Texas holds off Kansas State, 33-30, to keep CFP hopes alive

Kansas State Wildcats vs. No. 7 Texas Longhorns Highlights ‘We just continued to fight’ – Texas HC Steve Sarkisian

Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

AUSTIN, Texas — And in the end, Texas beat Kansas State, 33-30, in an overtime thriller.

The Wildcats looked like they were going to pull off a huge upset on the road. After a dull first-half performance, quarterback Will Howard willed his team back into contention and had the game in his hands with a chance to win it.

Then on fourth down from the 4-yard line, Texas nose tackle Byron Murphy II beat his man, forcing Howard to scramble, which gave Barryn Sorrell time to come around the edge and pressure the quarterback. With the defense swarming, Howard had nowhere to go. He slipped, and his pass fell incomplete, handing the Horns the win.

The Longhorns avoided what would have been a massive meltdown and still have its season goals — to win the Big 12 championship and make it to the College Football Playoff — intact.

Here are takeaways from Saturday’s game:

Player of the game

Despite the loss, Howard put on a show.

The Wildcats offense looked completely inept to start. It failed to cross midfield on its first six drives and went three-and-out four straight times. But a blocked punt in the second quarter changed things and led to a touchdown to end the half.

While the Wildcats didn’t come out of the break with immediate momentum, that grew over the course of the second half. And Howard, a senior and veteran QB, was a reason. He made smart decisions and finished the game 26-of-42 for 327 yards and four touchdowns. He had one interception, and failed to convert the final fourth-down play, but Kansas State wouldn’t have been in position to pull off the upset had he not been rolling.

Play of the game

The last one. Leave it to Texas’ feisty defense to make the last play.

Turning point of the game

Which turning point would you prefer?

There was Texas’ blocked punt in the second quarter that led to Kansas State’s first touchdown of the day. There was the time that Howard was sacked and proceeded to fumble the ball at his own 5-yard line, which turned into a TD for the Horns one play later. In the fourth quarter, Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy panicked and threw his second pick of the game, resulting in the Wildcats scoring on the next drive. And there was a fumble by running back Jonathon Brooks, which turned into Howard finding Jayce Brown for an easy pitch and catch that tied the game 27-27.

And there was the time that Kansas State, trailing 30-27 with less than two minutes to play, missed a 27-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game. Kicker Chris Tennant made up for that miss a little while later when he made a 45-yarder to tie the game 30-30 and force overtime.

In OT, Texas couldn’t score a touchdown and had to settle for a field goal, giving Kansas State the chance to have the last word. Instead of going for the field goal to force a second overtime, Wildcats coach Chris Klieman went for it. Howard couldn’t convert on fourth down, and Texas escaped with the victory.

Kansas State Wildcats vs. No. 7 Texas Longhorns Highlights

What’s next for Texas?

This win was huge for the Longhorns, as the Wildcats have had their number historically. Now that this one is out of the way, Texas can breathe a little bit, but still has a tough road ahead with three games left against TCU, Iowa State and Texas Tech. Ames, Iowa is often not a friendly place to play — especially at night, if that’s when kickoff ends up being.

The Horns would love to get starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back by then. The QB1 has missed the last two games after injuring the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. Reports indicate he could start practicing as early as this week, but that is still TBD at the moment.

Regardless, the task is simple for Texas: Win out and you’re in the Big 12 title game. Win that, you go to the CFP.

‘We just continued to fight’ – Texas HC Steve Sarkisian

What’s next for Kansas State?

Entering this weekend, there was a five-way tie for first place in the Big 12 among Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State with each team boasting a 4-1 conference record. But after this loss — and depending on what happens Saturday night in the final Bedlam between the Sooners and Cowboys — it doesn’t look like the Wildcats will defend their league title. Sure, there could — and probably will be — chaos. We are in the month of November and there are three weeks left in the regular season. And to find its way back to the top, the Wildcats are going to need some of that chaos.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter at @LakenLitman.

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