Longhorns and Roadrunners Gridlocked in 17-17 Tie at Halftime
AUSTIN - Entering their Week 3 matchup against the UTSA Roadrunners, the Texas longhorns were battered and bruised after their hard-fought matchup with the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide.
And unfortunately for the Horns, as so often happens to opponents of the Tide, that Alabama hangover looks to have carried over into the next week, with the Longhorns trailing 17-17 at heading into the locker room at halftime.
To be fair, all credit belongs to Jeff Traylor, quarterback Frank Harris and the Roadrunners, who came into the game with a phenomenal offensive gameplan and had the Longhorns' defense on the roads for most of the first half.
Not to mention the Roadrunners star quarterback lived up to the hype, completing 12 of 15 passes for 115 yards and while rushing four times for 25 yards.
Zakhari Franklin is also having a big game for UTSA, catching three passes for 52 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown, while Joshua Cephus led the team with five catches for 58 yards.
Offensively for Texas, the absence of Quinn Ewers has been a factor, but it was the lack of the running game early that got the Horns off to a slow start.
More specifically, star Bijan Robinson has been largely bottled up, with the Heisman contender rushing 10 times for just 27 yards through the vast majority of the second quarter.
However, late in the second quarter, Robinson came alive, rushing finishing the half with 56 yards on 14 carries, with a touchdown.
Roschon Johnson was also major factor, rushing seven times for 39 yards, and catching two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Hudson Card, who was questionable with a high ankle sprain entering the game, performed admirably in the replacement of Ewers, completing 12 of 18 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
The Longhorns will have to find a way to match the intensity of Traylor and the Roadrunners in the second half if they want to avoid the upset.
But for now, they face an uphill battle against a team that is hungry for an upset.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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