Quinn Ewers passed for two touchdowns — including the game-winner to Xavier Worthy early in the fourth quarter — as No. 4 Texas produced a ragged performance but did enough to beat visiting Wyoming 31-10 on Saturday in a battle of undefeated teams in Austin, Texas.
Ewers finished with 131 yards through the air and ran for a 5-yeard score as the Longhorns (3-0) struggled with execution and played like they had a bit of a hangover after their huge win at Alabama on last Saturday.
Jonathon Brooks ran for career-best 164 yards on 21 carries, highlighted by a 61-yard jaunt to the Wyoming 5-yard line in the fourth quarter as Texas put some distance between itself and the feisty Cowboys.
Jerrin Thompson added a 27-yard pick-six for Texas with 8:46 to play.
Harrison Waylee ran for 110 yards and a score on 18 totes for Wyoming (2-1). Evan Svoboda, who started in place of regular first-team signal caller Andrew Peasley, hit on 17 of 28 throws for 136 yards and Thompson’s interception.
The Cowboys shocked Texas early when Waylee, a transfer from Northern Illinois seeing his first action of the season, ripped off a 62-yard TD to give Wyoming a 7-0 lead just 2:15 into the game.
The Longhorns responded via a 37-yard field goal by Bert Auburn with 9:46 to play in the first quarter. Texas’ scoring drive began with a 20-yard punt return by Worthy that gave the Longhorns the ball at the Wyoming 38.
Texas took a 10-7 lead on Ewers’ 1-yard pass to defensive lineman Byron Murphy II out of the jumbo set with 11:45 to play in the second quarter. The Longhorns used 17 plays and ran 8:03 off the clock bridging the first and second quarters to march 90 yards, converting two fourth downs along the way and getting a 14-yard Ewers-to Gunnar Helm pass to put them on the 1-yard line.
Wyoming tied the game with 36-yard field goal by John Hoyland with 20 seconds to play in the third quarter to culminate a 17-play, 77-yard drive that ate up 10:22 of the quarter.
But the Longhorns finally awoke from their offensive slumber, with Ewers hitting Worthy on a swing pass to the right flat that the speedster turned into a 44-yard TD on third snap of the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
