At his post-game press conference, in the wake of a 52-0 win over Colorado State, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said this about his defense,
“From a defensive standpoint, I’m proud of our secondary to really minimize the explosive plays. For those guys to come out and shut down that passing game the way they did was good," Sarkisian said. "I thought the run game was a little bit leaky, so we have to clean up some things there. But for me, as a coach, the thing I’m most proud of is getting the first shutout in school history in a season opener since 2004.”
The Longhorns kept the Rams pinned in their own territory most of the day. CSU only crossed into Texas’s end of the field twice and could not score. On Colorado State’s possessions, the Longhorns forced seven punts, two INTs, two turnovers on downs, and the first half ended.
Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron picked off one of those passes and returned it 30 yards to set up another scoring drive for the Longhorns.
The Rams were held to 192 total yards. Their passing game was abysmal, passing for 74 yards on the day and averaging a paltry three yards per attempt, compared to Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers who averaged a first down on his pass attempts.
In addition, the Longhorns made Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton a non-factor in the game, holding him out of the end zone with only 31 yards on 5 catches.
Texas will need a similar performance next Saturday on the road against a stronger opponent, the Michigan Wolverines, at the Big House in Ann Arbor.