No. 11 Football rolls to 41-7 win over UTEP

Saturday, September 10

Austin, Texas

6 p.m.

University of Texas

2-0

UTEP

1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UTEP

Texas

09.10.2016 | Football

Box Score Photo gallery

The Longhorns allowed just seven points to the visiting Miners to move to 2-0 on the season.

AUSTIN, Texas—In its first game as a Top-25 team under head coach Charlie Strong, No. 11 Texas (2-0) looked the part, defeating the UTEP Miners 41-7 on Saturday night at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium.

The Texas defense was stifling in the opening minutes, denying the Miners even a single first down in each of their first three possessions.

On the other side of the ball, Texas' up-tempo offense kept the chains moving early and often, as quarterback Shane Buechele directed the Longhorns into the red zone on their first possession. A fumble halted the drive, but a defensive stand by Texas forced the UTEP offense to settle for a punt.

Buechele, who became the first true freshman quarterback to start each of the team's first two games, advanced the Longhorns into UTEP territory with a quick pair of passes to receivers Armanti Foreman and Jake Oliver. Perched at the UTEP 29-yard line, Buechele launched a floater into the left corner of the end zone to Jerrod Heard, who hauled it in for the first touchdown reception of his career to give the Longhorns their first lead of the game.

With 2:16 left in the first quarter, the Longhorn defense continued to overpower the Miners. Defensive back Brandon Jones swatted down a punt at the UTEP six-yard line, setting up a 22-yard field goal by kicker Trent Domingue to put the Longhorns up by 10.

The Miners responded in the second quarter with a touchdown from running back Aaron Jones, who exploded for a 51-yard run to the end zone but that would prove to be UTEP's lone score in a lopsided contest.

The next drive saw Texas kicker Trent Domingue tack on another field goal for the Longhorns, this time from 43 yards out.

As the clock ticked down in the first half, the Longhorns pushed downfield for another score. Facing a second-and goal from the eight yard line, Buechele fired to wide receiver Jacorey Warrick, who managed to sneak one foot into the corner of the end zone before falling out of bounds. The touchdown reception marked the first of Warrick's career and put the Longhorns up 20-7 going into the break.

After stalling in their first possession of the second half, the Longhorns rebounded with a 50-yard drive to the goal line. Running back Christopher Warren III anchored the Longhorns' ground attack, storming into the end zone from the one-yard line to extend the lead to 27-7.

Buechele continued to share the wealth on Texas' ensuing possession, connecting with wide receiver Dorian Leonard for a deep 46-yard touchdown pass. Leonard became the third receiver to notch his first career touchdown catch during the game.

Texas opened the final quarter of the game with another scoring drive. After finding Jacorey Warrick twice for a combined 20 yards, Buechele capped off the drive with a touchdown pass to Jerrod Heard. The 41-7 score would remain unchanged in the final minutes and Texas improved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2012 season.

The Longhorns now enter a stretch of the season in which they will face three consecutive teams on the road. They begin by traveling to the Bay Area, where they face Cal on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. CT.