FINAL: LA TECH 14, TEXAS 45
Texas dominated this game from start to finish, led by the arm of Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger went 28-for-38 passing, throwing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. Ehlinger's receiver of choice in this game was Brennan Eagles, who he connected with for two touchdowns. Keaontay Ingram also added 78 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown.
Texas will face LSU in Austin Saturday Sept. 7, and College Gameday is coming to town for the matchup.
4TH Q:
LA TECH 14, TEXAS 45
LA TECH (Own 25):
Louisiana Tech ran the ball twice to run out the clock. Texas wins 45-14.
TEXAS (Bulldogs 27):
After back-to-back runs from Roschon Johnson, Casey Thompson hit Johnson again for a 13-yard catch to the two. Thompson pushed it in from two yards out to give Texas a 45-14 lead.
LA TECH (Own 9):
Weston Elliot came into the game at quarterback for the Bulldogs. Elliot threw an interception on this drive and Texas took over at the 27-yard line.
TEXAS (Own 30):
Johnson ran for six yards. Thompson completed a pass to Jordan Pouncey for 11 yards. Johnson got two yards on first and 15. Thompson run for another nine yards on second and 1. Thompson didn't convert third down and Texas punted the ball away to the Louisiana Tech nine-yard line.
LA TECH (Own 30):
Smith connected with Smoke Harris for 14 yards. Smith called his own number on the next play for a gain of four yards on the ground. After running for a short gain, Smith's pass on third down over the middle fell incomplete. Louisiana Tech went for it on fourth and four, and Smith connected with Adrian Hardy for a first down. Smith's first-down pass from the 26-yard line was broken up by Caden Sterns. Back-to-back incompletions set up another fourth down. On fourth down, Smith was picked off by Joseph Ossai -- his second of the day -- but it was nullified by a roughing the passer penalty. The penalty set up Louisiana Tech with first and 10 from the 12-yard line. Smith's down pass was incomplete but he got his second touchdown pass of the day on the next play. Texas leads 38-14.
TEXAS (Own 25):
Casey Thompson enters the game at quarterback for Texas -- Sam Ehlinger's night is done with a 31-point margin in the fourth. Roschon Johnson picked up seven yards on first down, but lost five yards on the next play. Thompson was forced out of the pocket and threw the ball away on third down. A false start on fourth down backed up Texas to the 22-yard line. Texas punted the ball away to the Louisiana Tech 30-yard line.
LA TECH (Cont.):
Smith completed a swing pass to Jaqwis Nancy for a 13-yard catch to the seven-yard line. Smith's pass was batted in the air at the line of scrimmage, but fell incomplete before it could be caught or intercepted. On second and goal, Smith completed a pass to Powell for two yards to the five-yard line. On third and goal from the five, Smith threw a back-shoulder fade to Malik Stanley for a touchdown and Louisiana Tech's first points of the game. Texas leads 38-7.
3RD Q:
LA TECH 0, TEXAS 38
LA TECH (Own 25):
Smith completes a pass to the right to Smoke Harris for 18 yards to the 43-yard line. Justin Henderson took a sweep play to the right for a gain of five yards. Henderson picked up another two yards to set up third and three to go at midfield. Smith converted the first down to Cee Jay Powell for 19 yards. Smith completed another pass for 11 yards to the 20-yard line. This ended the third quarter. Texas leads 38-0.
TEXAS (Own 39):
Ehlinger connected with Jake Smith on a bubble screen for four yards. Ingram moved the chains on the next play with a 12-yard run passed midfield. Ehlinger got the ball to Ingram on the next play, too, on a check down to the 24-yard line. Ehlinger took a shot at the end zone intended for Smith, which fell incomplete. Ingram broke a few tackles up the middle for a 13-yard run to the 16-yard line. Ehlinger found Ingram in the flat for a gain of 14 yards to the two-yard line. Ehlinger found Duvernay for one yard to give Texas first and goal from the one-yard line. Ingram punched it in from one yard out to give Texas a 38-0 lead.
LA TECH (Own 14):
Jaqwis Dancy started the drive with a 17-yard run. J'Mar Smith completed three passes in a row to drive the ball passed midfield. The Bulldogs stalled though and turned the ball over on downs after going for it on fourth and five from the 39-yard line.
