Sep 9, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Chris Warren III (25) is pushed into the end zone by offensive lineman Patrick Hudson (73) for a touchdown against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images

What Happened Last Time Between Texas Longhorns and San Jose State Spartans?

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 10:00 AM ET

To put it lightly, the Texas Longhorns didn't start the 2025 season the way they wanted to.

The Longhorns strolled into Columbus, Ohio, last week for a highly-anticipated matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the defending national champions, in a rematch of last year's semfinal in the Cotton Bowl. Unfortunately, the Longhorns fell flat in a 14-7 loss, with Arch Manning and the offense looking particularly rough against an elite Buckeyes defense. It's obviously not a fatal loss, but it was undoubtedly disappointing for a team that entered the season with such high expectations.

Now, the Longhorns will look to bounce back as they welcome the San Jose State Spartans for their home opener on Saturday. Actually, this scenario isn't too dissimilar to the last time these two teams met.

Sam Ehlinger Made First Texas Longhorns Start vs. San Jose State Spartans

Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images

The only previous meeting between Texas and San Jose State came on Sept. 9, 2017, and just like with Saturday's game, the Longhorns were coming off a deflating loss to a Big Ten team in the season opener. Instead of a defensive slugfest against Ohio State, that loss was in a 51-41 shootout against Maryland at home. Remember, this was the dark age of Longhorns football.

However, the Longhorns didn't let that loss hold them back as they crushed the Spartans 56-0 in front of the home crowd.

Perhaps the most notable aspect about this game is that it was Sam Ehlinger's first start as a Longhorn, as he took over for the injured Shane Buchele and completed 15 of 27 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown to Armanti Foreman. Not the best numbers, but he played well enough to earn the starting job for a big non-conference matchup against USC the next week and eventually became a very good quarterback for the program.

Running back Chris Warren also had himself a day, rushing for 166 yards and two touchdowns while averaging over 10 yards per attempt. On defense, Holton Hill was the star of the day with a 45-yard pick-six.

The Longhorns' 2017 season ended up being pretty forgettable for the Longhorns, as they finished 7-6 (5-4 Big 12) after defeating Missouri in the Texas Bowl. They also weren't ranked at any point following the aforementioned loss to Maryland.

That was a different era, though, and this time around, the Longhorns have national championship expectation. Like that game, though, they need a pick-me-up right about now.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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