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The No. 4 Texas Longhorns began their first season as members of the Southeastern Conference with a near-flawless 52-0 win over Colorado State on Aug. 31 in Austin, Texas.
Despite offseason departures and changes, the Longhorns looked every bit like the SEC and national title contender that they are expected to be this season. Texas put up 545 yards of offense and held the Rams to under 200 yards in the shutout—a first for Colorado State since 2013.
Longhorns Dominate
After a slow first possession, the revamped Texas offense hit its stride, scoring on five of its next six possessions to take a 31-0 lead at the half. The only other stop Colorado State came up with during that time was an interception as the Longhorns drove into the red zone late in the first quarter.
The Rams couldn't convert on the turnover and had just 78 yards of offense in the first half. Texas had 309 total yards of offense in the first 30 minutes. The Longhorns scored 24 points in the second quarter as junior quarterback Quinn Ewers connected with transfers Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond for 3 touchdowns.
Ewers finished the first half 18-of-25 passing for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns. Texas' starting quarterback played just one drive in the second half and finished with 260 yards passing. He then gave way to heralded backup Arch Manning. Manning's first pass went to sophomore wide receiver Johntay Cook for 40 yards. The Longhorns eventually scored on a 5-yard pass from Manning to Oregon State transfer Silas Bolden.
The redshirt freshman backup also ran for a 1-yard score. It was the second rushing touchdown of the day for the Longhorns. They faced questions about their running game after offseason injuries to CJ Baxter and Christian Clark.
But those questions were silenced quickly as Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner led the Longhorns to their first score this season. It was on a 3-yard run by Wisner in the first quarter. Overall, the Texas running game went for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day against Colorado State.
Freshman running back Justin Marshall was the star for Colorado State. Marshall ran for 106 yards and averaged 4.2 yards per carry.
Turning Point
Trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter as Texas drove into the red zone, Colorado State pressured Ewers and forced an interception on a tipped pass. Any score would have helped shift momentum toward the Rams. But they only made it to their 33-yard line.
Colorado State punter Paddy Turner bobbled a snap and tried to run the ball in a panic. But Longhorns special teams players threw him to the ground at his own 31-yard line.
The CSU defense held the Longhorns to a field goal. Still, Texas began to assert its dominance and scored at will. Colorado State struggled to move the ball in the rest of the game. The Rams took a deep shot in the second quarter to try and cut into a 17-0 deficit. But Texas' Jahdae Barron intercepted Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi's pass.
What it Means
Texas moves to 1-0 and gets a win before heading to its national showdown against defending national champion No. 9 Michigan on Sept. 7 at noon EST. The Longhorns executed well on Saturday but will face many more challenges in SEC play.
While the Wolverines' offense remains a question mark entering the season, their defense will present a much more difficult task than Colorado State. If Texas can execute at a high level in Ann Arbor, Mich., then they will strengthen its case as contenders in the 2024 college football season. That could spell trouble for the rest of the SEC. After the Michigan game, Texas likely will not be significantly challenged until the annual Red River Rivalry game against No. 16 Oklahoma on Oct. 12 in Dallas.
Colorado State takes on Northern Colorado of the FCS on Sept. 7 before its annual rivalry game against Colorado. The Rams took the Buffaloes to overtime last season. But they will need a much better offensive performance to compete in that game this year. They also play Oregon State as part of the Mountain West Conference's new scheduling alliance before beginning conference play against San Jose State on Oct. 12.
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