MORGANTOWN, W.Va.–Heisman candidate Sam Ehlinger threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as the No. 11 Longhorns converted three turnovers into TDs in a 42-31 victory over West Virginia on Saturday.
Texas offense didn’t click early in the game and allowed WVU to take an early lead; Ehlinger answered the early adversity, leading the team to a 21-14 halftime lead. Texas mixed up the formation and accelerated the tempo to put the Mountaineers on their heels. From there, the Longhorns relied on their defensive schemes and running by Roschon Johnson in between the tackles, who had his best performance of the season with 121 yards on 21 carries that took Texas the rest of the way.
Photo Credit: 4.0 SportsSam Ehlinger finished the game 18 of 33 for 211 yards. He threw just his second interception of the season which the Mountaineers turned into a third-quarter field goal.
Ehlinger and the Longhorns (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) beat WVU (3-2, 1-1) on the road for the second straight time.
The Longhorns had plenty of motivation for this particular game. Several Texas players were visibly upset last year after several Mountaineers flashed “horns down” signs during West Virginia’s 42-41 win in Austin, Texas. Ehlinger tweeted in a tweet that was later deleted: “Do not think it will be forgotten.”
The Longhorns defense made sure they kept the Mountaineers at a comfortable distance on the scoreboard. D’Shawn Jamison highlighted defensive effort with two of the four interceptions, including one where he fought a Mountaineers receiver in mid-air for the ball.
Everyone on the Texas defense stepped it up despite injuries that plagued the secondary. The Longhorns intercepted Austin Kendall four times, twice by cornerback Jamison. The defense in the second half made some adjustments with their blitz packages which WVU had a difficult time blocking up correctly.
B.J. Foster’s pick interception in the fourth quarter led to Devin Duvernay’s 13-yard scoring run. Kendall was intercepted on the next drive by Jamison at the WVU 18-yard line, and Ehlinger threw a lateral to offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi, who ran 12 yards to pay dirt for a 35-17 lead.
WVU’s Kendall threw three TD passes, including a pair of fourth-quarter scores, and had a 1-yard scoring run. He finished 31 of 46 for a career-high 367 yards.
Texas improves to 4-1 on the season and will now look forward to the matchup against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.
