Quick Hits: Texas 66, Ole Miss 31
Texas' D.J. Monroe scores one of the Longhorns' eight offensive touchdowns in Oxford. (Getty)
Texas Won. Playing on the road for the first time this year, sophomore quarterback David Ash delivered a career game in a high-scoring blowout over Ole Miss, pushing the Longhorns back to the front of the line of Big 12 contenders.
Why Texas Won. Ole Miss had no answers for the Longhorn offense, which moved at will all night: After punting on its opening possession, Texas scored on ten of its next chances with the ball, the only exception coming on a missed field goal in the third quarter. Ash, just one week removed from his first 200-yard passing game in a win over New Mexico, obliterated that number with a 326-yard, 4-touchdown effort, connecting on six passes that covered at least 20 yards. Meanwhile, Malcolm Brown (21 carries, 128 yards, 2 TDs) and a stable of backs also pounded out 350 yards rushing, marking the first time Texas went over 300 yards by ground andair in the same game since a 64-7 rout over UTEP in September 2009.
Perhaps most importantly, Ash didn't commit a turnover, and still hasn't thrown an interception this season after losing the starting job due to turnovers last year as a true freshman. His pass efficiency rating for the game was an absurd 259.1.
When Texas Won.Ole Miss briefly rallied in the second quarter, scoring ten points to pull within a touchdown, but a pair of lengthy scoring drives to close the half put Texas comfortably ahead at the half, 31-10. Another long drive to open the third quarter extended the Longhorn lead to four touchdowns, and effectively ended any hopes of a comeback.
What Texas Won.It's hard to tell how good Ole Miss is on defense – the Rebels finished at the bottom of the SEC in 2011 by wide margins in terms of yards and points allowed, and faced subpar competition in its first two games this year – but Texas' offense looked as balanced and explosive as it has in years, since BCS bowls were considered the norm. After a bye week, the Longhorns will hit the ground running in Big 12 play with every expectation of competing for a conference title.
What Ole Miss Lost. Whatever progress the Rebels hoped to have achieved in the transition from the Houston Nutt administration to new head coach Hugh Freeze, it was all negated tonight, across the board: After the first series, Ole Miss failed to stop Texas from running or passing, gave the ball away three times and didn't force a turnover of its own. All signs point to another very long year in the SEC West.
