Coming into the season opener, head coach Steve Sarkisian said his team would consist of eleven individuals playing as one unit. It did not take long for Texas to put its team cohesion on display in Saturday’s season opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

After holding the Warhawks’ offense to an early three-and-out, senior defensive back D’Shawn Jamison arrived before the Warhawks’ punter could punt the ball. The Longhorns scored their first touchdown just one minute and 48 seconds into the season off the blocked punt.

Texas rolled to a 52-10 victory and managed to win the battle in all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. The Longhorns outgained the Warhawks by 124 yards and stymied their opponent defensively, allowing just 2.2 yards per rush on the night.

While the team as a whole looked dominant throughout the evening, redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers’ inexperience showed early in Saturday’s contest. The young quarterback tried to force a ball on third down during his first series, resulting in an early interception deep in Texas territory. 

“I don’t think anybody wants to throw an interception on their second career throw,” Sarkisian said. “I think it was a good learning lesson for him, sometimes you earn the right to punt.”

Louisiana-Monroe saw itself in prime position to even the score after the interception, something that could have rattled the young gunslinger. Nevertheless, the Texas defense did not break and managed to hold the Warhawks to a field goal. The three points given up after that interception were the only points defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s unit allowed until late in the fourth quarter.

Sarkisian set the tone for the defensive unit during the team’s mock game last Saturday. When planning the script, the Texas head coach told his team that he would defer the kickoff if Texas won the coin toss and that the defense would not allow a first down on that drive. Sarkisian’s prediction rang true.

“It feels really good,” senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said of the confidence boost the defense received from Sarkisian’s trust. “In the mock game, he told us exactly how it was going to happen.”

Combining the early special-teams touchdown and the interception Jamison returned for a score in the third quarter, Texas outscored Louisiana-Monroe 14-10 with just its special teams and defense. Ewers and the Texas offense did not have to do a thing, though they added 38 points of their own. 

Without the added pressure of a tight game, the redshirt freshman could play comfortably. Although Ewers had trouble locating his deep throws, he appeared decisive with his choices in his Longhorn debut. He especially found success with redshirt freshman Ja’Tavion Sanders, completing six passes to the tight end. Ewers threw for 225 yards, two touchdowns and completed 67 percent of his passes before he was substituted in the third quarter. 

“I found out that he’s not going to go in his shell,” Sarkisian said. “He’s not going to beat himself up and get down on himself. He’s going to bounce back.”

Next week, No. 1 Alabama rolls into DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. While a game of that magnitude will certainly test the Longhorns’ mettle, Sarkisian said his team cannot make the game against the Crimson Tide more than it actually is.

“We need to focus on the task at hand in our preparation and recognize we’re playing a good opponent who’s really well coached, disciplined and plays the style of football that we do,” Sarkisian said. “I think the team that can get caught up in this is the team that worries about outside things.”