ESPN College Football

Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro said he and his defensive teammates got too caught up in their own hype before the season opener.

After an uneven performance last week, the 17th-ranked Longhorns will try for a better showing when they face New Mexico's option attack Saturday night.

Texas is expected to have one of the best defenses in the Big 12 this season and Vaccaro said the Longhorns let that preseason buzz go to their heads before a 37-17 win over Wyoming last week.

Texas (1-0) gave up a pair of long passes in the opening quarter, including an 82-yarder for a touchdown, and trailed 9-7 until midway through the second quarter.

Vaccaro's interception set up the go-ahead touchdown and Carrington Byndom's paved the way for another on an ensuing possession. Still, the Longhorns were far from satisfied.

"Honestly, we need to get our head out of the magazine and start to play hard and fast," Vaccaro said.

Texas will try to begin doing that against New Mexico (1-0) and new coach Bob Davie, a former television analyst. In Davie's debut, the Lobos routed Southern University 66-21 and compiled 347 rushing yards, their most in nearly four years.

Junior Demarcus Rogers had 103 yards on 13 carries, and freshman quarterback Cole Gautsche provided another 88 while scoring two touchdowns.

"We've gone from four or five wideouts (against Wyoming) to coaching against a triple option that looks like the modern day version of the wishbone," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "It will be a week of discipline and assignment football that our defense will really have to try to figure out."

That win matched their total from each of the last three seasons. New Mexico was 3-33 over those campaigns, much of which encompassed Mike Locksley's tumultuous tenure.

The Lobos are still recovering as four players were suspended for the season opener for various reasons.

"I couldn't be more proud of the guys. We all know what's coming in the next few weeks but we're going to enjoy this one," Davie said following his first game since 2001 with Notre Dame. "I thought it was a pretty clean game for the first game of the year."

While trying to slow down New Mexico's ground game, the Longhorns will try to keep theirs going. Sophomore running backs Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron each topped 100 yards in last week's win, and Texas finished with 280 and four TDs on the ground.

David Ash completed 20 of 27 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown.

"The goal was to run the game, and we did just that," co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said.

The Longhorns are facing New Mexico for the first time since 1988 when they posted a 47-0 rout behind future NFL player Eric Metcalf's 285 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.

Texas also won 47-0 during its first meeting with the Lobos in 1948, and New Mexico doesn't appear poised to earn its first win over the Longhorns. The Lobos have dropped 12 straight to ranked foes with two of those losses coming last season.

Their last win over a ranked team was a 47-35 victory at No. 24 Utah on Oct. 25, 2003, and they've lost 21 road games in a row since a 35-24 win over New Mexico State on Sept. 27, 2008.

Texas has won its last six home games against unranked foes.