Replay: Texas Longhorns blow out Texas Tech Red Raiders in Big 12 opener
Danny DavisTexas defeats Tech 70-35. Revisit the games' key plays below:
Points piling up for Texas (4th, 13:32)
Keilan Robinson gave Texas its fourth rushing touchdown against Texas Tech when he scored from one yard out. An Alabama transfer, Robinson scored his first touchdown as a Longhorn last week.
Robinson helped UT set a single-game record for points scored against Texas Tech. Last year in Lubbock, Texas put up 63 points. Texas last scored 70 points in the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game. If Texas doesn't score again, today's effort will be tied for the ninth-most points in school history.
The UT record for points scored in a single game is 92. Back in 1915, Texas recorded a 92-0 win over Daniel Baker.
So far, seven Longhorns have scored a touchdown against Texas Tech. During one of the breaks, even Santa got into the end zone.
— Danny Davis
X marks the spot (end of third quarter)
The third quarter belonged to the wide receivers on Texas and Texas Tech's rosters. Five touchdowns were caught over the quarter's 15 minutes. Those touchdowns covered a total of 214 yards.
The third quarter's final touchdown was scored by Texas freshman Xavier Worthy, who broke a Red Raider tackle en route to a 62-yard score.
More:With hype aplenty, Texas football turns to Xavier Worthy to 'add a lot of explosion to the offense'
Worthy now has a trio of touchdowns. Texas has a 63-28 lead. With one quarter to go, Worthy has already set career-highs for receiving yards (100) and touchdown catches.
On the last drive of the third quarter, Hudson Card replaced Casey Thompson as the Longhorns' quarterback.
— Danny Davis
Tons of touchdown tosses aplenty (3rd, 5:02)
After an end-zone interception ended UT's first possession of the second half, Texas made up for that turnover with Casey Thompson's third touchdown pass of the game. Jordan Whittington's 5-yard touchdown was set up by D'Shawn Jamison's 42-yard punt return to the Texas Tech 7.
Texas Tech responded to UT going up by a score of 49-14 with Loic Fouonji's 69-yard touchdown catch. Texas had its lead dwindle to 28 points for less than two minutes as Thompson connected on a 3-yard touchdown with Xavier Worthy on the ensuing possession.
On the play after Texas took a 56-21 lead, Kaylon Geiger hauled in a 75-yard score for Texas Tech. Both Fouonju and Geiger beat Jamison in coverage.
— Danny Davis
Longhorns up 42-14 and in control at halftime
Texas and Texas Tech traded passing touchdowns — Casey Thompson's 23-yard toss to Xavier Worthy for Henry Colombi's 40-yard strike to Myles Price — in the second quarter's second half. With nine seconds left, Roschon Johnson then added a 7-yard score out of the wildcat formation.
More:Roschon Johnson lines up as a wildcat as Texas expands its playbook
Texas last held a halftime lead of at least 20 points in a Big 12 game in 2014. In what turned out to be a 33-16 win over West Virginia in Austin on Nov. 8, 2014, the Longhorns took a 24-3 lead into halftime.
Texas running back Bijan Robinson ended the first half with 150 yards of total offense. Robinson rushed for 96 yards on 13 first-half carries. Thirty-eight of his 54 receiving yards were recorded on the day's first touchdown.
— Danny Davis
Touchdowns for Texas' Thompson and Thompson (2nd, 9:49)
Texas is now leading 28-7 after cornerback Josh Thompson intercepted Tyler Shough and returned the turnover 27 yards for a touchdown. The interception was UT's second of the season. It was also the first touchdown scored off an interception for the Longhorns since DeShon Elliott did that deed at Baylor in 2017.
Thompson's touchdown was scored 27 seconds after Texas quarterback Casey Thompson added a 1-yard run to UT's scoring summary.
Senior Henry Colombi is now at quarterback for Texas Tech.
— Danny Davis
Texas Tech gets on the scoreboard (2nd, 14:00)
Texas Tech was last shutout by Texas in 1982, and history won repeat itself this weekend. Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough's 6-yard run on a third-down attempt has pulled the Red Raiders within 14-7 at Royal-Memorial Stadium,
Texas almost took a 21-0 lead on the series. On the drive, Keilan Robinson blocked an Austin McNamara punt and Morice Blackwell returned the loose football for a touchdown. But Robinson, who blocked a Rice punt last week, was called offsides by the officiating crew. Texas Tech then converted a 4th-and-2 at the Texas 43 to keep the drive alive.
— Danny Davis
Roschon vs. the Red Raiders (1st, 5:22)
Texas extended its early lead to 14-0 after Roschon Johnson capped the Longhorns' second drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. A junior, Johnson has now recorded five touchdown runs against Texas Tech in his career.
Two years ago in Austin, Johnson rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-24 win over the Red Raiders. He had a 1-yard touchdown run in last year's overtime thriller in Lubbock.
— Danny Davis
Texas strikes first (1st, 11:07)
After receiving the opening kickoff, Texas covered 75 yards in less than four minutes to take a 7-0 lead. Facing a 4th-and-3 at the Texas Tech 38, Texas kept its offense on the field. Casey Thompson found an open Bijan Robinson out of the backfield and Robinson avoided three attempted tackles as he streaked to the end zone.
More:Longhorn running backs in the passing game — and the number 18
Over its first three games this season, Texas was 4-for-6 on fourth down. The Longhorns also converted two third-down conversions during Saturday's first drive against the Red Raiders.
— Danny Davis
Texas Tech wins coin toss, Texas receives opening kickoff
Are you ready for some football? After calling tails and winning the coin toss, Texas Tech deferred and Texas will receive the opening kickoff. Casey Thompson, Anthony Cook and Keilan Robinson served as the captains and representatives for Texas.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal also reported before the kickoff that running back Tahj Brooks would miss today's game with "a small leg injury." Brooks attended high school in nearby Manor. Over Texas Tech's first three games, Brooks had recorded two 100-yard performances and was averaging 8.1 yards per carry.
Some notes about today's crowd at Royal-Memorial Stadium:
— Danny Davis
Texas and Texas Tech to meet for the 71st time
At Royal-Memorial Stadium this Saturday, both Texas and Texas Tech will be looking to open Big 12 play on a high note.
Texas is 2-1 this season. The Longhorns blew past Louisiana and Rice, but those wins were bookends for a 19-point loss at Arkansas. Having beaten Houston, Stephen F Austin and Florida International, Texas Tech is 3-0 for the first time since 2017.
This will be the 71st game in the Texas-Texas Tech series. All-time, Texas is 53-17 against its rivals from Lubbock. The Longhorns also own a three-game winning streak over the Red Raiders.
Dating back to 2015, five of the last six meetings between the Longhorns and Red Raiders have been decided by eight points or less.
- 2015: Texas Tech 48, Texas 45
- 2016: Texas 45, Texas Tech 37
- 2017: Texas Tech 27, Texas 23
- 2018: Texas 41, Texas Tech 34
- 2019: Texas 49, Texas Tech 24
- 2020: Texas 63, Texas Tech 56 (OT)
Have some time to kill before the 11 a.m. kickoff? On this week's On Second Thought podcast, Kirk Bohls and Cedric Golden were joined by Carlos Silva of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
— Danny Davis