Football game between the Texas Longhorns and Wyoming Cowboys at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on September 16, 2023. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Looking to break a deadlock entering the game's fourth quarter, The University of Texas football program used energy created by a light show inside Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium between the third and fourth quarters to score 21 unanswered points and knock off Wyoming, 31-10, Saturday night.
The Longhorn win pushed Texas' record to 3-0 for the first time since the 2012 campaign, when UT opened the season 4-0. After Wyoming (2-1) capped a 17-play, 77-yard drive that took 10:22 off the third quarter clock with a 36-yard field goal, the two teams entered the fourth quarter tied 10-10 following a 20-yard run up the middle from Texas running back Jonathon Brooks that brought the 101,777 in attendance to their feet.
The fans remained on their feet as the light sets shining inside the stadium began to flicker — between burnt orange and white — rhythmically to a song blaring through the stadium's speakers. The presentation was concluded by drones above the stadium's North end zone creating Texas' hand sign and logo. Just minutes after the light show, the Texas offense fed off the energy by scoring just three plays into the game's final quarter to take a touchdown lead. The Longhorn defense immediately forced a three and out to give the football back to the offense, which pushed the home team's advantage to 14 following a six-play drive that took a tick under three minutes off the clock.
Fifteen seconds later, Jerrin Thompson capped the 21-0 scoring run for Texas over the first 6:16 of the fourth quarter by returning an Evan Svoboda pass 27 yards for his first career interception return for a touchdown.
Bert Auburn's 27th career made field goal attempt — a 37-yarder with 9:46 remaining in the first quarter — got the Longhorns on the scoreboard Saturday night. Texas took its first lead of the contest on a 1-yard toss from sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers to junior defensive lineman Byron Murphy II to cap a 17-play, 90-yard drive that spanned 8:03, marking the longest — number of plays, yardage consumed and time elapsed— scoring drive for the Longhorns this season.
The Longhorns responded from Wyoming's touchdown run on its first offensive series of the night by scoring 10 unanswered throughout the first and second quarters to make a 10-7 lead into halftime, marking the third consecutive game — all during the 2023 campaign — Texas has held the advantage on the scoreboard at intermission. Thanks in large part to a first-half seven tackles from defensive back Jahdae Barron, the Longhorn defense answered back from the Cowboys' game-opening 75-yard touchdown drive by holding the Wyoming offense to just 88 additional yards on 27 plays, a 3.3 yards-per-play mark. During that stretch, Barron registered three key third down stops — a pass break up and two tackles — to help force five consecutive punts.
With his 44-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy — his 23rd career scoring reception and sixth of 40-or-more yards — just three plays into the fourth quarter to push Texas back in front, sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers has now tossed multiple touchdowns in all three games of the 2023 season. During Texas' two touchdown drives during the fourth quarter, sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks rushed for 107 yards of his career-high 164 yards. Brooks entered Saturday night's game with a single-game career high in rushing yards of 108.
Texas sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers marked his second career collegiate football game with at least one passing and one rushing touchdown when the Southlake native capped a six-play, 75-yard drive with a 5-yard run with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. For the second consecutive week, Jerrin Thompson picked off an opposing quarterback after the Longhorn senior defensive back jumped an out route and returned an Evan Svoboda pass attempt 27 yards for his first career interception return for a touchdown to extend Texas' lead to three touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter.
Having now completed the non-conference portion of its 2023 regular season, Texas (3-0) will enter Big 12 Conference play next weekend when the Longhorns travel to Waco to play Baylor (1-2) at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23. (Source: UT Athletics)
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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