Sam Ehlinger passed for 279 yards and three touchdowns -- two to freshman Jake Smith -- in less than three quarters of play as No. 12 Texas overwhelmed winless Rice 48-13 on Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The Longhorns (2-1) bounced back in a big way after a seven-point loss at home to No. 4 Louisiana State last week, making things look easy in taking a 31-0 lead by halftime and strolling to the finish against the Owls. Texas has now defeated Rice in 42 of the two teams' 43 meetings since 1966.
Ehlinger connected on 23 of his 27 throws without an interception (he's still without one for the season), and did not get sacked.
Tom Stewart passed for 179 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead Rice (0-3), but the Owls were never in the game.
Texas marched 82 yards in 12 plays on the game's opening possession to a 25-yard TD pass from Ehlinger to Roschon Johnson. Later in the quarter Ehlinger hit Smith for a picture-perfect 53-yard TD pass and a 14-0 Longhorns' lead. Ehlinger dropped the throw right into the bucket over the Rice safety's head and into Smith's hands, and Smith carried it the rest of the way.
Texas added to its advantage early in the second quarter on a 26-yard touchdown run by Keaontay Ingram that made it 21-0. Ehlinger then hit Smith with a 12-yard scoring pass at the end of an eight-play, 79-yard drive.
The Longhorns also got a career-high 57-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker with 1:01 to play in the second quarter to make it 31-0 at intermission.
Ingram strolled 14 yards into the end zone for another TD on Texas' first drive of the third quarter as the Longhorns marched 91 yards in 11 plays to make in 38-0.
Stewart's TD passes of 3 and 4 yards to Aston Walter in the fourth quarter allowed the Owls to get something on the scoreboard but it was just window dressing.
The Longhorns' D'Shawn Jamison ended the scoring with a 98-yard kickoff return, Texas's first since 2012, with less than a minute to play.
--Field Level Media
