NASHVILLE, Texas — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian could see the Longhorns and quarterback Quinn Ewers bounce back from last week’s blowout loss to Georgia.
Ewers shook off an early tip pass, had an interception, and completed 17 consecutive passes for 288 yards as the No. 5 Longhorns defeated No. 25 Vanderbilt 27-24 in his Southeastern Conference road debut on Saturday. He reached that point and scored three touchdowns.
Sarkisian called this a victory of “culture” and “toughness” for the Longhorns.
“We knew it would take 60 minutes against a team of this style, but it’s always good to win on the road. Like I said, that was a good football team,” Sarkisian said of Vanderbilt. He talked about Vanderbilt. “They didn’t become No. 25 in the nation by accident.”
Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2) ended a three-game winning streak in its first game ranked in the Top 25 since the 2012 Music City Bowl. This was the Commodores’ first regular season game as a ranked team since October 18, 2008, when they played three games as a Top 25 team.
After Texas led 24-10 in the third set, Diego Pavia scored two touchdowns and had a late chance. Pavia’s second TD pass, an 8-yarder to Eli Stowers, pulled Vanderbilt within 27-24 with 46 seconds left.
Texas easily recovered Vanderbilt’s onside kick attempt, sealing the victory.
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lee said, “It’s disappointing that we came up short.”
The Longhorns started the game slowly, with a holding penalty on the opening kickoff followed by Ewers’ tipped pass being picked off by Martell Heidt. Vanderbilt needed just five plays before Pavia scrambled 18 yards for a touchdown and took a 7-0 lead.
He hit Matthew Golden for a 3-yard TD on the Longhorns’ next drive and connected with DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 27-yard TD late in the first quarter to give Texas a 14-7 lead.
Arch Manning did not take any snaps after appearing in the game against Georgia.
“He played really well,” Sarkisian said of Ewers. “If he plays like that the rest of the year, we’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”
The Texas quarterback had a 25-yard catch-and-run by Moore along the left sideline for a 21-7 lead on his second. Ewers didn’t miss a throw until the end of the first half.
Pavia threw for 143 yards and ran for an additional 67 yards and a score. After a Miles Capers interception, Pavia tried to rally Vanderbilt and found No. 4 junior Sherrill for a 3-yard TD pass late in the third.
Texas linebacker Liona LeFau picked off Pavia’s pass with 5:05 left and fourth out and second base, and made Bart Auburn’s second field goal with 3:11 left.
“We obviously fell short, which was disappointing,” Lee said.
Impact of public opinion polls
Texas may not have scored many style points in the Longhorns’ first league road win, but Vanderbilt entered the game having dropped its first two games by a combined seven points. You could argue that the Commodores deserve to stay at the bottom of the AP Top 25 after going 3-1 in October.
Main points
Texas: The Longhorns played sloppily, allowing four sacks and 10 penalties for 108 yards. They overcame that by defeating Vandy 392-269.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores showed their win over Alabama on Oct. 5 was no fluke, losing only to a top-five team by three points. They finished 3-1 in October, and their three losses this season have been by a combined 10 points.
to the next
Texas has an open day before taking on Florida on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Vanderbilt will next visit Auburn.
——
Get voting alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season long. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
