Texas ended the third quarter tied 10-10 with Wyoming and no momentum on either side of the ball. Just like last week, Texas played lights out in the fourth quarter, scoring three touchdowns to win the game 31-10.
Wyoming ended the third quarter with a 10 minute, 17-play, 77-yard drive and a field goal to tie the game at 10-10.
Then there was a shift.
In front of a sold-out crowd and the new light show with “Thunderstruck” by ACDC blasting over the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium speakers at the end of the third quarter, something clicked with sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers and the rest of the Texas offense.
48 seconds into the fourth quarter, Ewers threw a screen pass to junior wide receiver Xavier Worthy who beat his defender and took the ball 44 yards to the end zone. Texas regained the lead, 17-10.
Then sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks found his footing in the run game.
With usual starting running back CJ Baxter out with a foot injury, Brooks came to life in the fourth quarter. Brooks had 164 rushing yards with 84 of them in the fourth, including a 61-yard run to set up a Ewers rushing touchdown. The score read Texas 24, Wyoming 10.
As soon as Wyoming got the ball back, senior defensive back Jerrin Thompson picked off Wyoming quarterback Evan Svoboda and found his way to the end zone to bring the score to Texas 31, Wyoming 10.
Before the fourth quarter, Wyoming was beating Texas in every aspect of the game except score.
Wyoming took the field armed with a backup quarterback and transfer running back both making their first appearances in Cowboy uniforms. On just his second carry as a Cowboy, Wyoming running back Harrison Waylee found a hole in the Texas defense and ran 62 yards for a touchdown.
With the first half offensive struggles, head coach Steve Sarkisian got creative with his offensive play calling. Sarkisian ran sophomore running back Savion Red in the wildcat formation, resulting in two big first downs.
“That’s what championship teams do,” Sarkisian said. “They find a way to win when they’re not at their best and tonight, safe to say, we were not at our best, but we found a way to win.”
On a designed play midway through the second quarter, Ewers found 6-foot-1-inch, 308 pound defensive tackle Byron Murphy for a Texas’ only first-half touchdown.
“Murphy has been in our goal line package now for a couple years,” Sarkisian said. “He’s got two excellent hands and nobody gets more excited than when a D-lineman catches a touchdown pass.”
Sarkisian said that the first half offensive woes weren’t unexpected, especially coming off a top-5 win against a team like Alabama. The second half adaptations were key for Texas’ win, and the Longhorns have now had two 21-point fourth quarters in a row. Texas is starting the season 3-0 for the first time since 2012.
“It’s human nature to sometimes get distracted by that and you lose sight of what’s right in front of you,” Sarkisian said. “It was a good lesson learned for us.”
