Tony Thomas
Author
The Spartans had not had this bad of a day since the Battle of Thermopylae in the year 480 B.C.
In the home opener for No. 7 Texas, the offense was tracking with precision and gained 472 yards of total offense on the day, behind a stellar performance by quarterback Arch Manning, to earn a 38-7 victory over San Jose State.
Texas came out firing on offense. Manning tossed scoring passes to wide receiver Parker Livingstone twice and to transfer tight end Jack Endries (from Cal) twice, all in the first half.
San Jose State scored their lone touchdown on an eight play, 75-yard drive in the second quarter, on a four-yard run by Jabari Bates.
Manning. The much-hyped gunslinger lived up to preseason expectations (at least for this game). In addition to his four TD passes, Manning also scrambled for a 20-yard scoring run in the third quarter. He finished the game with 295 passing yards. He did throw an interception. Manning completed 63 percent of his passes.
The Longhorns’ defensive unit suffocated the San Jose State offense as they forced four turnovers in the first half, including two forced fumbles by linebacker Anthony Hill, Jr. Texas held the Spartans to just 85 yards on the ground and 273 yards of total offense.
Manning to Livingstone for 83 yards and paydirt. It set the tone for the game and quite possibly Manning’s and the Longhorns’ season going forward. Manning averaged almost a first down on every throw (9.8 yards).
Overall, Texas looked good on both sides of the ball against San Jose State. But the yellow hanky came out way too much against the Longhorns. 12 penalties for 115 yards showed that, at times, Texas was mentally checked out.
There were a handful of big yardage plays that were negated because of the lack of fundamentals and mental focus. The Longhorns will need to clean that up against upcoming opponents UTEP and Sam Houston, both at home. The road trip to Florida on October 4 looms.
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