Bryan Fischer
College Football Writer
It looked like No. 7 Texas was going to blow away No. 23 Kansas State on Saturday.
Maalik Murphy was slinging long passes up the field, the Longhorns’ defense was dominating, and the Wildcats seemed flustered as Texas built a 27-7 lead in the third quarter.
But K-State didn’t fold.
The Wildcats took advantage of Texas’ looseness with the football, Will Howard summoned some late-game magic, and fans ended up witnessing a thrilling finish, as the Wildcats rallied to force overtime.
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It was an amazing finish, with Texas ultimately holding on for the victory and keeping its hopes alive for the College Football Playoff.
Scroll below for my analysis of all the key plays from an exciting game.
No. 7 Texas 33, No. 23 Kansas State 30, OT
POSTGAME NOTES
How much will Texas be punished by the College Football Playoff committee for that second half come Tuesday’s rankings? Steve Sarkisian told FOX’s Jenny Taft before the game that he didn’t care how the Longhorns looked as long as they won, and that certainly proved prophetic, as the Horns struggled after building up a 20-point lead in the third quarter.
Highlights: All the great plays from Texas’ thrilling win over Kansas State
— FOX’s Bruce Feldman reported pregame that Quinn Ewers could return as soon as next week against TCU, and Texas will have to hope so after Maalik Murphy struggled after making his first mistake with that interception. He never seemed to set his feet and get his body behind throws, and he was a little anxious in the pocket as KSU brought more pressure. It didn’t help that his run game seemed to slip away, as Jonathon Brooks (112 yards, one TD) and CJ Baxter (90 yards, one TD) had solid stat lines but little impact when it mattered most in the second half.
— It didn’t end how the Wildcats wanted, but credit to Will Howard for turning into Superman after throwing that bizarre interception to start the third quarter. He finished with 327 yards and four touchdowns to help carry the ’Cats in a game in which they had nothing going on the ground (1.1 yards per carry, 33 yards total).
‘We just continued to fight’ – Texas HC Steve Sarkisian
FINAL: TEXAS WINS!
The Longhorns are off to their best start since 2009 — when they reached the BCS national title game — thanks to a heroic defensive stand on the doorstep of their end zone.
Young QB Maalik Murphy had a first quarter for the ages before reverting to an inexperienced young signal-caller — 19-of-37, 248 yards, one TD, two INTS — yet emerged with the win in the end.
The turnovers by the Longhorns were the great equalizer down the stretch as Kansas State stormed back, but the big takeaway will clearly be that decision by Chris Klieman to go for it on fourth down when the Wildcats could have sent it to the second OT. This was billed as an elimination game in the race to get to Arlington for the Big 12 title game and it more than lived up to the hype with the thrilling conclusion.
FIRST OT
Texas got on the board first with a 42-yard FG, but third-down woes were once again the story of the offense as the Horns were unable to get a big play on first down. The Longhorns have been held to just 2-of-15 and now their defense must keep KSU out of the end zone if they want to keep those CFP and Big 12 hopes alive.
Wowzers, Chris Klieman made a gutsy call to go for it on fourth down, but Will Howard couldn’t find anything open and Texas will survive 33-30 in OT. What a game.
End 4Q: OVERTIME!
If you want to be the champ, you have to beat the champ. But that’s not so easy, as Texas has found out this second half against the reigning Big 12 titleholders. KSU quarterback Will Howard has been fantastic in forcing overtime, going 18-of-26 with three TDs (one INT) in the second half.
0:01 4Q: REDEMPTION!
The 45-yard field goal is … good from Chris Tennant. He split the uprights, and we’re one tick away from overtime. What a game.
1:18 4Q: K-State has a chance
Texas’ offense goes three-and-out, punts and takes just 27 seconds off the clock.
1:45 4Q: Texas escapes a tie
WOW. Chris Tennant misses the field goal after Texas got a stop on third down and the Longhorns have 1:45 to ice this game away. Incredible drive ends up without any points for the Wildcats.
4:14 4Q: Howard in control
Will Howard in the fourth quarter has basically turned into Joe Montana — 5-of-7, 94 yards, two TDs and counting as he has escaped pressure and made every play needed for the Wildcats. What a game we’ve got as another review took place on this sliding catch by Phillip Brooks.
6:08 4Q: Longhorns retake the lead
Texas has converted just two of its 13 third-down attempts. The Longhorns got a key fourth-down conversion on that drive from Maalik Murphy to move the chains, but had to settle for the 34-yard field goal to re-take the lead with six to go. Keep in mind that KSU might be a little more aggressive here given its kicker appeared to be a bit banged up, so there’s a lot of pressure on the Longhorns defense with this upcoming series.
12:37 4Q: WILDCATS TIE IT UP!
