Quinn Ewers threw three touchdown passes as No. 4 Texas needed a quarter to get its high-octane offense warmed up in a 52-0 win against Colorado State on Saturday in Austin, Texas, in the season opener for both teams.
In just over three quarters, Ewers was 20-for-27 passing for 260 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Texas outgained Colorado State 545-192 and held the Rams to 11 first downs. It was the first season-opening shutout for the Longhorns since 2004 and the first time Colorado State had been shut out in 11 years.
After a punt on their first possession, Texas scored on eight of its next nine drives. It started with a 3-yard touchdown run by Quintrevion Wisner that capped a four play, 64-yard drive at 9:36 in the first quarter to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.
On the Longhorns’ next possession, as Ewers escaped the pocket, his pass was tipped by Rams defensive lineman James Mitchell and intercepted by Chase Wilson with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
Texas then forced another punt, and Rams punter Paddy Turner bobbled the snap, decided to run and was stopped short of the first down. The Longhorns took over on Colorado State’s 31-yard line and settled for a Bert Auburn 45-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.
The Rams would go three-and-out, which led to a seven-play, 70-yard Texas scoring drive where Ewers hit on all four of his passes and tossed a 1-yard score to Matthew Golden to make it 17-0.
Jahdae Barron intercepted a pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and returned it 30 yards to set up a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to Isaiah Bond for a 24-0 lead. The Longhorns scored once more before the half ended as Ewers hit Golden for an 11-yard score and Texas went up 31-0 at the break.
On its first second-half possession, the Longhorns scored on a 5-yard run by Jerrick Gibson and the afternoon was over for Ewers. Arch Manning entered in relief, and his first pass was a 40-yard completion to Johntay Cook II.
Three plays later, Manning scrambled from the pocket and flipped a short pass to Silas Bolden, who dove into the end zone for a 5-yard score and a 45-0 Texas lead. Another Colorado State punt set the Longhorns up with a short field, and Manning led an 11-play, 55-yard drive that he ended with a 1-yard QB sneak to give Texas a 52-0 lead with 10:10 left in the game.
–Field Level Media
