AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas had been waiting for a breakout game from one of its tailbacks and finally got one when the Longhorns needed it the most.

Hodges Mitchell rushed for 188 yards, the first 100-yard game this season for Texas, to push the Longhorns (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, unranked AP) past winless Rice 18-13 in a game that was supposed to be much easier for them.

	Texas tailback Hodges Mitchell left the Owls grabbing at air while racking up 188 yards on the ground Saturday.

Kris Stockton kicked four field goals for Texas (3-1), including a 30-yarder to ice the game with 14 seconds left. Chad Richardson ran for one touchdown and passed for another -- the first Owls touchdowns this season -- to lead Rice (0-3).

Mitchell, who has split time at tailback with Victor Ike, is the first Texas running back other than Ricky Williams to rush for 100 yards since Priest Holmes ran for 120 in the 1996 Big 12 championship game against Nebraska. He also had five catches for 40 yards.

"That's the first time that I felt really, really comfortable in this offense," Mitchell said. "I never did break the long one, but I felt I was really close a lot of the night."

Texas, which averaged 42.3 points in its first three games, rolled up 455 yards on offense but struggled to find the end zone after long drives.

Stockton kicked field goals of 18 and 32 yards for a 6-0 first-quarter Texas lead but missed a 35-yarder in the second quarter. The miss ended a 16-play Texas drive when the Longhorns appeared to have the game in control.

Texas finally scored a touchdown when quarterback Major Applewhite connected with Kwame Cavil from 11 yards out with 1:04 left in the first half.

Texas then forced Rice to punt and got the ball back on its 33 with 20 seconds left in the half. The Longhorns drove to the Rice 32 on five plays and a personal foul penalty against the Owls to set up Stockton's 48-yard field goal for a 15-0 halftime lead.

"At halftime, we were dominating the game but not the score. That always scares you," said Texas coach Mack Brown.

Rice finally got its option attack untracked in the third quarter. Richardson scored the Owls' first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run to cap an 88-yard, 14-play drive that pulled Rice within 15-6.

Rice's Travis Ortega blocked a 25-yard attempt by Stockton in the fourth quarter and the Owls later recovered a fumble by Ike on the Texas 30.

Richardson then shocked the crowd of 82,084 with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Tillman to pull Rice within 15-13 with 5:01 left. It was the Owls' only completed pass of the game.

"What Rice does is keep the football and lull you to sleep with that option," Brown said.

Texas diffused the rally with a 14-play, 66-yard drive to set up Stockton's fourth and final field goal.

Rice, which dropped to 0-3 for the first time since 1988, had a chance for one last miracle play but Aaron Humphrey sacked Richardson on the Owls 10 as time ran out.

"We were one play away from winning the ball game, even to the last field goal. They made that last drive the drive of the game," said Rice coach Ken Hatfield.

"We thought we'd be kicking a field goal at the end to win the game," Hatfield said.

"I feel like we should have won the game," Richardson said. "I'm disappointed."

Applewhite finished with 246 yards passing and has thrown for at least one touchdown and 200 yards in 14 consecutive games.

"A win is a win," Applewhite said. "We're in the business of winning. We're not out here to look pretty, we're out here to win, and that's what we did tonight."