And Kansas State leads! One play, 32 yards out, Will Howard found Jayce Brown for the touchdown and this game has changed in a hurry as 100,000 folks in burnt orange are simply stunned. A botched PAT kept the Wildcats from taking the lead.
Kansas State’s Jayce Brown catches 32-yard TD
12:44 4Q: Texas is going off the rails
This is turning into a straight collapse by Texas. Back-to-back turnovers, the latest a fumble by Jonathon Brooks, put Kansas State on the verge of actually taking the lead for the first time all day. Momentum has fully fled the UT sideline.
13:33 4Q: TOUCHDOWN, WILDCATS!
Will Howard has completed eight of his last nine passes since throwing the interception to start the third quarter. The latest was to Keagan Johnson, after he escaped pressure, for a lovely touchdown that cut this one to 27-21 with LOTS of time remaining in Austin. Buckle. Up.
13:48 4Q: Huge turnover!
Well, well, well, there’s the big play KSU needed. After Maalik Murphy’s pass to Adonai Mitchell just glanced off the wideout’s hands for what would have been a big gain, the young QB made a bad mistake, throwing an interception. Suddenly the Wildcats are setup in the red zone with a chance to cut it to one-score.
End of 3Q: K-State fights back
On the doorstep of the fourth quarter, Kansas State converted its second third down of the day and wound up taking the drive into the end zone, as Will Howard delivered a perfect back-shoulder throw to Phillip Brooks for the 26-yard score. The lead was cut to 27-14, but Chris Klieman needs his defense to step up and get another stop if things are going to get interesting in the final 15 minutes.
4:13 3Q: Longhorns push lead to 27-7
Texas extends its lead despite another middling drive from the offense, which has scored twice after halftime but still hasn’t looked anywhere close to the unit we saw jump out in the first quarter. Since the first quarter, QB Maalik Murphy is just 7-for-14 with an interception. But he figures to be handing the ball off a lot more down the stretch while nursing this 27-7 lead.
9:26 3Q: Huge turn for Texas
It was a MASSIVE fumble recovery by Texas after KSU QB Will Howard mishandled the snap, suddenly making it first-and-goal for the Horns. The replay took seemingly forever to confirm, and Jonathon Brooks punched it in one play later to put the home side up 24-7. Talk about a momentum shift.
11:14 3Q: Stalled out
Texas went 22 yards in six plays but had to punt it away after being unable to capitalize on the interception.
14:19 3Q: INTERCEPTED!
The Horns got just what they needed out of halftime as Kansas State took the shot downfield, but the catch was bobbled and Michael Taaffe wound up with the turnover. We’ll see if Steve Sarkisian tries to lean on the ground game with this drive or if he’ll have something for Maalik Murphy to get back to throwing it around like he did in the 1st quarter.
HALFTIME NOTES
Kansas State is lucky to go into the locker room down only 10 after largely being dominated by Texas during that first half of what amounts to a Big 12 title game quarterfinal.
Longhorns QB Maalik Murphy came out sharp in the first quarter, with several nice deep balls for big gains, but regressed quite a bit during the second — following up the three scoring drives with a pair of punts and two turnovers. Adonai Mitchell (four catches, 101 yards and a score) played a huge role in that early success but perhaps the ankle he limped off with early was starting to bother him as the game wore on.
Still, Steve Sarkisian has to be happy with the way his defense played. The front four was particularly active, and they forced KSU into plenty of obvious passing downs and third-and-longs. The Wildcats rushed for a measly 1.6 yards/carry and will need to figure out something on offense after mostly benefiting from that blocked punt to set up their only score.
Of bigger concern for Chris Klieman? Maybe the fact that UT is 60-1 at home when leading by double digits at halftime. It’s a tall task but if there’s one thorn in the side of the Longhorns, historically it’s been the team from the Little Apple.
0:54 2Q: TOUCHDOWN, WILDCATS!
The Wildcats received a huge injection of life, capping off the big momentum shift from the punt block with a touchdown to cut Texas’ edge to 17-7. The field position obviously helped, but you wonder if K-State will use a little more tempo and quick game after finding some success on that drive. Will Howard is now 5-of-9 for 45 yards and that beautiful toss to Phillip Brooks in the corner of the end zone.
Kansas State’s Will Howard finds Phillip Brooks for 6-yard TD
2:34 2Q: Special teams comes through
It took a blocked punt for Kansas State to finally run a play past their own 35–yard line. Just terrible blocking by Texas to finally put their defense under threat.
3:39 2Q: Kansas State can’t get anything going
Kansas State has gained 34 yards — and lost 11 — on 23 plays. There’s doing nothing and there’s doing what the Wildcats are offensively against a UT defense that is living in their opponent’s backfield so far on Big Noon Saturday.
