UT: FRUSTRATION TAKEN OUT ON RICE.
Longhorns churn out 427 yards on the ground a week after embarrassing Arkansas loss
AUSTIN — Bijan Robinson’s stiff-arm seemed like a metaphor.
All week, Texas had to sit with the sour aftertaste of that debacle in Fayetteville, Ark. Jokes about being “SEC ready” ran rampant. A quarterback change occurred. And doubters in the ability of coach Steve Sarkisian to resurrect this program started peeking out from behind all corners of the internet.
So when Robinson sliced left into open turf and shoved Rice cornerback Sean Fresch to the ground just minutes into the game, it felt like a forceful rejection of all the negativity swirling about. Of course, Texas (2-1) throttling overmatched Rice (0-3) in a 58-0 victory at Royal-Memorial Stadium didn’t quell all concerns, but it did provide a more pleasant taste leading into next week’s Big 12 opener against Texas Tech (3-0).
Junior quarterback Casey Thompson mostly cruised in his first career start.
He took a few licks because of shoddy pass protection, one of which led to his first career interception, but otherwise Thompson made sound reads while spreading the wealth between seven different receivers. He led Texas on seven touchdown drives and completed 15 of 18 passes for 164 yards with two touchdowns and that first quarter interception.
And in truth, Thompson didn’t need to utilize his arm much. Running backs Bijan Robinson (13 carries, 127 yards, three touchdowns), Roschon Johnson and Keilan Robinson chewed up the Owls’ defense, combining for 322 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries. As a team, Texas rushed for 427 yards and six scores.
Johnson (three carries, 112 yards) turned a direct snap in a 72-yard touchdown heavy on disrespect – no fewer than three tacklers slipped off the 6-foot-2, 219pound junior. He also broke off runs of 27 and 13 yards in the first half.
Keilan Robinson (five carries, 83 yards), a transfer who played in Sarkisian’s offense at Alabama, shot out of a pistol on one 65-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. He hit the burners and breezed through a downfield corridor before the three surrounding Owls could close the opening, extending the lead to 41-0 on his first touchdown since Nov. 23, 2019.
Keilan Robinson also jetted past Rice’s protection to block a punt in the second quarter. The ball bounced out of the end zone for a safety, and Bijan. Robinson scored from 7 yards out on the ensuing drive.
Sarkisian also made good on his promise to find more ways to get true freshman receiver Xavier Worthy involved. A late addition to the Longhorns’ 2021 signing class, Worthy entered this game averaging 25 yards per catch – but he’d totaled just three receptions.
Against Rice, Worthy looked like a weapon. And Sarkisian looked like he knew just how to use him.
Thompson connected with Worthy seven times, producing 88 yards and one touchdown. The freshman wideout’s first career score came on a back-shoulder dart from Thompson near the front pylon with 14 seconds remaining in the first half. Texas’ defense rebounded from last week’s performance, too.
After surrendering 333 yards and four touchdowns to the Razorbacks’ ground attack, Texas limited Rice to 114 rushing yards through three quarters and 156 overall. The Longhorns also forced the Owls to cycle between three quarterbacks in the first half, going from starter Luke McCaffrey to backup Wiley Green to third-string graduate transfer Jake Constantine.
Neither of the three did much damage. The trio completed 19 of 24 passes for 128 yards.
Texas eased up in the second half. Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski went deep into the rotation to get more guys some in-game experience this year.
The second-unit offensive line of left tackle Andrej Karic, left guard Hayden Conner, center Logan Parr, right guard Tope Imade and right tackle Isaiah Hookfin fared well, especially on a 17yard touchdown run by true freshman tailback Jonathon Brooks. Former starting quarterback Hudson Card didn’t get much to do with Texas content to drain the clock — he competed 2 of 3 passes for 29 yards without any touchdowns or turnovers.
Battering Rice like a punching bag didn’t erase the letdown against Arkansas. And some of the issues brought into the harsh light last week, particularly issues with the starting offensive line, remain concerns moving forward.
But at least on this Saturday, Texas took care of business. From the stiff-arm on, it was all Longhorns.