The No. 17 Texas Longhorns routed the New Mexico Lobos 45-0 on Saturday night in another game that was closer than the final score would suggest.

Quarterback David Ash was 16-of-22 for a career-high 221 yards, opening the scoring on a 49-yard scramble and throwing for two more touchdowns in the game. While Ash once again showed hesitancy in taking chances downfield, he was in perfect control of the game, taking what the defense allowed and leading an increasingly-aggressive offensive attack in the second half.

The Longhorns would struggle in the first half, yet again, as the defense would fight to contain the triple-option attack of the New Mexico offense. The Lobos controlled the clock for nearly 20 minutes in the first half and kept the Texas offense from finding rhythm, yet were unable to get on the scoreboard and allowed a late touchdown before the half to essentially put the game away for the Longhorns.

Coach Mack Brown challenged his players this week to "turn it on" when the Longhorns grabbed a big lead and they followed that direction on Saturday night, putting up 14 points in the fourth quarter with mostly backups on the field. Case McCoy was 5-8 for 64 yards in the fourth, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to M.J. McFarland.

The Longhorns next take on the Ole Miss Rebels next Saturday.

For more on Horns football, visit Texas blogs Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival, plus SB Nation Dallas.