Austin, TX

Texas start slow and finish strong in 37-10 season-opening win over Rice

Published

1 year ago

September 3, 2023

Texas start slow and finish strong in 37-10 season-opening win over Rice

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas beating Rice looked quite different that anyone might have expected. Still, the No. 11 Longhorns will take a win that turned from a grinder into a rout.

Quinn Ewers passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Texas overcame a sluggish start with an overwhelming third quarter and smothering defense to beat the Owls 37-10 on Saturday in the season opener for both teams.

“The majority of people who walked into that stadium thought the game was going to go a certain way,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “The reality is we don’t often talk about how good we are defensively.”

Texas forced three turnovers, only allowed Rice 172 total yards and didn’t give up a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.

Ewers connected with Jonathan Brooks on a 37-yard TD in the first quarter and Bert Auburn kicked three first-half field goals for the Longhorns, the longest a 49-yarder.

Texas turned it into a blowout in the third. Ewers connected with Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell for a 9-yard score that put Texas ahead 23-3. Another TD pass to J.T. Sanders and Ewers’ own short scamper to the end zone finished the Texas scoring.

“We didn’t start the way we wanted to,” said Ewers, who passed for 260 yards. “We were able to re-settle and reset (at halftime). I’m super proud of the way we came out in the second half.”

The Longhorns are in their final season in the Big 12 and are favorites to win their first league title since 2009 before moving to the Southeastern Conference.

Texas dominated Rice defensively, but struggled to find its rhythm throughout the first half behind an offense that returned 10 starters and added a talented transfer in Mitchell. Ewers was sacked twice in the first half and Texas was twice stopped on fourth-and-short.

But the Longhorns were able to wear down the Owls. Texas only let Rice cross midfield once in the first half and put Rice quarterback J.T. Daniels under relentless pressure the entire game.

“I was impressed that we could be a second-half team,” Texas linebacker David Gbenda said. “We weren’t always like that last season.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Rice: The Owls showed some potential for conference play in the AAC. A defensive effort that often used only three down linemen held its own against the bigger Longhorns, pressured Ewers and kept Texas’ big-play firepower mostly in check in the first half.

“There are things to be proud of with that defense. There’s a lot to work with there,” Rice coach Mike Bloomgren said. “Our ability to stop the run was something to be proud of.”

Texas: The Longhorns won’t feel comfortable about this one despite the lopsided final score. Not with a road trip to No. 4 Alabama up next. Most concerning will be a veteran offensive line that is supposed to be a strength yet consistently struggled to move the Owls off the ball. Ewers, who kept the starting job over Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning, wasn’t sharp on deep throws, an area where he continues to struggle.

“We’re going to have to play better than we did today,” Sarkisian said. “And I think we can.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Texas probably did little to effect its No. 11 ranking. The Longhorns took care of an opponent they were supposed to dominate, even if it took longer than expected to put the Owls away.

TEXAS RUNNING BACK

Freshman C.J. Baxter got the start for Texas as the replacement for Bijan Robinson, who is now in the NFL. He ran five times for 38 yards, but left the game in the first half after a 32-yard gain. Sarkisian said Baxter fell on the ball and would be examined for a possible rib injury. Jaydon Blue led Texas rushers with 55 yards.

ROAD LOSSES

Rice quarterback J.T. Daniels’ coast-to-coast college journey includes three losses at Texas, all with different schools. Rice is his fourth program after transferring from West Virginia.

Daniels was a freshman starter at Southern California when Texas beat the Trojans here in 2018, and also lost with Mountaineers last season. He also had a two-year stint at Georgia. He passed for 149 yards and a touchdown Saturday.

UP NEXT

Rice hosts new Big 12 member and crosstown rival Houston next Saturday.

Texas plays at Alabama next Saturday in a return matchup of last season’s 20-19 Crimson Tide victory when Ewers was hurt in the first quarter.

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Austin, TX

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

Published

11 mins ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas had a strong showing on OpenTable’s 2024 Top 100 Restaurants with 10 establishments making the list.

What You Need To Know

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users

The Lone Star State had the second-most restaurants on the list, tied with Illinois, behind California, which had a whopping 19 restaurants featured.

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list.

Aba – Austin
J Carver’s
Jeffrey’s Restaurant
Red Ash Italia
Sammie’s Italian
Uchi Austin
Uchiko Austin

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list.

Steak 48 – Houston
Signature – San Antonio
Hudson House – Lovers Lane – Dallas

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users.

According to OpenTable’s website, restaurants with enough reviews are automatically considered and are evaluated by their ratings, percentage of five-star reviews, number of alerts set, percentage of reservations made in advance, percentage of capacity and direct searches.

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Austin, TX

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

Published

9 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

AUSTIN — Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald made his mark in the Longhorn secondary on Saturday.

McDonald recorded his first career interception, and it was one for the books.

With five minutes left in the first half as Texas led 14-7, Kentucky had possession. The crowd went wild as McDonald dove for the ball to get possession back to the Longhorn offense. Commentators described the play as a “Superman” performance.

WENT FULL SUPERMAN FOR THIS PICK 👀🤯@TexasFootball x 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/ZV5AxOSWo7
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 23, 2024
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McDonald’s teammates also had their takes on the play.

“Superman…I mean everybody knows how athletic Jelani is, we’ve been talking about that all season, and even tied back to last season,” Michael Taaffe said. “He’s so athletic. I’m glad he finally got to show that and for you all to see, because we’ve known that forever.”

McDonald has totaled 22 tackles this season, playing in every conference and two non-conference games.

While he’s not a name on everyone’s mouths, like Quinn Ewers, Isaiah Bond, Taaffe or Kelvin Banks Jr., McDonald proved once and for all his impact on the team. McDonald could very much have a breakout season in 2025, and this play, which recorded Texas’ 16th interception of the season taking the national record, opened up the doors for his campaign.

That pick could even be awarded play of the year.

“I’ve been just happy to see him grow and get better as a player,” Anthony Hill Jr., who played with McDonald in the Freshman All-American game, said.

“He was playing corners, so I was like ‘Who’s this guy,’ and then one the game, he’s playing linebackers, and at one game he’s playing safety,” Hill said.

McDonald has one more shot to showcase his talent in the regular season as Texas faces Texas A&M next Saturday. But with two years left of eligibility, the sky is the limit.

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Austin, TX

No. 3 Texas ends UK’s bowl chances

Published

17 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

AUSTIN, Tx. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Wildcats (4-7, 1-7 SEC) ended their SEC slate with a 31-14 loss on the road against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns (10-1, 6-1 SEC). For the first time in eight seasons, UK will not be bowl eligible.

Junior quarterback Brock Vandagriff started the game for the Cats, going 3-7 for 51 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The staff opted to once against start true freshman Cutter Boley in the second half. The LCA alum wet 10-18 for 160 yards and an interception in the loss.

The Wildcats went 1-2 in the red zone and just 2-12 on third down conversions.

Senior inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson had a 25-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and also led the defense in tackles with eight.

Texas junior QB Quinn Ewers went 20-31 for 191 yards and two touchdowns for the Longhorns.

The season concludes next week as Kentucky hosts the Governor’s Cup game against Louisville at Kroger Field. Kick-off is set for noon on the SEC Network.

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