With his arm and his feet, Colt McCoy was too much for Arkansas.
McCoy threw for three touchdowns and ran for two, and Texas rolled past the Razorbacks 52-10 Saturday in one of the most lopsided games between the border foes in decades.
"He is just playing with so much confidence right now,"
Longhorns coach Mack Brown said of McCoy. "It's fun to watch him. He's having fun and the game has slowed down for him."
Texas (4-0) moved up from No. 7 to No. 5 after its easy win. The Longhorns have outscored opponents 198-36 this season.
McCoy completed 17 of 19 passes for 185 yards and ran for a game-high 84 yards. His 35-yard bolt down the sideline ended with him stumbling in the end zone in the second quarter. That gave Texas a 24-3 lead, and McCoy's 5-yard scoring run made it 31-3 in the final minute of the half.
The game was the most lopsided in the series since a 52-0 Texas win in 1916. When it was over, all Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino could do Saturday was collapse into a chair and sigh.
"That's a beating,"
Petrino said.
It was an embarrassing rivalry debut for Petrino in a series famous for close games. In the previous 10 meetings between Texas and Arkansas, the average margin of victory was fewer than nine points.
The Razorbacks, however, are rebuilding after losing running back Darren McFadden to the NFL.
Jordan Shipley caught two touchdown passes for Texas, Quan Cosby hauled in the other and Aaron Williams returned an interception 81 yards for a score. Cody Johnson added a 1-yard TD plunge.
"This is the best we've played since the national title year,"
said Texas senior offensive lineman Cedric Dockery, recalling the 2005 season. "It shows up on the scoreboard and in the win column."
Arkansas, meanwhile, was overwhelmed in absorbing a second blowout in two games. Alabama crushed the Razorbacks by 35 points the previous weekend, and the road doesn't get easier for Arkansas (2-2) and Petrino.
The Razorbacks' next game is against No. 12 Florida, which is coming off a loss to Mississippi and former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt.
"I think we're all getting sick of it,"
Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams said. "It's surprising because no one came into these games thinking we would lose like this."
The game was played two weeks after the threat of Hurricane Ike postponed the 77th meeting between the schools. Arkansas probably wished it was pushed back even more.
Petrino, whose wins at Arkansas have been close ones against Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe, stressed patience.
"Losing is hard. It takes a toll on you,"
Petrino said. "You work this hard. You want to see results. Everyone wants to see results."
Texas came out of the game with its third 52-10 victory this season — the other win was a 42-13 win at Texas El Paso — and held the Razorbacks to 191 total yards. Casey Dick completed 7 of 13 passes for 138 yards for Arkansas, and Michael Smith struggled to pick up 42 yards on 13 carries. Dick and Tyler Wilson were sacked a total of seven times by the Longhorns.
Arkansas didn't reach the end zone until late in the fourth when Antwain Robinson scooped up a fumble and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.
The rout began early. McCoy completed eight of his first nine passes and led the Longhorns to scores on their first four possessions. By the end of the first quarter, Texas had 152 yards of offense. Arkansas had 9.
The Longhorns play their Big 12 opener next week at Colorado before their pivotal meeting with Oklahoma in Dallas.
"I think it's important for us to continue to play and continue to get better every week,"
McCoy said. "We're doing that."
