The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Colorado
No. 5 Texas rolls over Colorado, 38-14
10.04.2008 | Football
Oct. 4, 2008
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BOULDER, Colo. -- No. 5 Texas jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead and led 38-7 late in the fourth quarter before Colorado tacked on a late score in a 38-14 Longhorn victory. The Longhorns opened the year 5-0 for the third time in the Mack Brown era, a feat that, prior to his arrival, was last accomplished in 1983. Texas also won its Big 12 opener for the 10th time in 11 tries under Brown.
Offensively, four of Texas' five TD drives covered at least 66 yards, including the first two of the game, as the Longhorns registered 431 yards of offense (169r/262p) on 76 plays (5.7 ypp). Texas, which played a penalty free game on offense, recorded 12 plays of 10 yards or more (eight passing/four rushing) and scored on all four of its trips inside the red zone.
Chris Ogbonnaya had a record-setting day in leading the offense. The senior running back, who entered the game with 150 yards from scrimmage (22 rushing/128 receiving), led the Horns with 189 yards (71 rushing/118 receiving) and two TDs on 15 plays (12.6 ypp). His 116 receiving yards were the second-most ever in a game by a UT running back. Ogbonnaya opened the scoring with a 65-yard TD catch (seventh-longest reception by a RB in UT history) on Texas' first drive and later scored on a 13-yard run, which put the Horns up 21-0. He also had a 51-yard run that was the key play in a third-quarter TD drive. Ogbonnaya became the first Longhorn player since Cedric Benson in 2001 to have a 50-yard catch and run in the same game.
Colt McCoy completed 23-of-30 passes (76.7%) for 262 yards and two TDs and rushed for 39 yards to tally 301 yards of total offense. Cody Johnson added two scores, both from inside the five-yard line, extending his streak to five straight games with a TD, the longest by a freshman to start their career in UT history. Jordan Shipley caught four passes for 47 yards and a TD, his fifth straight game with a TD catch, which is tied for the third-longest streak in UT history. Quan Cosby added 71 yards on nine catches.
Defensively, 89 of Colorado's 266 yards (49 rushing/217 passing) of offense came on its final drive late in the fourth quarter with Texas leading 38-7. Prior to that, the Horns had held the Buffs to just 177 yards on 59 plays (3.0 ypp) and 13 yards rushing on 24 carries (0.5 ypc). CU converted on just seven-of-17 (41.2%) third down tries and managed just one score in three trips inside the Horns' red zone. Six of the Buffs 13 drives went for eight yards or less and nine covered less than 20 yards.
One of the key points in the game for the defense came with Texas leading 14-0 early in the second quarter. After Ogbonnaya made one of the defensive plays of the game, running down Colorado cornerback Jallil Brown at the Texas 16 when Brown appeared headed for a score, the defense stood. Not only did they hold their ground, they pushed the Buffs back 10 yards on three plays, forcing a 36-yard field goal attempt, which CU missed.
Texas held CU QB Cody Hawkins, who was completing 64 percent of his passes and throwing for nearly 200 yards per game, to just 13-of-33 passing (39.4%) and 118 yards passing. The Buffs leading rusher Rodney Stewart, who entered the game averaging 87.3 yards per game, was held to 27 yards on 12 carries (2.3 ypc).
Roddrick Muckelroy led the defense with 10 tackles (seven solo). Roy Miller added eight stops, a TFL, a fumble recovery and three pressures, while batting down a pair of passes. Brian Orakpo had five pressures as the Horns tallied three sacks, eight TFL, 11 hits on the QB and 14 pressures on the game.
Hunter Lawrence led the special teams, connecting on a career-long 46-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to close out the Horns' scoring. He also was 5-of-5 on PATs and has yet to miss a field goal (4-of-4) or PAT (24-of-24) this season.
