The No. 17 Texas Longhorns (8-2, 5-2) easily dispatched Iowa State (5-5, 2-5) on Saturday afternoon, thanks in large part to quarterback David Ash's career performance.
Ash was masterful in the first half as he led the Longhorns to a 20-7 lead after two quarters, going 15-of-16 for 245 yards and two touchdowns by halftime. The dagger came when, just more than a minute after taking a 7-0 lead, Ash hit receiver Mike Davis on a 61-yard strike that broke the game open heading into the second quarter.
The Texas quarterback finished the game 25-of-31 for 364 yards and two touchdowns, mostly in the first three quarters, as the Longhorns offense went conservative once the game was out of reach.
Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation was once again pleased with Ash's performance in a big game for the Longhorns:
The biggest play may have been the 61-yard pass to wide receiver Mike Davis in the first quarter, who managed to run past an Iowa State cornerback on his trademark post route despite a little hitch in his stride after leaving the field briefly with a minor injury.
After a strong performance against Texas Tech that nevertheless included some struggles in the third quarter, Ash turned in a pretty complete three-plus quarters on Saturday, further confirming that there are no lingering side effects from his benching against Kansas.
The scary thing? Ash still missed on a couple of passes that he may be able to connect on as he continues to grow and improve. If he can do that, he'll become one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
The Longhorns will next face TCU in the first meeting between the two programs since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12. Texas finishes the regular season on Dec. 1 against No. 2 Kansas State.