# 1971 Texas Longhorns football team

The 1971 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season.
Texas' hopes for a third consecutive national championship were squashed with back-to-back one-sided losses in October to its two biggest rivals, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Longhorns recovered to win their fourth consecutive Southwest Conference championship and returned to the Cotton Bowl, where they were routed 30-6 by Penn State.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 18 | 3:30 p.m. | at UCLA* | No. 3 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | ABC | W 28–10 | 36,504 |
| September 25 | 4:00 p.m. | Texas Tech | No. 3 | Memorial StadiumAustin, TX (rivalry) | | W 28–0 | 76,639 |
| October 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Oregon* | No. 3 | Memorial StadiumAustin, TX | | W 35–7 | 66,500 |
| October 9 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Oklahoma* | No. 3 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Red River Shootout) | CBS | L 27–48 | 73,580 |
| October 16 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 16 Arkansas | No. 10 | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR (rivalry) | ABC | L 7–31 | 54,446 |
| October 23 | 2:00 p.m. | Rice | No. 16 | Memorial StadiumAustin, TX (rivalry) | | W 39–10 | 61,000 |
| October 30 | 2:00 p.m. | at SMU | No. 14 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX | | W 22–18 | 40,551 |
| November 6 | 2:00 p.m. | Baylor | No. 15 | Memorial StadiumAustin, TX (rivalry) | | W 24–0 | 54,500 |
| November 13 | 2:00 p.m. | TCU | No. 13 | Memorial StadiumAustin, TX (rivalry) | | W 31–0 | 63,500 |
| November 25 | 1:30 p.m. | at Texas A&M | No. 12 | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX (rivalry) | | W 34–14 | 52,090 |
| January 1, 1972 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 10 Penn State* | No. 12 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | CBS | L 6–30 | 72,000 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Season summary
### Oregon

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oregon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Texas | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Source:

### TCU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| TCU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 31 |
at Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,500
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
TEX – Dennis Ladd 3-yard run (Glen Gaspard kick), 5:55. Texas 7–0. Drive: 17 plays, 80 yards, 7:48.
Third quarter
TEX – Donnie Wigginton 5-yard run (Glen Gaspard kick), 11:52. Texas 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 3:08.
Fourth quarter
TEX – Dennis Ladd 1-yard run (Glen Gaspard kick), 11:20. Texas 21–0. Drive: 13 plays, 87 yards, 5:02.
TEX – Steve Valek 47-yard field goal, 8:12. Texas 24–0. Drive: 4 plays, 36 yards, 1:36.
TEX – Donnie Wigginton 1-yard run (Glen Gaspard kick), 5:42. Texas 31–0. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:45.
Top passers
TCU
TEX – Donnie Wigginton – 1/2, 21 yards
Top rushers
TCU
TEX – Jim Bertelsen – 25 rushes, 94 yards
Top receivers
TCU
TEX – Rick Davis – 1 reception, 21 yards :

## NFL Draft

Two seniors from the 1971 Longhorns were selected in the 1972 NFL draft:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Jim Bertelsen | RB | 2 | 30 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Eddie Phillips | QB | 4 | 95 | Los Angeles Rams |