Football rides second half scoring to 27-6 win over Iowa State

Saturday, October 15

Austin, Texas

6 p.m.

University of Texas

3-3 , 1-2

Iowa State

1-6 , 0-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Iowa State

Texas

Football rides second half scoring to 27-6 win over Iowa State

10.15.2016 | Football

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Texas did not allow a touchdown in its first Big 12 victory of the season.

The Texas Longhorns (3-3, 1-2) returned to a warm welcome on Saturday night at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, defeating the Iowa State Cyclones (1-6, 0-4) 27-6 after a month-long stretch on the road.

Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele completed 26 of 38 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns to Jerrod Heard and Devin Duvernay. Running back D'Onta Foreman continued his habit of punishing opposing defenses, rushing for 139 yards and the sole rushing touchdown of the night.

On the other side of the ball, a stingy Texas defense allowed only 280 yards of total offense and prevented the Cyclones from ever making it into the end zone. Naashon Hughes led the Longhorns with two sacks and one assist, but five other players also collected sacks for a total of eight on the night.

Both defenses provided stops on third down to keep the game scoreless in the opening drives. In its second possession, Iowa State marched downfield into field goal range before a sack by Jeffery McCulloch on third down quashed the Cyclones' touchdown aspirations. The stop by Texas left Iowa State to settle for a field goal, making the score 3-0 with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter.

Iowa State quickly reclaimed the ball after forcing a Texas fumble on the Longhorns' own 18-yard line. The Cyclones advanced as far as the three-yard line before a crucial third down pass breakup from Kris Boyd halted the drive. Once again, the Cyclones turned to their kicking team for points, this time converting a 25-yard field goal to put Iowa State ahead by six.

Armanti Foreman returned the ensuing kickoff for 22 yards, crossing midfield to put the Longhorns in excellent field position at the Iowa State 48-yard line. From there, Texas' hurry up offense jumped into high gear, with D'Onta Foreman taking nearly all of the carries en route to the Iowa State four-yard line. Kicker Trent Domingue entered the game to nail a 21-yard field goal, putting the Longhorns within three.

The Cyclones threatened to score again on their next possession, advancing to the Texas 33-yard line. With one second left on the clock, the Iowa State kickoff team trotted onto the field with hopes of lengthening their lead to six. The kick veered wide left, however, leaving the score at 6-3 going into the half.

Texas found its groove on both sides of the ball in the third quarter. With Buechele at the helm, the Longhorns utilized six different wide receivers as they drove downfield in the first possession of the half. Positioned at the Iowa State 37-yard line, Buechele fired a deep pass to wide receiver Jerrod Heard for a touchdown. The scoring drive put Texas ahead 10-6, their first lead of the game.

Texas required only four plays to find the end zone again. Facing a first-and-ten on the Texas 25-yard line, Buechele launched a pass to Duvernay, who shook off a defender and then outran another for a touchdown. The extra point from Domingue extended the Longhorn lead to 16-6.

After forcing Iowa State to punt on fourth down, the Longhorns began their next possession pinned at their own four-yard line. Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes took over quarterback duties, combining with D'Onta Foreman to give Texas some breathing room with a first down. Buechele then re-entered the game to lead the Longhorns into Iowa State territory with a devastatingly efficient air attack. With the Longhorns eighteen yards out from the end zone, Foreman found a hole and scampered for a touchdown. The score capped off a 21-point run in the third quarter and gave the Longhorns a 24-6 lead.

The lone score in the fourth quarter came off the leg of Domingue, who hit a 29-yard field goal to lengthen the lead to 27-6. That score would stand for the remainder of the game, as defensive lineman D'Andre Christmas recovered an Iowa State fumble in the final seconds to seal the victory.

The win marks the first victory for the Longhorns since Sept. 10 against UTEP.

The Longhorns will embark on a road trip to Manhattan, Kan. next weekend, where they will face conference foe Kansas State. That game will kickoff at 11 a.m.