At least the opener is behind us. Texas played a decent football game last night but still has definite areas that need improvement. The biggest question entering into last night’s game was Garrett Gilbert and how his play has improved since last season. We are proud to report that at times Gilbert looked darn right good and other times looked like the erratic passer he was last year. He finished the night 13-23 with 239 yards and one touchdown. The Horns as a whole racked up 506 yards of offense including 86 by highly touted freshman running back Malcolm Williams. On the receiving end, Mike Davis looked downright BEASTLY. He hauled in 115 in the air and looks like a definite threat to opposing teams.
Game Scoring
In the first quarter Rice took a 3-0 lead on Texas but then the Longhorns drove down the field and tied the game with a Justin Tucker 39 yard field goal. In the second quarter the Owls added another 3 points while Texas’ Cody Johnson barreled into the end zone on a 1-yard td run. Add another Tucker field goal and the Longhorns were up 13-6 at the half. The halftime buzz on twitter about the game was not favorable for the Longhorns, but the Rice marching band, The Mob, lightened the place up for everyone. Check out the band formation with a jab at Texas A&M leaving for the SEC:
- http://www.bevoball.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/secdoll.jpg
- Rice University’s Marching Band, The Mob
In the third quarter Rice picked up another 3 points on a 26 yard field goal by Chris Boswell, which would be the final score by the Owls for the game. Freshman Jackson Shipley caught a John Harris pass (yes, we said John Harris) for his first td as a Longhorn and after 3 quarters it was Texas 20, Rice 6.
The fourth quarter was all Texas and all Fozzy Whitaker, who added a rushing and receiving touchdown for the Longhorns. Final score ended up Texas 34, Rice 9.
We mentioned the offense was decent but one notable wrinkle in the offense was the utilization of the “Wildcat,” or as Texas fans are calling it, the “WildHorn.” True Freshamn David ASh will obviously get playing time this season as fans saw him play wide receiver and quarterback. Case McCoy came in late in the game and did mop up duty. While all three qb saw the field last night it looks like Gilbert has done enough to keep the starer’s job for now.
Texas meets BYU in Austin next Saturday at 6:00 pm in an ESPN2 televised game. The Cougars beat the Ole Miss. Rebels in Oxford by a score of 14-13.
