AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns started the 2024 season off strong, with a 52-0 defeat of Colorado State at Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Unsurprisingly, the Longhorns controlled the overmatched Rams from the game's first minute, dominating the game on both offense and defense and showcasing flashes of explosiveness on special teams.
Offensively, the Longhorns looked like the juggernaut most expect them to be this season, accumulating 545 yards of total offense. Quarterback Quinn Ewers finished with 20 completions on 27 pass attempts, for 260 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Given that the game quickly became a blowout, backup quarterback Arch Manning played the majority of the second half, completing five out of six pass attempts for 95 yards and a touchdown.
The Longhorn running backs, which had been the one offensive unit with some question marks after an injury-riddled August, also showed out. While expected starter Jaydon Blue paced the team in carries, it was freshman Jerrick Gibson who led the team in rushing, finishing with 67 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Quite possibly the deepest unit on the entire team, the Longhorn wide receivers impressed on Saturday. Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond led the team in receptions with five, tallying 61 yards and a touchdown to go with a 25-yard run early in the third quarter. Houston transfer Matthew Golden caught three passes for 50 yards while grabbing two Quinn Ewers touchdown passes. Yardage wise, it was another freshman leading the team in an offensive category, as Ryan Wingo led the team with 70 yards on four receptions. Sophomore Johntay Cook was also over the 50-yard mark, grabbing three catches for 56 yards.
Defensively, the Longhorns were a brick wall, keeping the Rams under 200 yards of total offense in addition to keeping them off the scoreboard. Junior defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau led the team in tackles, with two solo tackles and six assisted. Jahdae Barron and Wardell Mack each tallied an interception.
Next up, the Longhorns will face a much tougher test as they travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on reigning national champion the University of Michigan in an early season top 10 matchup.
