Texas Handles UTSA, 30-6: Recap & Takeaways From Longhorns' Uneven Win

Texas never found the offensive explosion expected against UTSA, yet with the Roadrunners going nowhere for most of the night, it hardly mattered.

The No. 1 Longhorns leaned on a dominant defensive showing and did enough offensively to cruise past UTSA, 30-6, Saturday night at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, improving to 3-0 on the season.

Texas didn't even have to wait for its offense to make the first big play.

Owen McCown's first pass was intercepted by Rasheem Biles, immediately handing Arch Manning and the offense a short field. Four plays later, Manning found Cam Coleman over the middle for a 24-yard touchdown.

UTSA responded with a 13-play drive, but Colin Simmons sacked McCown on third down to force a 34-yard field goal.

Texas answered with a 52-yarder from Gianni Spetic after a lengthy drive stalled, carrying a 10-3 lead into the second.

1. That's one way to start - UTSA ran one offensive play before Texas took the football away. Four snaps later, it was 7-0.

2. Coleman makes his presence felt - Manning looked Coleman's way early, and the wideout rewarded him with Texas' first touchdown.

3. Enough with the laundry - Texas committed three separate 15-yard penalties in the opening quarter. Against UTSA, that's survivable. Against SEC competition? Different story.

The Longhorns' defense went from bending without breaking to just ... not bending.

Manning orchestrated a seven-play, 57-yard touchdown drive early in the quarter, finding Coleman again from three yards out to make it 17-3.

UTSA's next four possessions ended in punts while Texas struggled to fully capitalize. The Longhorns turned it over on downs and punted before getting one final possession with 1:33 remaining.

Manning used his legs to move Texas into range, and Spetic drilled a 34-yarder as time expired.

20-3, Longhorns.

1. UTSA went absolutely nowhere - The Roadrunners' four possessions went for minus-two, two, one and minus-13 yards. That's minus-12 total yards across four drives.

2. Manning-to-Coleman ... again - Coleman caught both of Texas' first-half touchdowns, quickly becoming the headliner of the passing attack.

3. The scoreboard looked cleaner than the offense - Texas led by 17, but a turnover on downs, a punt and two Spetic field goals showed just how many points were still left out there.

READ MORE: Texas Longhorns Schedule: A College Football Path To Perfection?

Any hopes of Texas immediately blowing the game open disappeared after halftime.

UTSA took advantage of good field position to knock through a 43-yard field goal, while Texas' first possession went backward before ending in a punt.

The Longhorns finally responded with another extended march into UTSA territory, though the end zone remained elusive. Spetic kicked a 23-yarder to stretch the advantage to 23-6.

Texas threatened again late in the quarter, with Manning breaking loose for 20 yards to move deep into Roadrunners territory. The drive ended on fourth down at the UTSA 14.

1. Okay ... where's the knockout? - Texas had every opportunity to turn a 20-3 halftime lead into a rout. Instead, the Longhorns managed three points in the quarter.

2. Manning's legs remain a weapon - The quarterback's 20-yard scramble was another reminder that when the passing game isn't clicking, he can still create something himself.

3. Thank goodness for Spetic - Three Texas drives ended in field goals Saturday. It wasn't glamorous, but the kicker kept turning stalled possessions into points.

READ MORE: Texas Star Colin Simmons Earns Wuerffel Trophy Semifinalist Honor

Texas finally put the game away on the ground.

After another UTSA punt, the Longhorns went 66 yards in eight plays, barely needing Manning's arm at all. Hollywood Smothers ripped off an 18-yard run before D.J. Cooper handled the rest, eventually punching it in from a yard out.

30-6.

UTSA punted again, Texas drained the remaining clock and an otherwise uneventful night ended exactly as it should've — with the Longhorns comfortably unbeaten.

1. Cooper closes it - With Texas looking to finally slam the door, Cooper became the closer and capped the game's only second-half touchdown drive.

2. Defense, defense, defense - UTSA never reached the end zone. For all there is to nitpick offensively, allowing six points makes life awfully easy.

3. Plenty to clean up before Tennessee - Manning finished 17-of-33 for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Texas survived that comfortably Saturday. The degree of difficulty is about to increase.

Texas will open SEC play on the road against Tennessee next Saturday at Neyland Stadium, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. CT.