The Southwest Conference kicked off its first weekend of competition Saturday with four matches. One of them was won by the Texas Longhorns, 34-19 over TCU.

Texas took the lead right from the get-go.

“Last year we were notorious for just really getting off to a slow start,” said UT coach Butch Neuenschwander.

“I changed up some things, and so we came right out and took the ball right down and scored quickly and then we made a really bad pass and they capitalized. One of their players picked it up and ran it in, but we shook that off and kept with the game plan.”

The win was a big one for the Longhorns, not just because it puts them at 1-0 in SWC play, but because it does so with several key players having not played due to injury. Texas was missing both starting props and the starting flyhalf.

“My backup props. These guys stepped up and they’re not as big as my starting props, and the opposing props probably had 50 pounds on them, but they hung in there and held their own,” said Neuenschwander.

“It was really a testament to these guys coming to practice. You never know when you’re going to be asked to step up and play in a big cup match.”

One guy, in particular, who played well in the absence of a starter was Taylor Hayes, the fullback who covered at No. 10.

“He had incredible speed and footwork, so he really cut it up today,” said Neuenschwander of Hayes. “He scored a couple of times and was in on a couple of scores.”