Texas Football: 5 thoughts after Longhorns drubbing of Rice

5. Sam Ehlinger won’t be stopped

Heisman contention is a real thing for the star starting signal caller for Texas football this fall. Junior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger had another big week where he was almost spotless. Few quarterbacks in the nation have as much going for them at the moment than Ehlinger, and this win over Rice continued the building Heisman hype train.

Where would Ehlinger be if not for the shoulder sprain he suffered against the Baylor Bears last season? Even with that limitation Ehlinger had last season against Baylor and the Iowa State Cyclones, he only tossed five picks.

This season, Ehlinger went through three games without a single interception. Getting through Rice and Louisiana Tech without an interception isn’t much of a big deal. But the Longhorns are counting on a quarterback that has 12 total touchdowns and no interceptions through the end of the non-conference slate.

In this game in particular, Ehlinger tossed three touchdowns and had just four incompletions on 27 passing attempts. He also added another 27 yards on the ground. The difference with Ehlinger’s running in this game was the fact that he was smarter with his legs. He slid a lot more which is a good sign for him preserving his health.