Dreams really do come true — it did for lifelong Longhorn Sam Ehlinger on Sep. 9, 2017, against the San José State Spartans.
A product of local Texas high school football powerhouse Westlake, Ehlinger was announced as the Longhorns’ starter just an hour before kickoff, after sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele was ruled out with a bruised shoulder following Texas’ season-opening loss to Maryland.
Ehlinger, a true freshman, took over the reins of the Texas offense despite concerns about his lack of experience heading into the season, which cost him the job over Buechele.
“It’s such a surreal moment for me,” Ehlinger said. “Being at the games growing up, literally growing up, maturing in that stadium from when I could walk until now, it was a great feeling.”
The Texas offense got out to a slow start, stalling out and forced to settle with back-to-back punts. After settling in, the Longhorns slammed down the throttle, riding to a shutout, 56-0 victory over San José State.
Dominating on both sides of the ball, Texas had nearly 40 minutes of possession, allowing Ehlinger to get comfortable in his first career start and giving him that much-needed experience for the following week’s test on the road against USC.
The Austin native threw for an impressive 222 yards, going 15-27 and connecting for a single touchdown on a one-yard connection on the goal line, capitalizing on San José State’s fumble during the kickoff.
The Longhorns’ ground game did most of the heavy lifting, relieving the pressure off its young quarterback. Texas’ rushing attack galloped to 406 yards on 59 carries for six touchdowns on the day. Even Ehlinger got in on the action, carrying the rock seven times for 48 yards.
“I liked what I saw from Sam out there today. I’m proud of the kid,” junior running back Chris Warren III said. “Sam’s a baller. He’ll come out and play regardless. I don’t think he’s the one to get nervous about this kind of stuff.”
Texas finished with 623 total yards, which ranks 21st all-time in Texas football history and was the first shutout since 2014.
Ehlinger would become the Longhorns’ primary signal caller following San José State, barring a couple of appearances by Buechele. By season’s end, the freshman became the first Texas player since Colt McCoy to lead the Longhorns in both passing and rushing yards in a season.
Austin’s favorite son became a main fixture during the underwhelming Tom Herman era, being one of the few bright spots of those Texas squads. Across Texas’ quarterbacks, Ehlinger ranks second in career starts, career passing yards and touchdowns.
Now eight years later, maybe history will come full circle, with San José State serving as the arbiter once again for another inexperienced Longhorn quarterback to blossom.
