Whatever he did for the next four years, he would never be favorite son Vince Young.

Turns out, being Colt McCoy has been just fine for the Texas Longhorns.

``What we've seen is Colt has slipped into being a great player, not just a good player, right in front of our eyes,'' Texas coach Mack Brown said. ``Probably some didn't expect that.''

About to complete his third season, McCoy is on the verge of surpassing Young as the winningest quarterback in UT history.

To get career victory No. 31 as soon as possible, McCoy will have to beat Texas A&M as the Lone Star Showdown returns to Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 1993.

``For my name to be mentioned with Vince, that's an honor and pretty special,'' McCoy said.

While acknowledging the career wins record at Texas would be a special achievement, McCoy said the Longhorns have bigger goals entering their final game of the regular season. UT (10- 1) remains in the national championship picture and can clinch at least a tie for the Big 12 South title with a win. If there's a three-way tie among Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, the BCS standings will determine the South representative in the conference title game.

``The reason we are sitting here No. 2 in the BCS, in my estimation, is Colt McCoy,'' Brown said. ``We would not be here without what he has done this year for this team.''

National mark next year?

McCoy is 30-7 during his career with the Longhorns. Young, now with the Tennessee Titans , went 30-2 as a starter and led the Longhorns to the national title in 2005.

But in three years as a starter, McCoy is 0-for-2 against the Aggies. The only other Big 12 team McCoy hasn't beaten is Kansas State.

``Every time you step on the field, it's your goal,'' McCoy said. ``No matter how great it can be or how sloppy it can be, if your team comes out with a win, that's the No. 1 goal. As many of those as you can get, that's what I want. This next one will be sweet.''

McCoy plans to return for his senior season, when he will have a chance to break the Division I record of 42 career victories held by Georgia's David Greene.

A three-star recruit out of tiny Jim Ned High School in West Texas, McCoy did not play in 2005. While the Longhorns were on the way to the national title, he spent his redshirt season taking notes and watching every move Young made.

``I used to make fun of him,'' UT defensive end Brian Orakpo said. ``He was this scrawny quarterback, a little baby. He came in and got straight to work. He learned a lot of his winning methods from V.Y. He learned the offense and learned to become a leader.''

Before playing in a game, McCoy erased any doubts whether he could handle the job. Before the 2006 season, McCoy won a much-publicized quarterback competition with Jevan Snead, who transferred to Mississippi.

``Colt just stood out,'' cornerback Ryan Palmer said. ``The first year, he took a couple of big hits and got up and said, `Let's go.' He earned our respect in the locker room way before he even started playing.''

As a redshirt freshman in 2006, McCoy won nine of his first 10 starts, including rallies on the road to beat Nebraska and Tech in consecutive weeks. He also tied the NCAA freshman record of 29 touchdown passes (broken last year by OU's Sam Bradford, who had 36).

With the Longhorns in contention for a BCS berth, McCoy suffered a pinched nerve in his neck and was limited in losses to Kansas State and A&M to end the regular season.

McCoy led the Horns to another 10-win season in 2007, although his numbers declined and the regular season again ended with a loss to the Aggies. But McCoy was the Holiday Bowl's offensive MVP after a rout of Arizona State.

``It's remarkable how successful Colt has been throughout his career,'' Orakpo said.

Again, McCoy has the Longhorns in position for a BCS bowl, if not more. Earlier this season, he led Texas to a 45-35 upset over then-No. 1 OU, followed by wins over No. 11 Missouri and No. 7 Oklahoma State.

In the Longhorns' only loss, McCoy rallied UT from a 19-point deficit to a onepoint lead with less than two minutes to go. Tech got the winning TD with one second left for a 39-33 victory.

Ability to run vital

With 3,134 yards and 30 TDs passing, McCoy is considered one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy. He leads UT in rushing with 527 yards, and his 77.2 percent completion rate has him in position to shatter the NCAA single-season record of 73.6 percent, held by Central Florida's Daunte Culpepper.

``He's done for this team what Tim Tebow has done for Florida,'' Brown said, noting McCoy's 3,000 yards passing and 500 yards rushing. Wide receiver Jordan Shipley said McCoy's ability to run separates him from the nation's other top QBs.

``He can just make plays that nobody else can make,'' Shipley said.

Palmer, among 24 seniors who will play their final home game tonight, said he has been fortunate to play with two great quarterbacks.

``It's nice to see how Colt has evolved to become one of the best college Football players,'' Palmer said. ``When I get older, I can say I played with Vince and Colt.''

...

HOOKING THE WINS

Leaders in victories by a quarterback at Texas:

Player ... W-L ... Years

Vince Young ... 30-2 ... 2003-05

Colt McCoy ... 30-7 ... 2006-

Bobby Layne ... 28-6 ... 1944-47

Chris Simms ... 26-6 ... 1999-2002

Marty Akins ... 26-9 ... 1973-75

...

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