TEXAS (Own 26):
Ehlinger started out with a completed pass to Duvernay for five yards and followed up with an incompletion to Duvernay. On third and five, Ehlinger found Johnson for a gain of 11 yards. An incomplete pass from Ehlinger and short-run by Ingram set up third and long. Ehlinger picked up nine yards on a quarterback keeper, but was short of the first down. Texas went for it on fourth down and converted with a two-yard run by Duvernay. Ehlinger connected with DUvernay again for a gain of 22 yards and capped off the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brennan Eagles -- his second touchdown catch of the game and Ehlinger's fourth touchdown pass. Texas leads 31-0.
LA TECH (Own 37):
Smith started out in a rhythm and drove the ball to midfield with a couple of short completions. After a 13-yard pass to Isaiah Graham, Smith found Powell for six yards. On third down, Smith rushed for three yards, but was stopped short of the first down. Texas called its first timeout of the half. On fourth and two, Louisiana Tech decided to go for it and Smith completed a pass in the flat for a first down. The play went up to the booth for further review. The call on the field was overturned and Texas took over on downs.
HALFTIME: LA TECH 0, TEXAS 24
FIRST HALF TEAM STATS:
TEXAS:
Total yards: 256
Turnovers: 1
Time of possession: 13:24
LA TECH:
Total yards: 165
Turnovers: 2
Time of possession: 16:36
INDIVIDUAL STATS:
TEXAS:
Sam Ehlinger: 20/26, 173 passing yards, three touchdowns
Keaontay Ingram: seven rushes, 52 yards
Collin Johnson: three catches, 48 yards, one touchdown
LA TECH:
J'Mar Smith: 13/21, 139 passing yards
Israel Tucker: six rushes, 12 yards
Griffin Hebert: three catches, 34 yards
2ND Q:
LA TECH 0, TEXAS 24
TEXAS (Own 29):
Ehlinger completed four passes in a row to march down the field. Among them was a highlight reel esque catch from Collin Johnson.
Ehlinger was able to rush for another five yards with the seconds running down in the first half. Texas called timeout and set up for a 49-yard field goal. Dicker missed the field goal as time expired in the first half. Texas leads 24-0 at halftime.
LA TECH (Own 25):
Smith's first-down pass was incomplete. Dancy picked up a few yards on a run to the left. On third and eight, there was a defensive offside penalty, moving the Bulldogs up five yards. On third and three, Smith's pass was incomplete. Louisiana Tech punted the ball to the Texas 29-yard line.
TEXAS (Bulldogs 31):
Ehlinger threw the ball away on first down. After a short run on second down, Ehlinger was stopped short of a first down conversion on a scramble to the right sideline. Cameron Dicker converted on the 43-yard field goal to give Texas a 24-0 lead with 2:56 left in the second quarter.
LA TECH (Own 30):
Smith completed a pass to the right for a gain of 12 yards. Smith's second pass of the drive was tipped and picked off by Joseph Ossai and returned to the 31-yard line.
TEXAS (Own 24):
Ingram started the drive with a three-yard run up the middle. Ehlinger connected with Cade Brewer on an out route for five yards. On third and two, Ehlinger threw a pass downfield intended for Johnson, but it was called incomplete. Texas punted the ball to the Louisiana Tech 30-yard line.
LA TECH (Own 25):
Tucker ran a sweep to the right for a short gain of four yards. Smith's second-down pass was batted at the line of scrimmage. On third and six, Smith completed a checkdown pass to Tucker for a first down. Smith called his own number with the new set of chains, gaining two yards on the first down scramble. A screen pass to the right to Harris converted for another first down. Dancy took another carry up the middle for a small gain. Smith completed a screen pass to Malik Stanley that was stopped a yard short of the first down. On third and one, Smith took a deep shot which fell incomplete. However, Texas was called for pass interference, giving the Bulldogs new life on the drive. Dancy was stopped for a loss of a yard on a zone read to the left. Smith missed a wide-open look over the middle to Cee Jay Powell, which brought up third down. After a false start on Powell, the Bulldogs were backed up to third down and 16 to gain. Smith completed a swing pass to the left to Tucker, but he did not get nearly enough yards to convert. Bailey Hale missed the 43-yard field goal, his second miss of the game. Texas takes over at its own 24-yard line.
TEXAS (Bulldogs 37):
Ingram started off the drive with a solid run for nine yards up the middle of the Bulldogs defense. On second down, Ehlinger connected with Brennan Eagles for a touchdown to give Texas a 21-0 lead.
LA TECH (Own 12):
Smith completed an eight-yard pass to Hebert. Justin Henderson took a sweep to the right sideline for a first down. Henderson was stopped for a one-yard gain on the next play. Smith completed a short stop route on second down. On third and three, the Bulldogs fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Texas' Brandon Jones at the 37-yard line. The play was sent to the booth for review. After review, the play ruling stood as called.
