After a disappointing upset loss in the season opener against Maryland last week, the Texas Longhorns had everything to prove this week when they took the field against San Jose State on Saturday. The Longhorns bounced back by relying on a solid rushing attack that used an array of players to deliver a 56-0 shutout loss to the Spartans.
Junior running back Chris Warren led the effort with 166 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Kyle Porter added 72 yards on 16 carries, including one touchdown. When the day was done the Longhorns amassed a total of 406 yards rushing. Compare that against the 98 total rushing yards last week against the Terrapins and it is easy to see why Tom Herman, who won his first game as head coach at Texas, was pleased with team’s ability to produce results on the ground.
Texas (1-1, 0-0) started true freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger in place of Shane Buechele, who is nursing a shoulder injury sustained in the loss to Maryland. Ehlinger took command of the offense and operated efficiently, finishing with 222 yards passing and one touchdown. Ehlinger also contributed 48 yards to the rushing effort, showing his ability to move in and out of the pocket when necessary. The Texas offensive line did not allow a sack in the game, highlighting the progress made from last week’s subpar performance in which Buechele was pressured incessantly and forced to scramble more times than not.
The Longhorns struck first on backup quarterback Jerrod Heard’s 9 yard run out of the Wildcat formation, giving Texas a 7-0 lead at the 4:12 mark in the first quarter. Chris Warren added to the score in the second quarter, rumbling 41 yards for a touchdown and delivering punishing blows to San Jose State defenders in the process. Jerrod Heard rushed for his second touchdown on the day at the 2:17 mark, scampering into the left side of the end zone once again out of the Wildcat.
The Longhorns led 21-0 at the half.
San Jose began the second half on offense and was forced to punt after the Longhorns held the Spartans to 3 and out. The Longhorns would begin a scoring drive at the 13:23 mark, which included a heavy dose of Chris Warren and Kyle Porter. The drive ended with Porter finding the end zone from 3 yards out to give Texas a 28-0 lead and Porter’s first touchdown as a Longhorn. Texas added to its lead in the 3rd quarter with Holton Hill intercepting San Jose State’s Aaron Montel and returning it 45 yards for a touchdown.
In the opening 4th quarter drive for the Longhorns, Sam Ehlinger found Collin Johnson for 27 yards and Reggie Hemphill-Mapps for 23 yards, setting Chris Warren up for a 9 yard touchdown run, his second of the game. On the Longhorns’ following drive, Ehlinger would notch his first career collegiate touchdown on a one yard shovel pass to Armanti Foreman. Texas pulled Ehlinger halfway through the 4th quarter, letting Heard handle the offense for the remainder of the game. The Longhorns added one more touchdown from tailback Toneil Carter, with 2:46 left to play.
While the praise for the offense is warranted, the performance by the defense against San Jose State was equally impressive. The Longhorns held Aaron Montel and the Spartan defense to just 42 yards rushing and 171 total yards of offense. The linebackers played better, the defensive line won the battles they needed to, and the defensive backs closed faster. San Jose State isn’t a Top-10 team, but Todd Orlando has a lot of positives to glean from his unit’s play today.
The uncertainty surrounding Shane Buechele’s timetable for return means Sam Ehlinger could get the starting nod again when the Longhorns travel to Los Angeles to play Top-10 USC next week at the Coliseum.
Tom Herman will begin preparing his game plan for USC tomorrow morning at 10:00 am.
Game Notes
- Texas freshman Reggie Hemphill-Mapps did not play in first half for reportedly violating team rules.
- The Texas kicking game struggled again today with Josh Rowland missing a 43 yard FG attempt. Rowland is 0-3 on the season in FG’s.
- Holton Hill’s interception for a touchdown return gives him 3 touchdowns on the season.
- The Longhorns are now 13-5-1 all time in games following a season opening loss.
- Chris Warren surpassed the 1,000 yard mark with his 166 yard performance against the Spartans.
- Patrick Hudson left the field with what appeared to be an injury to his knee.
- Head coach Tom Herman won his first game at Texas and is now 23-5 in his career as a head coach.
