2011 Texas Longhorns football team The 2011 Texas Longhorns football team ( variously " Texas , " " UT , " the " Longhorns , " or the " ' Horns " ) represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Longhorns were led by 14th year head coach Mack Brown and played their home games at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium . They are a member of the Big 12 Conference . They finished the season 8 – 5 , 4 – 5 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for sixth place . They were invited to the Holiday Bowl where they defeated California 21 – 10 . Previous season . After the 2009 Texas Longhorns football team lost to Alabama in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game , Texas entered the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season ranked fifth in the AP Poll and fourth in the Coaches Poll . Texas won its first three games of the season , maintaining a top 10 status . However , the Longhorns were upset by UCLA , followed by a loss to Oklahoma . This caused Texas to be excluded from both Top 25 polls for the first time since 1998 . Other signed seniors . Eddie Jones ( Linebacker ) – New York Jets John Gold ( Punter ) – Seattle Seahawks John Chiles ( Wide Receiver ) – Jacksonville Sharks Roster . Recruiting . During the 2011 recruiting period , Texas recruited 18 players , including nine from the ESPN 150 . As a result , Texas ' recruiting class was ranked first by ESPN and third by both Rivals and Scout . Game notes . Rice . Sources : Texas was favored by 24 points . The Longhorns opened up the 2011 season against the Rice Owls of Conference USA . In the previous meeting , which was also the first game that 2010 Texas Longhorns football team played against , Texas won 34 – 17 . Garrett Gilbert was the starting quarterback after he was selected over Case McCoy , David Ash , and Connor Wood . Rice was able to hold the Longhorns to a three - and - out and attain a field goal to give Rice a 3 – 0 lead . However , Texas was able to respond with another field goal drive which was highlighted by a 56 - yard pass from Gilbert to Mike Davis that would turn out to be the longest pass for the game , tying it at 3 – 3 at the end of the first quarter . In the second quarter , Rice ' s Xavier Webb fumble d a punt that was recovered by the Texas team deep inside the Owls ' side of the field , setting up the first touchdown of the game and putting Texas at a 10 – 3 lead . Each team made an additional field goal in the remaining second quarter to put the score at 13 – 6 with Texas leading . To start the second half , the Owls were able to narrow the Longhorns ' lead to 13 – 9 after driving 46 yards to make a field goal , but on the ensuing drive Texas was able to increase the lead once again with a touchdown highlighted by a 36 yard pass by John Harris to Jaxon Shipley . This marked the first time that a non - quarterback player made a touchdown pass in school history since 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams . In the fourth quarter , Texas held Rice scoreless while scoring two touchdowns , both of which by running back Foswhitt Whittaker . Texas would hold off Rice for the rest of the game to win 34 – 9 victory , the seventy - first against Rice overall . BYU . Sources : Texas was favored by 8 points . Texas remained at home to face BYU . Prior to the game , the two teams had only met twice , in 1988 and 1987 . In both games , BYU won with scores of 47 – 6 and 22 – 17 , respectively . In the first quarter , BYU held Texas scoreless with two punts , answering with two field goals . Garrett Gilbert , the starting quarterback , was replaced by backups Case McCoy and David Ash in the first quarter after throwing two interceptions . To answer Gilbert ' s second interception , the Cougars were able to drive 97 yards to score the only touchdown of the first half . After the touchdown , BYU lead Texas 13 – 0 . In the second quarter , BYU quarterback Jake Heaps was intercepted by Texas cornerback Adrian Phillips . This set up a Texas field goal that would be Texas ' first score of the game with 1 : 44 left in the half , cutting the BYU lead to 10 points . The Cougars would keep possession for the remaining second quarter to keep the score at 13 – 3 at halftime , with BYU still leading . UCLA . Sources : Texas was favored by 4 points . The Longhorns played UCLA for their first away game on September 17 . In the previous 3 matches , UCLA won in large blowouts , most notably in 1997 when they won 66 – 3 in what became to be known as ' Rout 66 . ' Case McCoy and David Ash were selected as quarterback co - starters after Garrett Gilbert was taken out of the game against BYU . Texas started quickly into the game when UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince threw an interception . On the ensuing Longhorn drive , Case McCoy threw a 45 - yard pass to D . J . Grant , giving Texas a 7 – 0 lead . Kevin Prince would throw 2 additional interceptions , both of which Texas scored upon , before taken out of the game . Iowa State . Sources : Texas was favored by 9 points . Oklahoma . Sources : Oklahoma was favored by 11 . 5 points . Oklahoma State . Sources : Oklahoma State was favored by 8 points . Kansas . Sources : Texas was favored by 28 . 5 points . Texas Tech . Sources : Texas was favored by 14 points . Missouri . Sources : Texas was favored by 1 . 5 points . Kansas State . Sources : Texas was favored by 7 . 5 points . Texas A & M . Sources : Texas A & M was favored by 8 points . Baylor . Sources : Baylor was favored by 3 points . Holiday Bowl – Cal . Sources : Texas was favored by 3 points . Most valuable players were David Ash ( QB ) and Keenan Robinson ( LB ) . Rankings . The Texas Longhorns began the season unranked for the first time since 1998 in the AP Poll , although it was ranked twenty - fourth in the Coaches Poll . After wins against Rice and BYU , Texas would slowly increase in the rankings before jumping four spots in the AP Poll and three in the Coaches Poll after winning against UCLA . After the bye week Texas once again jumped another 2 spots in the AP Poll and one in the Coaches Poll . In the final BCS rankings , Texas was twenty - fourth . In both the Associated Press ' final rankings and USA Today ' s final rankings , Texas was unranked .