recruit Garrett Gilbert flopped, and the Longhorns have scrambled since. For now, Case McCoy and David Ash are what's left behind, and it wasn't pretty last season. Quarterback is the biggest hole for a team that's otherwise complete.

For Texas, that's a huge hole, especially considering the talents like Vince Young and Colt McCoy that filled it previously, sending Texas to national title games. Ash is the presumed starter for 2012, but from my perspective, no team in the Big 12 is weaker at quarterback. Kansas hopped the Longhorns when it brought in Notre Dame transfer Dayne Crist. Ash could show some major development after an offseason with a lot of first-team reps -- reps he didn't get as a fourth-string true freshman leading up to the 2011 season -- but he's got a long way to go to even meet the average production for Big 12 quarterbacks.

I've been inspired by the boys at the Big Ten Blog, and this should be a fun walk through each week in the new-look Big 12 next season. I'll pick one game a week during the season that I'd attend if it were entirely up to me. I don't make the call, and things change as games are played of course, but right now, this is how it'd look if it were up to me. I'll include road nonconference games, too.

• Week 1: West Virginia vs. Marshall
• Week 2: Kansas State vs. Miami

Here's the Week 3 slate in the Big 12:

• Baylor vs. Sam Houston State
• Iowa State vs. Western Illinois
• Kansas vs. TCU
• Kansas State vs. North Texas
• Oklahoma State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
• Texas at Ole Miss
• Texas Tech vs. New Mexico
• West Virginia vs. James Madison (in Landover, Md.)

My pick: Texas at Ole Miss

I mean, this is a no-brainer, right? I grew up in Arkansas, which is sort of SEC country, but the nearest road venue was six hours away, so I've never been to a game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. That means I've never been outside of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, also known as The Grove, the most hallowed tailgating ground in college football. Sign me up for that. Our SEC blogger, Edward Aschoff, hails from Oxford, so I'm sure he could hook me up with a few tips to score some grub, and where to make the most of my time.

Oh yeah, and there's a game, too.

Texas believes its on the way back up. Maybe it is. A convincing win over what should be the worst team in the SEC West, even one with a first-year head coach in Hugh Freeze, would be a good sign the Longhorns are fit to win 10 games or more. It'll also be the first reasonable test for what will likely be David Ash at quarterback. The Longhorns host Wyoming and New Mexico before traveling to SEC country, but even with the Rebels' likely struggles, Texas can prove a little something with a big performance. Even last year, thrashing a mediocre UCLA team let people know Texas wouldn't be headed to another 5-7 season.

The real tests for Texas will come when the Longhorns face real offenses in the Big 12, but we'll learn a little bit about Texas on September 15. I'd like to be able to see it.

AUSTIN -- The lesson of the day for Texas’ passing game?

One you might’ve already known: Jaxon Shipley is still the Longhorns’ most consistent passer.

The question of the day that emerged from Texas’ two-hour Orange-White spring game on Sunday is another familiar one, one that can’t be answered now but absolutely must be solved this fall.

Will Texas be capable of winning a game through the air if the run game is slowed down?

Mack Brown is adamant he already knows the answer.

“Yes. Yes,” he said. “Because we’re going to be really good at the running game. If they’re going to stop it, they’re going to have to put some extra folks up there and it’s going to leave people open.”

It’s a smart answer, a precise answer. Brown knows his quarterbacks will have opportunities. Whether they will take advantage of them remains to be seen, especially after rather pedestrian performances in the spring game.

David Ash completed five of his six passes for 83 yards, threw a touchdown to Shipley and scrambled for a 1-yard score. He showed promise in his efficient operation of the offense and effective scrambling. Still, he was once again only asked to be a game manager.

“We didn’t want to show all our cards right now when it doesn’t count,” Ash said.

Case McCoy slung it around much more -- for better and for worse. He led all passers with 139 yards on 9-of-15 passing. He also threw two picks and nearly a third.

And Shipley? All he did was throw another touchdown pass, this one a 54-yard lob to D.J. Grant in the second quarter.

Though spring game stats don’t count for much, Shipley has now thrown for scores on four of his five career passing attempts.

“Jeez. Might need to put him back there and throw it a few more times,” McCoy said. “He’s good.”

Brown seems certain he has two good quarterbacks. So certain, in fact, that he’s already lowering his expectations for Connor Brewer’s freshman season.

“If you can, you’d like to redshirt Connor,” Brown said. “That gives him a chance to grow up. You’d like to have your freshman redshirt if you can, and we told Connor that during the recruiting process.”

Brewer was solid and steady in his Longhorns debut at 4-of-7 passing for 63 yards and a touchdown, though he did so against Texas’ third-team defense. Brown’s willingness to let him redshirt is the wise thing to do, of course, but it’s also a vote of confidence.

