AUSTIN (KXAN) — After an intense competition throughout the early part of the season, Casey Thompson finally got his shot. Now, with two wins under his belt as starting quarterback, he’s making the most of it.

“I want to be great and I think that everyone on this team should want to be great,” Thompson said. “If you can wake up every day and look at yourself in the mirror and try to be a better player and a better person, I think overall, we’ll have a better team by the end of the year.”

The junior quarterback from Oklahoma City has impressed his teammates and coaches with his work ethic, leadership, and calm demeanor.

“He’s one of the vets on the team and he’s always been just a player that we can count on when we need him,” senior offensive lineman Denzel Okafor said.

“He’s always working man, it’s good to see a guy who has been working for a long time,” senior offensive lineman Derek Kerstetter added. “He obviously was the backup to Sam [Ehlinger] so now it’s good to see him finally get his moment to shine.”

In two games as a starter, Thompson has completed 33 of 41 passes, thrown seven touchdowns with just two interceptions. Thompson ranks as the top quarterback in college football, according to ESPN’s QBR metric.

Those numbers display the efficiency that he brings to the table.

“Casey in particular, really owns the gameplan, I think he dives into it, he prepares, he studies,” head coach Steve Sarkisian explained. “Obviously, he’s seeing the benefits of that, and we are too.” 

Now, Thompson will face the biggest test thus far in the Big 12 road opener against TCU.

The Horned Frogs have won six out of their last seven against Texas, but Thompson claims he and the team won’t be thinking about that at all.

“I’m not worried, and we’re not worried about the record, and I wouldn’t say that we’re worried about them having our number,” Thompson added. “We’re just focused on executing the gameplan and coming out with a win on top this week.”