Field Level Media
Oct 5, 2019
Sam Ehlinger passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two additional scores as No. 11 Texas rolled past host West Virginia 42-31 on Saturday in Morgantown, W. Va.
The win helps set the stage for next Saturday's Red River Showdown in Dallas between Texas (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) and No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0).
The Longhorns' 42-point outburst marked the first time they have scored 35 or more points in each of their first five games of a season since 2012.
Ehlinger hit Malcolm Epps from 22 yards away, found John Burt for a 13-yard TD and burst up the middle for a 13-yard running touchdown himself in the first half as Texas built a 21-14 lead at intermission. He added the Longhorns' final points, as well, sprinting through a huge hole in the middle of the field for a 23-yard TD with 3:03 to play.
From there, the Longhorns' defense took charge, intercepting three Austin Kendall passes in the second half, two of them by D'Shawn Jamison in spectacular fashion.
Kendall had a 44-yard touchdown pass to Sam James on the game's first possession and ran for a 1-yard score two minutes into the second quarter.
Texas added to its lead in the fourth quarter with a 13-yard scoring run by Devin Duvernay and a lateral to Samuel Cosmi, the Longhorns' All-America left tackle, who rumbled 12 yards for a touchdown in a play for those in the trenches.
Roschon Johnson, the Longhorns' backup-quarterback-turned-running back, racked up a career-high 121 yards on 21 carries in the win. Duvernay hauled in six passes for 86 yards to lead Texas in receiving.
WVU's Evan Staley kicked a 29-yard field goal for the only scoring in the third quarter after missing two attempts in the second quarter, from 36 and 47 yards out.
Kendall, who passed for 367 yards but threw four interceptions, also hit T.J. Simmons for a 19-yard TD and Bryce Wheaton for a 12-yard score in the final minutes, but it was too little, too late for West Virginia (3-2, 1-1).
The Mountaineers outgained the Longhorns 463-427 but were doomed by their four turnovers. The Longhorns scored 21 of their points immediately after Kendall's interceptions.
--Field Level Media