Week 1 vs Louisiana Tech
Opening up the season at home against Louisiana Tech, in real life, Texas handled the Bulldogs fairly easily, 45-14. In the resimulation on NCAA 14, it was a different story, as Louisiana Tech gave the Longhorns a run for their money throughout the entire game.
Texas started with an early 21-0 lead after their first three possessions, with wide receivers Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay catching touchdown passes from Sam Ehlinger, while Johnson also rushed one in. After getting the lead, the Longhorns struggled, getting outgained throughout the rest of the game.
Louisiana Tech dominated through the air, with quarterback JaMarr Smith going 31-48 while having 393 yards and two touchdowns. Ehlinger on the other hand only completed 50% of his passes, going 15-30 with 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Neither team was effective in the rushing game, failing to break 100 yards. Texas’ leading rusher was Keaontay Ingram, but he only managed 65 yards on 18 carries.
Despite the offensive struggles, the Longhorn defense came in clutch, intercepting Chase twice. With one coming from sophomore cornerback Jalen Green and the other from sophomore safety B.J. Foster, the two interceptions were part of three forced turnovers from Texas. The other came from Ayodele Adeoye, where he caused and fell on a fumble.
A touchdown from Keaontay Ingram in the fourth quarter gave the Longhorns a nine-point lead, putting the game out of reach for the Bulldogs. While they did add a field goal to make it a one-possession game, Texas was able to hold on and to win by a final score of 28-22.
Here are the full team stats:
While the process was more stressful in the video game than it was in real life, Texas opens the season up 1-0. Now, one of the best non-conference games of the season will be hosted in Austin, with the LSU Tigers coming into town for a top 10 showdown.
Overall record: 1-0
Sam Ehlinger’s season stats: 15-30 159 yards 2 TDs 1 INT
Season’s leading rusher: Keaontay Ingram with 65 yards on 18 carries
Season’s leading receiver: Collin Johnson with 58 yards on four receptions
Sack leader: Ta’Quon Graham with 2.0 sacks
Interception leader: Jalen Green and B.J. Foster with one each