Cardinals fans feeling old ahead of college football QB matchup

Temple sophomore E.J. Warner has started all five games for the Owls this season, recording a 53.9% completion percentage with 1,269 passing yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. UTSA freshman Owen McCown (a transfer from the University of Colorado) is the third-string signal-caller for the Roadrunners and has gone 18-for-20 with 170 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Even though Kurt Warner spent half of his 12-year professional career with the then-St. Louis Rams, NFL fans in the desert remember the Hall-of-Famer for leading Arizona to their only Super Bowl appearance during the 2008 season. At 37 years old and in his penultimate campaign, Warner earned his fourth and final Pro Bowl honor that season and captured the Walter Payton Man of the Year award as well.

The two-time MVP brought the Cardinals all the way to Super Bowl XLIII, where the group lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in an all-time classic, 27-23. The now-52-year-old Warner finished the big game 31-for-43 with 377 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a 112.3 quarterback rating.

Josh McCown was the definition of a journeyman throughout his 17 seasons, playing for nine teams. McCown was selected by Arizona in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft and played 33 games (making 22 starts) in four seasons with the Cardinals.

The 44-year-old was the backup to Jake Plummer in 2002 and Jeff Blake in 2003, before playing in a career-high 14 contests in 2004 and matching his high mark with 13 starts. McCown served as Warner's understudy in 2005 and then signed with the Detroit Lions in March 2006.

The younger Warner and McCown still have time to show what they can do at the college level, but one thing's for certain -- they've got pretty good genetics.