Follow along as I jot down notes from today’s game between the UTSA Roadrunners and the Texas Longhorns.
First Quarter:
- Quinn Ewers started the first drive beautifully, capping it off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond. On the drive, Ewers found; Bond, Niblett, Wingo, and Golden on passes of over 10-yards.
- Besides a confusing interception on his second offensive drive, Quinn Ewers has been on the same page as his receivers – ending the quarter with two touchdown passes.
- Defensively, the Longhorns started off Saturday’s contest with a couple of key defensive stops behind the line of scrimmage. So far, the key play has been Michael Taaffe’s stop behind the line, forcing a UTSA turnover on downs.
Second Quarter:
- The amount of injuries Texas has suffered already has to be concerning. Prior to the game, it was announced that starting running back Jaydon Blue would be unavailable for today’s contest. However, during the game, Steve Sarkisian has also had to deal with injuries to Quinn Ewers, Tre Wisner and Kelvin Banks Jr. Obviously, in a game such as this one, winning without a significant number of injuries is crucial.
- Following the injury to Ewers, Arch Manning started off his night on a hot streak with two touchdowns. He showed off his arm on a 19-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr., followed by a massive 67-yard touchdown rush in which he shook a UTSA defender.
- Arch Manning was expected to make an appearance against UTSA, however certainly not one in the second quarter. Despite of this, the redshirt freshman quarterback has looked relatively comfortable in the game setting. It is evident that his internal clock as a quarterback has some room for improvement, but that will come with time.
Third Quarter:
- The Longhorns defense started the second half with more solid plays behind the line of scrimmage. Although the defense has only allowed a touchdown thus far, their performance has been hit or miss.
- Ryan Wingo is going to be an amazing player for the Longhorns. He is a legitimate difference maker for the Longhorns and is already getting an ample amount of playing time as a freshman. To begin the third quarter scoring action, Wingo found the end zone on a 75-yard bomb by Arch Manning.
- Along with Wingo, freshman linebacker Colin Simmons has also been a playmaker for Texas. Against UTSA, Simmons has frequently created pressure against UTSA quarterback Owen McCown and finally brought down the gunslinger in the third quarter. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are recruiting at a high enough level where freshmen are able to be impact players from the jump.
Fourth Quarter:
- What a game for Arch Manning. The redshirt freshman quarterback finished Saturday’s contest with a total of five touchdowns – doing what he needed to do against UTSA. Furthermore, Johntay Cook also had a big game – finishing the game with two touchdowns.