TEXAS (Cont.):
Ehlinger looked for Smith but the pass fell incomplete. Ehlinger picked up the first down though on the next play with a scramble to the right. Ehlinger found Smith over the middle to the 20-yard line. Ehlinger continued his rhythm with a checkdown to Whittington for a gain of ten yards. The drive was capped off with a six-yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger to Johnson. Texas leads 14-0.
1ST Q:
LA TECH 0, TEXAS 7
TEXAS (Own 26):
Ehlinger started the drive with a scramble to the right for a gain of eight yards. Ingram picked up two yards for the first down. Ehlinger scrambled again for five yards to the Texas 44-yard line. Ehlinger found Jake Smith for a short gain and Ingram gained a first down on a short run to end the quarter. Texas leads 7-0.
LA TECH (Own 25):
Smith looked deep for Powell on first down but it was overshot. A holding penalty pushed the Bulldogs back 10 yards. On first and 20, Smith hit the check down look for a 10 yard gain. Smith's second-down pass was incomplete to the right. On third and 10, Smith avoided a pressure rush from the Texas defense and completed a pass over the middle for a big gain to midfield. On the ensuing play, Smith took a shot at the end zone that fell incomplete. Jaqwis Nancy was stopped for no gain on second down.
Texas takes its first timeout of the half. On third and 12 from the 48-yard line, Texas swarmed Smith for a sack. Louisiana Tech punted the ball to the Texas 26-yard line.
TEXAS (Own 26):
Ingram started the drive with a six-yard run. After an incomplete pass, Ehlinger converted the first down with a nine-yard pass to Duvernay. Back-to-back runs from Ingram and Ehlinger moved the chains again. Ehlinger completed a pass to his left to Malcolm Epps for a gain of four yards. A swing pass to Jordan Whittington gained two yards. On third and three from the Bulldogs 40-yard line, Ehlinger's pass intended for Malcolm Epps was incomplete. Texas went for it on fourth down and completed a slant pass to Colin Johnson. Johnson fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Louisiana Tech at the 25-yard line.
LA TECH (Own 23):
The Bulldogs started the drive with a short run for a few yards and then followed with a swing pass to the right for a first down. Israel Tucker rushed up the right side for a gain of six yards. J'Mar Smith completed a pass to Griffin Hebert for a first down. After a loss of yards on first down, Smith found Cee Jay Powell over the middle for a first down. Louisiana Tech was stalled around the 25-yard line. The 43-yard field goal by Bailey Hale was no good. Texas takes over at the 26-yard line.
TEXAS (Own 47):
Devin Duvernay brought the kickoff back to the 47-yard line. Sam Ehlinger opened up the drive with a bubble screen pass to the left to Duvernay for three yards, but a facemask penalty moved the ball downfield to the Bulldogs 40. Keoantay Ingram rushed to the left side for a first down and Ehlinger followed with another screen to Duvernay for four yards. Texas is in the red zone now. A screen to Duvernay again -- but to the left this time -- was stopped for no gain. ON third and seven from the Bulldogs 18-yard line, Ehlinger hit Ingram for a first down. Ehlinger connected on back-to-back screens to Duvernay and capped off the drive with a touchdown. Texas leads 7-0.
PREVIEW:
The No. 10 Texas Longhorns opens their season at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
Texas has struggled in season openers in recent years, losing the last two from the home-and-home series against Maryland in 2017 and 2018. The Longhorns look to end that streak this season against the Bulldogs.
The Longhorns enter the season as the No. 10 ranked team in the nation after the team's most successful season in recent memory, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 28-21 in the Sugar Bowl to finish the season with a 10-4 record.
The last time Texas was ranked in the top 10 in the AP preseason poll was 2010, when the Longhorns started No. 5 after losing to Alabama in the national championship game the year prior.
ESPN gives Texas a 92.5% chance of coming out victorious in the season opener.
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A few honors will be shared before the game, as well. Texas announced it would honor late Longhorn legend Cedric Benson with No. 32 helmet stickers this season. Also, the Longhorns will honor Army veteran and former retired Austin Police Department investigator Mal Wiley during the coin toss.
Texas kicks off against Louisiana Tech at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium at 7 pm. Stay with KVUE for the latest update and highlights from the game. KVUE's Paul Livengood will give play-by-play updates in this story during the game.
