Longhorns stomp Buffalos in Big 12 opener

BOULDER, Colo. - Chris Ogbonnaya's sweet blend of speed and strength put Texas in the end zone and kept Colorado out.

Ogbonnaya scored two touchdowns and saved another in the fifth-ranked Longhorns' 38-14 rout of the Buffaloes on Saturday night.

The oft-overlooked senior running back scored on a 65-yard dump-off and a 13-yard gallop through the befuddled Buffs' defense, then saved a score when he chased down cornerback Jalil Brown at the Texas 16 after a rare interception of Colt McCoy, who was picked off twice.

Ogbonnaya's trio of tremendous plays helped the Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) take a 21-0 halftime lead and assured there would be no peeking toward next weekend's Red River Rivalry showdown against top-ranked Oklahoma in Dallas.

At least not until the game was over, when the Longhorns' contingent of fans chanted "Beat OU! Beat OU!" as the players gathered in the end zone for their traditional rendition of the school song.

Ogbonnaya (pronounced OH-bon-EYE-uh) finished with a career-best 71 yards on nine carries and caught six passes for 116 yards, just four yards shy of Eric Metcalf's 1985 school record for most yards receiving by a Texas running back.

McCoy completed 23 of 30 passes for 262 yards and two TDs.

Colorado (3-2, 0-1) lost two starting offensive linemen in the last two weeks, and the patchwork of protectors simply couldn't bore any holes for the Buffs' running backs or give quarterback Cody Hawkins much time to throw against the nation's best sack machine.

Buffaloes kicker Aric Goodman didn't help matters and deflated the homecoming crowd at Folsom Field by missing a school record-tying three field goals in the first half, from 36, 43 and 44 yards.

Hawkins completed just 13 of 33 passes for 118 yards in his second straight poor performance, and he was replaced in the fourth quarter by freshman Matt Ballenger, who threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Williams in the closing minutes.