Texas Longhorns

Heard could get used to this playing thing

Published Sep. 15, 2015 12:00 p.m. ET

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Jerrod Heard enjoyed wearing his helmet instead of holding so much last Saturday night that he'd like to keep doing it for a long, long time as the Texas Longhorns' starting quarterback.

The redshirt freshman got the first start of his career in Texas' second game of the season, a dangerously important game, as silly as that might sound, against the Rice Owls. But that's just how desperate the Longhorns had become after their opening-week flop against Notre Dame that just might have signaled the end of Tyrone Swoopes' time under center.

"I definitely want it to be my job," Heard told reporters during Monday's weekly media press conference.

In many ways, Heard is everything Swoopes is not in personality -- outgoing, talkative, enthusiastic and easy to follow. His teammates certainly did from the opening possession of Saturday's important -- perhaps program-changing -- 42-28 win over Rice. No, it wasn't Oklahoma, or these days Baylor or TCU -- but for at least one night there were fireworks over Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium instead of warning flares.

For Texas fans who grew impatient watching Swoopes fail to make progress and an offense that was going nowhere, there is wonderment as to why it took so long for coach Charlie Strong to go to his young dual-threat quarterback. All last season Strong continually said Heard was not ready to start. Even during spring workouts and fall camp came that same line of reasoning for throwing Swoopes back in as the starting QB.

Even Heard sounded as if he agreed with that notion, needing the time to understand the college level and get accustomed to the game.

"During that process, it is a struggle for a freshman to go through practice, especially last year,” Heard said. “You’ve got first-rounders (defensive tackle Malcom Brown) and draft picks all over the place at practice. And I think that really helped me for this season.”

Heard will make his second start Saturday at home against a decidedly tougher opponent, the Pac-12's Cal Golden Bears. Heard only needed to make seven pass attempts against Rice, completing four for 120 yards, 69 coming on a pass to freshman receiver John Burt. Clearly, this is just the beginning for Heard. He will have to throw more to beat better teams. But it's a lot easier to complete passes wearing a helmet instead of holding one.

"One game doesn’t make him,” Strong told reporters. “I want to make sure it’s a steady improvement game by game.”

(h/t Austin American-Statesman)