Associated Press Photo
AUSTIN, Texas (Sports Network) - David Ash threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns as No. 17 Texas eased past New Mexico, 45-0, on Saturday.
Ash completed 16-of-22 passes through three quarters before Case McCoy played the fourth and went 5-for-8 through the air for 64 yards and a score for the Longhorns (2-0).
Joe Bergeron added 49 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Daje Johnson had a game-high 66 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.
B.R. Holbrook started the game for New Mexico (1-1) and completed 5-of-8 passes for 32 yards and added 39 yards on five carries, but did not play in the second half.
Quinton McCown and Cole Gautsche combined to go 1-for-8 for three yards and an interception for the remainder of the game.
After New Mexico was forced to punt on the opening possession of the game, Ash found Bergeron for a 22-yard reception on the second play of Texas' ensuing drive before Ash reeled off a 49-yard run to the right side for a touchdown, capping a 6-play, 80-yard march.
The Lobos answered with a 14-play drive that ate up more than eight minutes of clock and moved as far as the Texas 28-yard line, but Holbrook was sacked for an 10-yard loss on a 2nd-and-11 to knock New Mexico out of field-goal range.
Ben Skaer's punt was then blocked by Mykke Thompson and the Longhorns' Leroy Scott recovered the ball at the New Mexico 40-yard line.
Texas would manage just one first down, though, and had to settle for Nick Jordan's 38-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead less than two minutes into the second quarter.
Quandre Diggs intercepted a Gautsche pass at the Texas 29-yard line on the Lobos' next touch and the Longhorns moved the ball down to the New Mexico 28 with a 9-play drive highlighted by Malcolm Brown's 23-yard gain on a screen pass, but Jordan missed a 45-yard field goal wide to the left.
However, Texas was able to add to its lead just before the end of the second quarter as Diggs' 35-yard punt return gave the Longhorns the ball at the New Mexico 27-yard line and Ash found Mike Davis for a 22-yard touchdown six plays later to give Texas a 17-0 lead at the break.
The Longhorns quickly added to their lead in the second half when Johnson caught a short pass on the sixth play of the third quarter and raced 45 yards down the field for a score.
Following a New Mexico three-and-out, Texas put together an 11-play, 88-yard drive, which Bergeron finished with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone for a 31-0 advantage.
Texas added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to finalize the rout as a Gautsche fumble deep inside the Lobos' territory was recovered by Kenny Vaccaro at the New Mexico 17-yard line, resulting in D.J. Monroe's 6-yard TD run, and McCoy found M.J. McFarland for a 13-yard touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the game.