University of Houston
Texas
Houston Falls To Texas, 53-26
9/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 23, 2001
By MARK BABINECK
Associated Press Writer
HOUSTON (AP) - Chris Simms threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns, including a 92-yarder to B.J. Johnson, as No. 5 Texas beat Houston 53-26 on Saturday night.
Despite showing some second-quarter rust that helped Houston take a brief lead, Simms rebounded to go 20-for-35 with one interception. Ivan Williams ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns for the Longhorns, 3-0 for the first time since 1994.
Texas scored 30 straight points before a sympathetic road crowd of 31,784, a much larger audience than the typical Houston game.
The Cougars (2-0) took a 14-10 lead late in the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown reception by Grover Thompson, who pulled in a wobbling pass tipped by Texas' Ahmad Brooks. The drive was set up by Stanford Routt's interception.
The Texas offense, which showed a brief spark in the first quarter when Simms hit Johnson in stride at midfield for the 92-yard score, the sixth-longest offensive play in Longhorns history, reawakened late in the second.
Simms shook off a crushing sack by Jason Parker and two late hits to deliver a 17-yard TD pass to Tony Jeffery with 8 seconds left in the half.
Houston mishandled the ensuing ground-ball kickoff, which was recovered by Texas' Brett Robin with 4 seconds left. Dusty Mangum took advantage, delivering a 47-yard field goal to give Texas a 20-14 halftime lead.
The Longhorns began to wear down the Cougars in the third quarter, with Texas stretching its lead to 33-14 on two 1-yard runs by Williams.
Williams got Texas down to the Houston 1 again at the end of the third quarter, and Simms began the next period by faking a handoff to his big back and finding Brock Edwards for the score.
Houston's Kelly Robertson connected with Brandon Middleton on an 80-yard score and finished 23-of-32 for 364 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.
Texas retaliated with Major Applewhite's short TD pass to Bo Scaife.
Joffrey Reynolds, who scored Houston's first touchdown on an early 38-yard scamper down the sideline, got the Cougars' last score on a 2-yard plunge.
