Leinart slated to start at quarterback
Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart is expected to start in the next game for the Houston Texans following the team’s bye week on Nov. 27 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Opportunity · Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart will start for the first time as a Houston Texan on Nov. 27 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. - Daily Trojan file photo
Leinart will replace injured starting quarterback Matt Schaub, who, according to sources, suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury on a quarterback sneak Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The six-year pro joined Houston in 2010 and was slated as the third-string quarterback behind Schaub and Dan Orlovsky.
Leinart did not take a single snap last year. In the offseason, he decided to return to the Texans as the primary backup.
At USC, Leinart won the Heisman Trophy award in 2004 when he threw for 3,322 yards and 33 touchdowns. He led the Trojans to their first BCS national championship over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, and finished his college career 37-2 as a starter. Over three years starting at USC, he compiled 10,693 passing yards and 99 touchdowns, and remains USC’s all-time leader in career touchdown passes.
In 2006, the Arizona Cardinals selected Leinart 10th overall in the NFL draft. In his rookie season, Leinart tossed 11 touchdowns and threw for 2,547 yards in 12 games.
After Leinart broke his collarbone in the 2007 season, former quarterback Kurt Warner took over and for the next two-and-a-half seasons with the team, Leinart saw limited playing time. He appeared in just 17 games, totaling three touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The Houston Texans (7-3) have won four in a row and share the AFC’s best record with Pittsburgh heading into the bye week. The Texans have six games remaining against Jacksonville, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Carolina, Indianapolis and Tennessee.