Colt McCoy

Colt McCoy writes a letter to fire up Texas players before facing Notre Dame

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:45 p.m. ET

Brett Smiley

The Texas Longhorns will host the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their opener on Saturday. They are hoping for a better result than last year's opener against Notre Dame -- a 38-3 drubbing that saw Texas gain just 163 total yards on offense.

Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong has yet to announce which quarterback will start, telling reporters on Monday that both senior Tyrone Swoopes and freshman Shane Buechele will play. "Whoever the starter is, is going to be the starter" Strong said.

Meanwhile, Colt McCoy, one of Texas' most prolific passers, has penned a motivational open letter to the entire team on the eve of the showdown. Here's a portion of what he wrote in The Players' Tribune to the Longhorns, who are 3-point underdogs at home:

Trust that your coaches are going to have you prepared. Trust your reads and your instincts. These games are why you were recruited to play here, so don’t try to be a superhuman version of yourself. Be the player you know that you are. You made it to Texas because you’ve played very well in a lot of games throughout your lifetime. This is just another opportunity to showcase what you were born to do.

Before kickoff on Sunday, find a quiet place on the sideline. Take a knee and look around the stadium. Breathe in the air and appreciate the atmosphere. And take a moment to collect your thoughts, say a little prayer and remember how blessed you are to be playing the greatest game on earth at the greatest school on earth.

Then get on your feet, strap on your helmet and go show those boys how we play ball in Texas.

Good stuff from McCoy, and it just might help the young men want to run through the proverbial wall. They just have to do it with more grace than the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Get more from Colt McCoy Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Colt McCoy