Brown insisted that Ash and McCoy can’t be fairly judged by one scrimmage. Over the course of three public practices, though, the improvements became more noticeable.

Ash is more confident. He knows how to run a huddle now. He’s making better reads and didn’t throw one bad ball all day.

And McCoy is throwing the ball downfield with a more aggressive mentality, something he sorely lacked last season. He’s also demonstrating better maturity in the pocket.

“I think either one of those guys can run the offense we’re running and help us win,” Brown said. “That puts us in a great place. … I think they’re both so much better than they were. I’m really excited about where we’re heading with those guys.”

Which one is better so far? Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said the battle remains even, that both passers had their good and bad days this spring. Brown still says he’s OK with a two-quarterback system.

What will set one apart from the other still hasn’t changed: turnovers and leadership.

“I think we all know that to be on the field and run that position you can’t turn the ball over,” McCoy said. “You can paint all the pictures you want, but if you turn the ball over you’re not going to play.”

There’s no disputing what the painting of the Longhorns’ offense looks like. Running backs will carry the team this fall.

But can this offense throw the ball when it must? That remains the question of the summer, and perhaps even the season.

Thanks for all the questions today. Here's the full transcript from our Tuesday chat.

If you want to reach me with more questions or comments, here's where you can do it.

Orange Power (Columbus, OH): Ubben, Looks like Oklahoma State is going to have a pretty good combo at RB next year. Do you think they should warrant as much hype as the Gray-Michael combo last year? And also, how many wacky run game possibilities are available now with Randle, Smith, and Sims (not to mention sweeps to WR's like Stewart or Moore)?

David Ubben: No, not quite. For one, OSU's offense isn't as physical and doesn't blow people off the ball like Texas A&M's did at times. Plus, Gray and Michael were, at least for now, better than Randle was. Randle is a better pass-catcher, but he can't match the physicality of A&M's backs. Smith is good, but not on that level. Either way, the duo is probably the best in the league this year.

Matt (Okc,Ok): OU's new DC said he is going to simplify things on defense. Why do new coaches come in and say we are going to simplify what the defense, so the players can react better and not have to think so much? If complexity of scheme is the cause of the problem, why do coordinators make the same mistakes by making it so complicated? Or is it just coach speak that "simplifying" is the answer to our poor defense?

David Ubben: It depends on the situation. That's not always the case. The more complex the scheme is, the more confusing it is for offenses. The older and more experienced your defense is, the easier it is to make things complex. I think sometimes DCs overestimate what their players are capable of. It's an easy mistake. They see a lot of good things in practice. That's not always the case, but the best defenses are ones that can do complex things like disguise coverages perfectly and make a QB confused about where pressure will be coming from.

Tony (Richmond, CA): Which road game will be tougher, WVU or TCU? Do the recruiting implications in Texas make the Horned Frogs matchup more important regardless of the outome of either game?

David Ubben: Definitely WVU. TCU's going to have a nice stadium, but the WVU folk are known for being loud and providing a crazy atmosphere. Just ask LSU last year.

Jman (Amarillo, TX): At the University of Texas, how well do you think David Ash will compete as an elite QB or do you even see him as an elite.

David Ubben: For one, I still think it's early to make any true distinction. Ash simply didn't get enough reps in the spring or preseason camp to get used to the game. Then, suddenly, he was playing a ton. That's obviously changed this year. I don't think I see him as an elite guy, but we could see some huge improvement this year. Ultimately, he's the guy who decides Texas' fate this year between 7-8 wins and 10-11.

Trey (Texas): What are the odds that OU has a better overall defensive ranking at the end of next season, than Texas?

David Ubben: Not impossible, but it's going to be really, really hard for anybody to top Texas' defense next year. OU's got the best shot, with TCU, K-State and OSU behind them.

wvirishref (West Virginia): What will be the take on Dana coming back as a head coach for the game in Stillwater?

David Ubben: He'll be fine. There are no hard feelings in Stillwater. He revitalized the offense for its best year ever (until this year) and took a really, really good job at a good program. That's how the game is played. He'll be welcomed back.

BigDroot (middle of nowhere oklahoma): Are you buying or selling OU as preseason Big 12 #1?

David Ubben: Buying, but only by a bit. OU is the most experienced and most consistent team in the league next year, but there's a chunk of 4-5 teams right behind them that could definitely win the league. OU was a huge favorite last year and didn't get it done, aided by injuries a bit. OU is the best team coming into this year, but TCU, WVU, K-State, OSU and Texas are right there behind them, capable of winning.

HornsNation has more coverage of the Texas Longhorns:

Sean Adams writes : History is telling Mack Brown that you can succeed with two QBs. However, the present climate begs to differ. If history wins out, is that the best thing for the Longhorns?

Carter Strickland writes: David Ash is learning to protect the football. He's learning the scheme, too. And as spring progresses, his confidence is growing.