• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

McCoy propels Texas past Rice

Sep 21, 2008 - 5:13 AM AUSTIN, Texas (Ticker) -- Texas picked up where it left off before Hurricane Ike ravaged the Gulf Coast last weekend.

Colt McCoy threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, setting a school record, as the seventh-ranked Longhorns toppled Rice, 52-10, on Saturday.

"Offensively, I think you have to start with Colt," Texas head coach Mack Brown said. "He was hot when he went out there and he's continued to play the same way. He broke the all-time record set by Major (Applewhite). He broke a very impressive record at a very young age. He still continues to take care of the football and move the ball."

Texas (3-0) was scheduled to host Arkansas in Austin last Saturday, but the game was postponed due to severe weather. Though recovery from the storm will continue, the Longhorns continued their strong start, as they have outscored the opposition, 149-33, through three games.

"Give credit again to Rice, they had a great plan and they did a great job," Brown said. "And, give our kids credit because it's been a very unusual two weeks. They were excited about last week and did not end up playing. Many of their homes were affected like the Rice kids, and they still came out and played hard tonight. I'm really pleased with the win."

McCoy also ran for 83 yards and a score on 10 carries, while Jordan Shipley had five receptions for 155 yards and two scores for the Longhorns, who notched their 10th straight win over the Owls.

Rice (2-2) was paced by Chase Clement, who completed 25-of-38 passes for 254 yards and one score.

"I'm proud of this football team," Rice head coach David Bailiff said. "I thought we came out and played extremely hard against the seventh-ranked team in the country, and at times we performed very well. Offensively, we moved the football up and down.

"Our special teams was much improved from a week ago. Defensively, as we get people back, we'll be fine. That is a good football team that we played tonight, and I'm extremely proud of the Rice Owls and how hard they played given what they've been through."

The Owls were off to a good start, getting a 31-yard field goal from Clark Fangmeier with 7:47 left in the first quarter.

But that triggered McCoy's onslaught.

Supported by an 8-yard rushing score and three TD passes by McCoy, Texas scored 31 unanswered points. McCoy and Shipley connected on back-to-back scoring strikes of 30 and 60 yards within a four-minute span to increase the Longhorns' advantage to 21-3 in the second.

"Jordan is a heck of a receiver and he has a really excellent double move," Brown said. "The first touchdown, he had a stutter route and he worked on the linebacker. He's an excellent receiver and he's a guy we want to double move with most of the time."

McCoy's 5-yard scoring toss to Quan Cosby in the third broke the previous record of 60 set by Major Applewhite from 1998-2001. Applewhite is now the Longhorns' running backs coach.

"I thank God for giving me the ability and the opportunity," McCoy said. "Major (Applewhite) is a great quarterback. Guys who come to school here always know about Major and Vince (Young). To be up there with those guys, it's a big honor. This is a reflection on the players and the coaches."

The Longhorns are 38-1 against Rice since 1966 and improved to 69-21-1 in the all-time series, which dates to 1914.