AUSTIN, TEXAS After Chris Simms' inconsistent career, Longhorns will take chance on Chance

Mock will make his college debut today against New Mexico State.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Chris Simms was the suave left-hander from the East Coast, the fashion maven with good looks, great genes and huge expectations.
Chance Mock is the rugged righty straight from the pages of Field & amp; Stream, a great unknown seen by many fans as a place-keeper until redshirt freshman Vince Young is ready.
Mock couldn't be more different than the quarterback he replaces on the Texas Longhorns.
Where Simms was supposed to be great, Mock is simply supposed to be capable. His mission is to get the ball to stars Roy Williams and Cedric Benson and move out of the way.
"We've got big-time playmakers," Mock said. "It makes my job a lot easier. The biggest problem I'm going to have is to keep everybody happy."
A junior with six career completions, Mock debuts with a rare tonight game at home against New Mexico State.
"I'm not sure what people expect of me," Mock said. "Hopefully, they're expecting good things. If they're not, then I haven't done very good, or ya'll haven't made me sound very good."
Different players
So just how different are Mock and Simms?
Simms, who grew up in New Jersey, earned the nickname "Limo" the day he arrived on campus in a ride arranged by a posh hotel.
Mock, a Texas native, goes by "The General" because of his admiration of Tommy Franks, who led coalition forces in Iraq.
It was Mock who corralled Simms into attending his first rodeo, driving him there in his green pickup truck with a bumper sticker that reads "American by Birth, Texan by the Grace of God."
Simms was trendy, usually showing up at news conferences wearing the latest from Calvin Klein and Banana Republic. Mock spoke to reporters Monday wearing shorts, a white T-shirt and a baseball cap bearing the sweat stains of a weekend fishing trip.
Frankly, while Simms was slick, Mock is kind of a hick.
"I'm a little more outdoorsy than Chris," Mock said, grinning at the comparison. He hails from The Woodlands, an affluent Houston suburb, yet looks like he would fit right in with the piney woods of East Texas -- even if he denies the image.
"People portray me as from out in the boonies, hillbilly, live in a log cabin," he said. "That's not the case at all. I do wear my Wranglers, my cowboy boots and my hat, but I'm by no means a hillbilly."
Running style
The cowboy approach stretches to his playing style. In yet another radical departure from pocket-passer Simms, Mock is an athletic, mobile quarterback who can keep defenses guessing. For example, the option is now an option in the Longhorns playbook.
"He's probably got some Brett Favre in him," said Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis. "He's a tough guy who loves contact."
Mock wasn't hit much the last few years.
Unlike Simms and his predecessor, Major Applewhite, both of whom were pushed into starting roles as freshmen, Mock has taken the slow route to starting. After redshirting in 2000, he played sparingly the last two seasons while soaking up the playbook and studying film.
In 10 career games, Mock has thrown nine passes for 65 yards and one touchdown. If New Mexico State coaches want to see game film on him, they won't find much.
"Chance Mock is a no-name QB," said Williams, a bona fide star who some have predicted could be the first pick overall in the NFL draft. "Nobody knows who he is."