Quinn Ewers passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns, and D’Shawn Jamison blocked a punt and returned an interception 70 yards for a score as Texas dismantled visiting Louisiana-Monroe 52-10 on Saturday evening in Austin, Texas in the season opener for both teams.
Ewers, a ballyhooed transfer from Ohio State who won the starting quarterback spot in the preseason, produced a workmanlike performance. He hit on 16 of his 24 throws but missed on all of his deep passes during his two-and-a half quarter outing.
Bijan Robinson, the Longhorns’ All-American running back, racked up 111 total yards — 71 of them on the ground — including a touchdown receiving and rushing. Ja’Tavion Sanders led the Texas receivers with six catches for 85 yards as Xavier Worthy, Texas’ other preseason All-American player, had just two receptions for 24 yards.
Chandler Rogers passed for 108 yards to lead the Warhawks (0-1), who were picked to finish last in the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division. Zach Martin ran for 39 yards that included a 23-yard TD late in the game for ULM.
The Longhorns’ special teams scored the first TD of the season when Jamison blocked a punt and Keilan Robinson scooped the ball and returned it 12 yards for a score.
The Warhawks cut into the lead with a 25-yard field goal by Calum Sutherland with 5:11 to play in the first quarter after Ewers was intercepted by Tristan Driggers. Texas (1-0) responded with a seven-play, 64-yard drive that culminated in a 19-yard Ewers-to-Sanders TD pass with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter.
Roschon Johnson rumbled to a 16-yard touchdown on the Longhorns’ ensuing possession and the rout was on. Bert Auburn added a 41-yard field, the first in his career, with 3:14 to play before halftime to push Texas’ lead to 24-3.
Bijan Robinson broke into the scoring column on Texas’ first possession of the third quarter via a 16-yard swing pass from Ewers. He added a 9-yard TD run later in the quarter as the Longhorns pushed their advantage to 38-3.
After Jamison’s interception return midway through the third quarter, Jonathon Brooks finished the Texas scoring with a 19-yard TD run with 6:24 to play.
–Field Level Media