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The No. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns (3-0) had little trouble with the UTSA Roadrunners as they picked up their third straight win with a 56-7 victory at Darrell K. Royal Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 14.
The Longhorns dominated from the start but there could be concern in the future after starting quarterback Quinn Ewers left the game with an injury. Reports say Ewers has a strained abdomen.
Game Summary
Ewers and the Texas offense have been clicking all season, and it continued from the get-go in this game. The Longhorns took their first drive right down the field, scoring in 8 plays covering 84 yards. Each play was a pass attempt, and Ewers hit on 7 of them—highlighted by an impressive touchdown pass to wide receiver Isaiah Bond.
The junior was 14-of-16 passing with 185 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception before leaving the game with an obvious injury in the first half. Ewers returned to the sideline in street clothes after a visit to the locker room.
Redshirt freshman backup quarterback Arch Manning replaced Ewers and led an offensive onslaught. The Longhorns scored twice in his first three plays on the field. His first pass went to tight end DeAndre Moore for a 19-yard touchdown, and he later took off on a 67-yard scamper for a score.
Overall, Manning led 5 scoring drives, throwing for 223 yards and 4 touchdowns with just 3 incompletions. Four different Longhorns caught touchdown passes, and Bond and wide receiver Ryan Wingo each had over 100 receiving yards.
UTSA's lone score came on a 53-yard touchdown run by running back Robert Henry in the second quarter.
Turning Point
After Ewers' interception, the Roadrunners got it to a fourth-and-1 in Texas territory, but defensive back Jahdae Barron made a great read on a run play to stuff Henry for a 2-yard loss in the backfield and force a turnover on downs.
On the ensuing drive, Texas faced a fourth-and-3 at its own 38-yard line. Ewers connected with Bond for a huge 18-yard gain. The drive later ended with Ewers' second touchdown pass as wide receiver Johntay Cook II eluded defenders to reach the end zone from 19 yards out.
After that, UTSA's longest drives all ended in missed field goals—other than Henry's touchdown run.
What it Means: Texas Going Forward
Texas moves to 3-0 on the season with just one nonconference game remaining. The Longhorns host Louisiana-Monroe (2-0) at 8 p.m. EST on Sept. 21 at Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium before playing their first conference game as members of the Southeastern Conference against Mississippi State (1-2) on Sept. 28.
The Longhorns have a favorable schedule compared to other SEC programs, but Ewers' future status looms large. Manning has looked impressive and poised in his two appearances, but there were a couple of plays where his inexperience showed on Saturday.
How well will he do once exposed to the more elite defenses? And how much more learning, growing and development does Manning need before he's a complete enough product to lead a contender in the SEC?
UTSA (1-2) hosts Houston Christian (0-2) on Sept. 21 in its final nonconference game. The Roadrunners will open American Athletic Conference play against East Carolina (2-1) on Sept. 28. Their most important game going forward will be against Memphis (3-0) in San Antonio on Nov. 2, and the winner should become one of the frontrunners to compete for an AAC title.
However, the UTSA defense must greatly improve after allowing a combined 98 points the last two weeks (seven of Texas' points came from its defense).
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