While a few college football teams kicked off the season last Saturday, most, including many throughout Texas, played their first games of 2023 over the weekend.
Here is how Texas and Oklahoma schools did in their season openers.
No.11 Texas Longhorns 37, Rice Owls 10
No one expected this to be close, and the Longhorns controlled the entire game, leading by as many as 34. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers had three touchdown passes and a touchdown run. The defense added two interceptions, and kicker Bert Auburn made three field goals. JT Daniels and Luke McCaffrey connected on Rice’s only touchdown with 3:04 left in the game.
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Colorado Buffaloes 45, No.17 TCU Horned Frogs 42
Deion Sanders and his revamped squad went into Fort Worth and upset last year’s national runner-up. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for a school-record 510 yards with four touchdowns, while four Buffaloes receivers had over 100 yards on the day. The game went back and forth, but TCU could not overcome two turnovers and failed to convert a fourth and nine with 55 seconds left.
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No.20 Oklahoma Sooners 73, Arkansas State Red Wolves 0
After suffering through the program’s worst season in over 20 years, Oklahoma fans got what they were looking for. The Sooners scored 45 points in the first half and ended with the second-most points of any team this weekend. Oklahoma quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold, a Denton Guyer alum, combined for 422 passing yards and three touchdowns while only throwing three incompletions (all from Gabriel) as the Sooners outgained the Red Wolves 642-208.
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No.23 Texas A&M Aggies 52, New Mexico Lobos 10
Texas A&M begins the season on a high note after several offseason departures following a disappointing 2022 campaign. Five of the Aggies’ seven touchdowns came on passes from quarterback Conner Weigman, as A&M moved the ball up and down the field at will. New Mexico’s only touchdown came in the second quarter.
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Wyoming Cowboys 35, Texas Tech Red Raiders 33 (2 OT)
The offseason hype around the Red Raiders quickly evaporated as they blew a 17-0 lead. Wyoming outscored Texas Tech 20-3 over the last three quarters thanks to three missed field goals. Each team scored on their possession in overtime, but Wyoming converted its two-point attempt, while Texas Tech’s attempt fell incomplete.
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SMU Mustangs 38, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 14
SMU ruled the first half as quarterback Preston Stone threw three touchdown passes, and the defense added a pick-six to lead 31-0 at the break. Louisiana Tech outplayed the Mustangs in the second half, but the deficit was too much to overcome, and SMU earned a season-opening victory for the fifth consecutive season.
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Houston Cougars 17, UTSA Roadrunners 14
This game was probably a lower-scoring affair than many expected. Houston took a 10-7 lead into halftime and extended the margin to 10 as Texas Tech transfer quarterback Donovan Smith found wide receiver Matthew Golden for a touchdown late in the third quarter. UTSA scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to three but could not get the defensive stop it needed, allowing Houston to run out the clock.
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Oklahoma State Cowboys 27, Central Arkansas Bears 13
After Oklahoma State scored the game’s first 13 points, Central Arkansas made it a one-possession game with a touchdown in the third quarter. Oklahoma State’s running game emerged in the fourth, getting touchdowns from Elijah Collins and Ollie Gordon II to pull away from the Bears. The Cowboys played three quarterbacks, all of whom were inconsistent, but managed to squeak out a win.
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BYU Cougars 14, Sam Houston Bearkats 0
BYU comes out on top in a low-scoring game. Quarterback Kedon Slovis scored both the Cougars’ touchdowns on the ground and threw for 145 yards, while the BYU defense held the Sam Houston offense to under 200 yards.
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Texas State Bobcats 42, Baylor Bears 31
Texas State jumped out to a 21-6 lead in the first half and never looked back. The Bobcats led by as many as 18 throughout the contest, and quarterback TJ Finley threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns to help head coach GJ Kinne win in his team debut. Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, and Oklahoma State transfer Dominic Richardson added 80 yards on the ground.
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Cal Golden Bears 58, North Texas Mean Green 21
Cal jumped all over North Texas with 669 yards of offense. The Golden Bears took a 33-21 lead in the first half and outscored the Mean Green 25-0 in the second. Cal running backs Jaydn Ott and Isaiah Ifanse led the way with a combined 242 yards and five touchdowns, while Stone Earle threw for 172 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions for UNT.
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UTEP Miners 28, Incarnate Word Cardinals 14
UTEP used a 14-0 second half to pull away from Incarnate Word. UTEP ran for 329 yards and two touchdowns, while former Texas A&M and Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada threw for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Incarnate Word.
