Quinn Ewers accounts for four TDs as No. 11 Texas rolls past Rice 37-10
No. 11 Texas opened its most anticipated season in a decade with a workmanlike 37-10 win over Rice on Saturday afternoon before a throng of 98,017 sun-splashed fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
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And while it wasn’t exactly the dominating start filled with complementary football the Longhorns wanted to produce, it was more than enough to keep preseason hype at full bore ahead of the program’s upcoming road trip to Tuscaloosa.
Quinn Ewers passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score, hitting on 19 of his 30 passes and connecting with six different receivers while playing the first three quarters. Seven of his completions were to Xavier Worthy, who amassed 90 yards receiving for the Longhorns (1-0).
The Longhorns also got 94 total yards and a score from running back Jonathon Brooks (52 rushing, 42 receiving). Texas has now defeated the Owls 16 straight times and in 44 of the teams’ past 45 contests dating back to 1966.
Texas outgained the Owls 458-172, while running 75 plays to Rice’s 51. The Longhorns’ defense was the story, intercepting Rice quarterback JT Daniels twice (on back-to-back throws in the second quarter), forcing a fumble, allowing the Owls only eight first downs and surrendering just 23 yards rushing. Four of the first downs and 19 of the rushing yards came on Rice’s final drive.
Rice (0-1) struck first, using a short field gained when the Longhorns failed to convert a fourth down from its own 33-yard line on the game’s opening possession to move to a 43-yard field goal by Tim Horn and a 3-0 lead.
From there, Texas dominated – even though it took a while for the Longhorns to put everything together.
Texas answered on a nifty misdirection pass from Ewers to Jonathon Brooks that the latter carried 37 yards to a touchdown that pushed the Longhorns to the front. Texas added a 27-yard field goal by Bert Auburn early in the second quarter to go up 10-3.
The Longhorns’ first forced turnover of the season – a one-handed interception by preseason All-American linebacker Jaylan Ford – set the table for another Auburn FG, this time from 46 yards, to make it 13-3 with 7:51 to play in the second quarter.
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Auburn’s third FG of the half – a 49 yarder as time expired – expanded the Texas advantage to 16-3 at the break.
The Longhorns took charge on their opening possession of the third quarter, marching 62 yards in eight plays and cashing in the work with Ewers’ 9-yard TD pass to Adonai Mitchell and a 23-3 lead.
Ewers then found a wide open Ja’Tavion Sanders down the seam for a 44-yard scoring catch and run and the rout was on for real. Ewers’ scooted into the end zone from 2 yards out late in the third period to put a cap on his afternoon.
Maalik Murphy was the second quarterback to play for the Longhorns, completing 3-of-5 passes for 40 yards. True freshman Arch Manning did not see the field.
Rice finally found the end zone on a 15-yard TD pass from Daniels to Luke McCaffrey with 3:04 to play.
Texas heads to Alabama next week for a return matchup with the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide. Nick Saban’s program defeated the Longhorns in Austin last year, 20-19.
