New Mexico @ Texas preview

Back on the sidelines for the first time since 2001, coach Bob Davie guided New Mexico to a rare victory. However, the odds are long he’ll do so again when he takes his Lobos to Austin to face No. 15 Texas on Saturday. The Longhorns’ defense – expected to be among the best in the Big 12 – came out flat early against Wyoming last weekend and surrendered 178 total yards to the Cowboys in the opening quarter before allowing 167 over the final 45 minutes. Once the defense buckled down, Texas turned to a dominant running game that outgained the Cowboys 280-69. Behind its option running attack, New Mexico trounced Southern University 66-21 on the strength of 347 rushing yards – the most the Lobos have compiled in a game in nearly four years – for the school's first season-opening win since 2005.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network. LINE: Texas -38

ABOUT NEW MEXICO (1-0): The Lobos’ win matched their total from each of the past three seasons. New Mexico also set a school record with 38 points in the second quarter, doing so with two rushing touchdowns, one passing score, one defensive TD, one special teams TD and a field goal. As an assistant and as a head coach, Davie – the former ESPN analyst – is 10-1 against Texas, winning both of the games when his Notre Dame squads faced the Longhorns in 1995 and 1996. As an assistant at Texas A&M, Davie helped the Aggies go 8-1 against Texas from 1985-1993.

ABOUT TEXAS (1-0): Sophomore running backs Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron each topped 100 rushing yards against the Cowboys, the second time the duo has done so in the same game. While the running game did most of the heavy lifting, sophomore quarterback David Ash completed 20 of his 27 passes for 156 yards and did not throw an interception. Despite the low number of completions, 10 different Texas receivers recorded at least one catch, led by Jaxon Shipley’s seven.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Texas has won its last six home games against unranked teams by a combined 234-79.

2. New Mexico has dropped 12 straight to ranked teams, with its last win over a Top 25 opponent coming in 2003.

3. The Lobos averaged only nine points against Division I opponents in 2011.

PREDICTION: Texas 51, New Mexico 6