Texas vs. Rice 2nd half gamethread

The Texas Longhorns started out strong against the Rice Owls with a touchdwon on redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard's first drive as a starter and a punt return touchdown from senior wide receiver Daje Johnson, but the second quarter went just as poorly as the first quarter went well, leaving the Texas leading 21-17 at halftime in Austin.

In the second quarter, the offense couldn't get on the field because the defense couldn't get off the field, allowing two drives of more than 10 plays and 8-of-12 conversions on third down for Rice. Texas sophomore safety Jason Hall killed the early momentum with a fumbled interception return out of the end zone that set up a short field and first touchdown for the Owls.

Four third-down conversions on a 16-play, 87-yard drive killed a great deal of the second quarter momentum and narrowed the margin by another touchdown when senior cornerback Duke Thomas got blocked on the edge, Hall took a bad angle, and redshirt freshman cornerback John Bonney got vaulted by the Rice running back.

Fortunately, Texas safety Dylan Haines intercepted another pass in the end zone and kept Rice from picking up even more momentum before half time.