Coming into the largest college football stadium in the nation and beating the former national champions isn’t an easy feat.
But the Texas Longhorns made it clear that no amount of pressure could keep them from chasing victory in Ann Arbor. Texas broke the Wolverines’ 23-home-game win streak on Saturday and held Michigan to only one touchdown to secure a 31-12 win in its first road game of the season.
Texas solidified itself as a reckoning force on offense against a strong Michigan secondary while also impressing on the defensive end, forcing three turnovers on the Wolverines and only allowing their first touchdown with two minutes left in the game.
“I feel like we just showed that we’re a dominant team and we’re here to stay,” said senior edge Barryn Sorrell during post-game interviews. “This is what we do now.”
Both starting quarterbacks for Texas and Michigan went 67% in pass completion, but Texas’ Quinn Ewers proved that he knew how to turn completions into scoring drives, soaring at a 62.5% third-down conversion rate. The Wolverines’ Davis Warren, on the other hand, threw two interceptions, had five broken-up passes and ended with a 25% third-down conversion rate.
Although the Longhorns faced a minor setback early within the first quarter as starting running back Jaydon Blue limped to the sideline with an apparent leg injury, Ewers was able to find safety in multiple different targets, most notably tight end Gunnar Helm, in order to get the ball down the field.
Helm brought in Texas’ first touchdown after a 21-yard deep pass from Ewers found the senior in the endzone, giving the Longhorns a 7-0 start against Michigan after a previous touchdown attempt went cold due to a holding penalty. He led the team in receiving yards for the day with 98 yards on seven attempts, averaging 14 yards per reception.
The Texas offense broke loose once ignited by Helm’s initial touchdown. A rushing touchdown from freshman running back Jerrick Gibson, soon followed by a kick by Bert Auburn, undermined Michigan’s three-point presence on the board.
Texas kept Michigan to just 49 passing yards and four first downs within the first half compared to Ewers’ 203 passing yards and 15 first downs. Ewers connected with five different receivers throughout the matchup, including freshman Ryan Wingo, who rushed for a career-high 55-yard run. Ewers also capitalized on a deep running back room, looking to Gibson and sophomore Quintrevion Wisner for a combined total of 66 rushing yards on 18 attempts and a touchdown made by Gibson, his second as a Longhorn.
Blue later returned to the game with a minute to go in the second quarter, seemingly good as new, and helped Ewers set up a scoring pass caught by wide receiver Matthew Golden to put the Longhorns up 24-3 at the end of the first half. The junior running back found the endzone in the third quarter after a 7-yard completion pass from Ewers, reassuring Texas fans that he was there to stay, a move that increased the Longhorns’ lead to 31-6.
By the fourth quarter, Warren was visibly flustered. His hesitation with the ball led Texas freshman edge Colin Simmons to his first career sack, but Warren was able to break away for a 31-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Semaj Morgan for the Wolverines’ first touchdown of the afternoon.
Warren’s single touchdown pass came too late, and the ball was handed over to Texas as the clock trickled down and ultimately ended with the Longhorns securing a 31-12 win.
Texas will return to Austin next weekend to face affiliate University of Texas at San Antonio, looking to continue its success streak before it enters official conference play on Sept. 28 against Mississippi State.
