SOUTHWEST ROUNDUP : Texas Defeats Louisville, Is 2-0 First Time Since ’85

It took a week, but 20th-ranked Texas has found its defense.

After giving up 489 yards, including 251 to one running back, in a season-opening victory against Pittsburgh, the Longhorns figured out how to stop the run Saturday and defeated Louisville, 30-16.

Texas, a once-powerful program that has struggled over the past decade, is 2-0 for the first time since 1985.

“Last week, we came out nervous and tense and didn’t play up to our potential,” linebacker Kevin Watler said. “This week, we knew we had to come out and show what we were capable of.”

The defense produced three interceptions, one for a touchdown, and had four sacks to keep the Longhorns alive while the offense and special teams struggled through three first-half turnovers.

The Cardinals (0-2) turned two of the miscues into 10 points in taking a 16-9 halftime lead.

The Longhorns hounded Cardinals star running back Anthony Shelman, holding him to only 27 yards, and spent much of the second half in the backfield pressuring quarterback Marty Lowe.

“We didn’t protect the quarterback the way we should have,” Louisville Coach Howard Schnellenberger said. “He was under a lot of duress most of the game.”