Arch Manning passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more scores as No. 8 Texas dismantled hapless Sam Houston 55-0 on Saturday evening in Austin, Texas in what amounted to a glorified scrimmage for the Longhorns.
Manning hit of 18 of his 21 throws and connected with eight different receivers before heading to the bench early in the third quarter. Ryan Wingo hauled in two of Manning’s TD passes and racked up 125 total yards (93 receiving and 32 on the ground).
The Longhorns (3-1) outgained Sam Houston 607-113 and amassed 10 tackles for a loss, including five sacks.
Saturday’s dominating win took a bit of the pressure off Manning, giving the much ballyhooed quarterback plenty on which to build. Texas heads into an open week with a head of steam before playing at Florida in its Southeastern Conference opener on Oct. 4.
Quarterback Hunter Watson finished with 118 total yards (86 passing and 32 on the ground) in the loss for Sam Houston (0-4).
The Longhorns scored on their opening possession for the first time this season, moving 76 yards in 12 plays culminating in Jerrick Gibson’s 13-yard TD run at the 6:23 mark of the first quarter.
Manning added to the lead with a 5-yard scoring run with 45 seconds left in the first quarter to complete a nine-play, 60-yard march.
On Texas’ ensuing possession, Manning rolled to his right and away from the rush and lobbed a 32-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Jordan Washington to make it 21-0 with 12:50 to play before halftime.
The Longhorns expanded their advantage to 24-0 when Mason Shipley booted a 29-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining in the half. Manning scored his second rushing TD on a 2-yard jaunt with 1:25 to play before halftime to make it 31-0.
The Bearkats didn’t record their initial first down of the game until 1:11 remained before the bands took the field.
The Longhorns boosted their lead early in the third quarter as Manning hit Wingo with a pair of TD passes, from 53 and 13 yards, respectively. Shipley’s 38-yard field goal with 4:54 in the third and Christian Clark’s 5-yard TD run with 13:22 to play stoked the lead to 55-0.
