Longhorns grind to 27-10 win over UTEP amid offensive struggles

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Despite the result, the Texas offense struggled for consistency in a 27-10 win over UTEP on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Entering the game as a 41.5-point favorite, the Longhorns led 14-3 at halftime and couldn’t get anything going in the passing game. Arch Manning completed 11 of 25 passes for 114 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The score came late in the game on a 4-yard pass to Ryan Wingo to give the Longhorns their final touchdown.

“We couldn’t find the rhythm in the passing game the way we would have liked,” Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We couldn’t create explosive plays. He didn’t convert makeable third downs and fourth downs, and it took the wind out of our sails and out of the stadium.”

It was a rough day for Manning, even after accounting for three touchdowns with a pair of rushing scores. The home crowd, which last season cheered its loudest when he entered a game, booed him after his 10th consecutive incompletion in the first half as he struggled to hit open receivers. Three of the first four Texas drives either ended on downs or with an interception.

Texas averaged 4.2 yards per play. UTEP averaged 4.4 yards per play.

“We had missed opportunities, quite frankly, early in the game that could have changed the complexion,” Sarkisian said. “From there, we started to press after that. We had to shift gears.”

Manning’s interception came with the Longhorns in the red zone. He rolled out of the pocket, and then had to evade the UTEP pass rush before turning back across his body to throw the ball. The pass ended up going straight to UTEP safety Xavier Smith, who was tackled on his team’s 5-yard line after a short return.

A bright spot offensively was true freshman running back James Simon. His first action in burnt orange ended with 67 yards on 17 carries, and Jerrick Gibson chipped in 64 yards on 18 carries. Already down Quintrevion Wisner with a leg injury, the Longhorns’ backfield took another hit when CJ Baxter limped off the field after the first play of the game. He gained six yards on the run but didn’t return to the game.

After the game, Sarkisian said Baxter hurt his hamstring but doesn’t know how long he could potentially be out.

“It was bad enough today that we needed to shut him down today,” he said.

Through three games this season, the Longhorns still don’t have a rushing touchdown from a running back. Manning has all of the team’s scores on the ground.

Texas’ defense played pretty well, all things considered. Jelani McDonald and Graceson Littleton each had interceptions, and outside of Shay Smith’s 2-yard run near the end of the game, the Longhorns kept the Miners on their heels. UTEP quarterback Malachi Nelson, a former 5-star recruit out of high school now in his third program, completed 24 of 36 passes for 209 yards with two interceptions.

The Longhorns held the Miners to 50 rushing yards and 2.2 yards per rush. UTEP was 0-for-3 on fourth down plays and 4-for-13 on third down. Linebacker Liona Lefau led Texas with seven tackles, including one for a loss. McDonald and Michael Taaffe each notched six tackles, with Hero Kanu and Zina Umeozulu each recording a sack.

Sarkisian said his team “isn’t a finished product,” and the search for consistency from all phases of the game continues.

“We’ve got facets that are performing really good,” he said. “We have to find a level of consistency on offense with all 11 players down after down. That’s the standard around here, and we’re not performing to the standard that we’re accustomed to.”

Penalties were again an issue for the Longhorns, getting flagged seven times for 81 yards.

Texas (2-1) hosts Sam Houston on Sept. 20 in its last nonconference game. UTEP (1-2) hosts Louisiana Monroe on Sept. 20 as well.