BYU runs all over Texas

PROVO, Utah -- Nothing about BYU's performance in its season opener inspired confidence that the Cougars had finally put the offensive struggles of past seasons behind them. Sophomore quarterback Taysom Hill believed things would be different against Texas.

Hill played out the game in his mind on the bus ride to LaVell Edwards Stadium. He believed the Cougars could dictate the tempo to their taste for four quarters.

Everything played out just as Hill envisioned on the bus ride. The Cougars rushed for a school-record 550 yards to upset the No. 15 Longhorns 40-21 on Saturday night, shattering the previous BYU record of 465 yards on the ground set in 1958 against Montana.

"We expected to run on them," Hill said. "We didn't expect to break the school record. But, hey, it was working and we were able to move the ball efficiently on the ground. There was no need to go away from it, so we didn't. This was the result."

Nothing Texas did could stop the Cougars from stampeding through their defense.

Hill led the way with 259 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. He finished 13 yards shy of tying the BYU rushing record set by Eldon Fortie in 1962 against George Washington. It was the highest rushing total in a game for an FBS quarterback since Vince Young piled up 267 yards for Texas in 2005.

Sophomore running back Jamaal Williams had a career-high 182 yards on 30 carries and Paul Lasike added 87 yards on 15 carries for the Cougars (1-1).

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall credited the team's preparation this week.

"We prepared better, we prepared harder, we prepared longer and we prepared more diligently as coaches and players this week," Mendenhall said.

BYU's offense totaled 679 yards in four quarters as the Cougars halted Texas' 13-game non-conference road winning streak.

"We didn't get done what we needed to do on either side of the ball," Texas coach Mack Brown said.

Texas quarterback David Ash threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-34 passing.

Defensively, Texas allowed the most rushing yards in a game in school history. The previous record was 452 yards by Rice in 1997.

BYU revamped its offensive line after losing to Virginia in the season opener. The shuffling worked out perfectly in the first half. The Cougars amassed 349 yards on the ground by halftime and kept the Longhorns defense on its heels throughout the second quarter.

Texas used big plays to get out in front early. The Longhorns went up 7-3 after Ash hooked up with Mike Davis for a 57-yard touchdown pass down the sideline. Less than a minute later, BYU reclaimed a 10-7 lead on a 68-yard run by Hill.

An interception led to Texas' next touchdown -- a 2-yard run from Joe Bergeron -- after Duke Thomas picked off a Hill pass.

Trailing 14-10, BYU went to the ground to take control of the game. The Cougars ran off 17 consecutive points before halftime, retaking the lead on Hill's second touchdown run from 20 yards, a Paul Laskie 10-yard run to the end zone and a 32-yard field goal from Justin Sorensen just before halftime.

The Texas offense struggled to even stay on the field during that critical juncture. BYU's defense gained momentum in tandem with the offense because the Cougars kept finding ways to reach the end zone.

"It motivates us to go out there and get them the ball back," BYU safety Daniel Sorensen said. "We want them to have all the light. We'll just do the dirty work and get them the ball."

BYU extended its lead to 34-14 early in the third quarter on a 26-yard run from Hill -- his third touchdown of the game.

The Longhorns were able to cut it to 34-21 on a second TD pass from Ash to Davis -- this time for 23 yards -- but BYU extended its lead on two field goals from Sorensen.

Kickoff was delayed one hour and 47 minutes from its original start time because of a violent rainstorm accompanied by lightning that hit before the game. It was the second week in a row BYU endured a lightning delay, following a 2:09 delay between the first and second quarter against Virginia.

For Texas, which entered the game with Big 12 and national title aspirations, the loss could be an omen of stormy weather ahead. But the Longhorns want to make sure one defeat does not derail their season.

"Our goals are still on the table," Davis said. "We still got games down the line we can win and still get our goals accomplished."

NOTES: Dating to 1972, BYU has never lost a game where it has accumulated more than 300 yards rushing before halftime. ... BYU senior receiver Cody Hoffman made his season debut after sitting out the opener with a hamstring injury. Hoffman finished with two catches for 63 yards. ... Sorensen went 4 of 4 on field goal attempts with a long of 36 yards in the third quarter. ... Williams has had at least 30 carries in each game this season.