ARLINGTON, Texas -- Tyrone Swoopes needed seven yards to extend the game. He saw his tight end, Geoff Swaim, cut left and make his break toward the inside of the field. He wound up and fired.
The ball bounced a few yards short and Swoopes knew it had ended the game. He ripped off his chin strap in frustration and walked to the sideline as UCLA celebrated its eventual 20-17 win at AT&T Stadium on Saturday.
Linebacker Dalton Santos found him on the field after the Longhorns sulked through a disappointed rendition of "The Eyes of Texas" and patted him on the back. He offered some words of encouragement as Swoopes stared at the green turf ahead of him.
The most surprising thing about Swoopes' final throw was how surprising it was. The sophomore completed 24-of-34 passes for 196 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. That final stat might be the most important. He's had just one turnover in two games away from his home stadium against quality opponents.
Saturday, his final pass was hardly reflective of the 33 that preceded it.
Texas lost a game, but it found a quarterback.
"He is just growing up real fast and that is a good thing," receiver John Harris said. "He can do great things here at Texas."
Coach Charlie Strong and offensive coordinators Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline have more trust in him than plenty of other coaches might for a guy in Swoopes' shoes. Saturday was his second start in what was supposed to be a season spent on the headset learning from a senior quarterback. Facing a 4th-and-8 at the UCLA 38 in the second quarter, Watson put the ball in Swoopes' hands and he found John Harris 33 yards downfield to set up Texas' first touchdown of the day.
"He just continues to get better and better," Strong said. "He made really good throws and just managed the offense."
In a perfect world, Texas would still have David Ash on the field. While he watches from the sideline in street clothes with an uncertain future, Swoopes has given Texas more than it could have expected and offered tons of promise for more.
He completed his first eight passes against BYU a week ago. Saturday, he connected on his first 11 attempts. He showed off his arm strength and--more impressively, considering his inexperience--a knowledge of when to rein it in and use restraint to make life easier for his receivers and tougher on defenses trying to bat his passes down.
"I felt a lot more comfortable. I played last week and with that I built confidence," Swoopes said. "I came in a little bit more confident and I can build off that next week too."
Texas is already 1-2 and any dreams of competing for a Big 12 title sound silly considering how dominant Baylor and Oklahoma have looked over the first month of the season. Still, for a program screaming for a quarterback in the wake of Colt McCoy's exit after the 2009 season, Swoopes has offered hope.
As Charlie Strong builds his foundation at Texas, Swoopes looks like the quarterback who can help him him lay it.
Vince Young, he is not. Swoopes ran for just 11 yards on eight carries and has yet to show an ability to make defenses respect his legs. He can run over some defenders with his 250-pound frame, but most often, Texas asks him to sit back in the pocket and be accurate on short and intermediate throws.
So far, he's delivered. As Swoopes builds on Saturday's performance, he'll shoulder more responsibility in the offense. Through two games, though, he's far surpassed modest expectations in Ash's absence and doesn't have anyone in burnt orange counting down the seconds until Ash might return from a head injury suffered in the season opener.
Through three weeks, that might be his most unbelievable feat.
