AUSTIN — Hard to believe now, after he strung together a virtuoso 416-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 48-45 win over Iowa State, but Texas Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was nearly a tight end.

"I go back to spring game and just, wow, can he play quarterback? I was gonna tell him to move to another position," coach Charlie Strong said Saturday night, recounting Swoopes' improvement from spring to fall. "He's fun to watch now."

Later asked to clarify, Swoopes said he was partly joking: Texas couldn't have afforded Swoopes to change positions with the lack of depth at quarterback.

Swoopes stepped in for an injured David Ash at the beginning of BYU week, and it's taken him some time to find his footing, but after sensational back-to-back performances, it's probably a good thing Strong stuck with Swoopes at quarterback.