6:15 2Q: Still running in place
And the answer for the Wildcats to the big momentum shift of that interception? A whole lot of nothing, as they went three-and-out. Even worse for KSU is that its normally solid special teams allowed another long return to set up Texas in plus territory.
7:33 2Q: Picked off!
A nice sign of life for Kansas State as Johntay Cook fell down on the route and Maalik Murphy’s moonshot arm punt was picked off by Jacob Parrish. Up to that point, the Texas QB really only had one throw he’d probably like back as Steve Sarkisian was really on a heater with some excellent play calling. Now it’s up to KSU’s offense to break out of this malaise and try to capitalize after notching just 34 yards on their first four drives.
10:05 2Q: Wildcats in trouble
It’s the danger zone for Kansas State, as the Wildcats are not only trailing but have been unable to move the ball at all. Will Howard has no time to throw (2-of-4, 8 yards) and seems to be contacted in the backfield every time he has to take off and run. Even All-American guard Cooper Beebe has struggled with this Texas front four in what has become a very one-sided contest so far.
11:35 2Q: A lightning strike for Longhorns
Well, that fourth-down call couldn’t have worked out any better for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. After looking like they were going all Philadelphia Eagles, Maalik Murphy’s pitch to CJ Baxter was a beauty as he made one K-State defender miss and took it 54 yards to the house. This is a nightmare for the Wildcats as they’re not exactly a team equipped to start throwing it all over the yard to come back from three scores while on the road.
Texas’ CJ Baxter rushes for a 54-yard touchdown
1:11 1Q: Texas goes up 10-0
To quote the great Gus Johnson, “The Murph is slinging the rock.” Maalik Murphy has really showcased the big arm that made him one of Steve Sarkisian’s first big quarterback recruits, finding Adonai Mitchell for another big gain down the field on a drive that wound up with a field goal to go up double digits early. Murphy got a little greedy on a third-down throw to the end zone, but the young QB looks much more comfortable in his second college start, as he faces the Big 12’s top defense.
5:14 1Q: The Texas defense has been tough
Somewhat stating the obvious, but Kansas State averaging 1.9 yards rushing and being forced into obvious passing situations with third-and-longs is not a recipe for success on the road against a top-10 team.
8:36 1Q: TOUCHDOWN, TEXAS!
Maalik Murphy missed on his first deep ball to Xavier Worthy, but he was money on his second, finding Adonai Mitchell for a 37-yard touchdown and the first points of the day in Austin. It was a terrific outside-in move by Mitchell on the post route against single-coverage, which is something KSU has been burned by several times already against the two UT playmakers.
Maalik Murphy connects with Adonai Mitchell for a 37-yard TD
10:30 1Q: Sack attack
Big sack by Barryn Sorrell, who took down Will Howard and forced the Kansas State punt on its first offensive series. You can already tell this is one of those games that will be won or lost in the trenches, and it’s a rare time when the Longhorns can enter this series against the Wildcats as being equally as physical along both lines as the visitors. Both OCs will want to establish the run given the quarterbacks involved but that looks like a tall task based on the early returns.
12:28 1Q: K-State focused on stopping the run
Some nice easy throws from Steve Sarkisian to get Maalik Murphy into rhythm early on, but he can’t connect on the deep ball to Xavier Worthy as Texas winds up punting on its first series. Kansas State’s defense is clearly loading the box to stop Jonathon Brooks from running behind that big Longhorns offensive line.
And here we go!
PREGAME SCENE
Bruce Feldman provided the latest news in the Michigan sign-stealing investigation, including a statement from Connor Stalions, the man at the center of it all. Feldman also said that Stalions’ lawyer told him that, to his knowledge, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff did not know about anything improper going on around advanced scouting.
Bruce Feldman provides the latest on the Michigan sign-stealing investigation and Connor Stalions’ resignation
Matthew McConaughey stopped by to give a pregame speech, celebrate his birthday, and more!
Matthew McConaughey talks Texas vs. Kansas State, turning 54, more
Matt Leinart reunited with his former USC QB coach and current Longhorns’ head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Steve Sarkisian sits down with Matt Leinart to discuss whether Texas is a National Championship contender
Bruce Feldman gave an update on Texas QB Quinn Ewers‘ injury.
Mark Ingram swept Rob Stone right off his feet.
Who’s the real No. 1? Joel Klatt and some special guests debated the topic.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman spoke with Jenny Taft to set up the game. Reminder: Klieman’s Wildcats won the league last season.
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman tells Jenny Taft what it takes to beat Texas
The Big 12 is set up to have a wild race to the top of the standings, and our crew broke it all down, including a breakdown of Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State Preview
Matt Leinart and Mark Ingram broke down the Heisman race, with “The Bear” bringing a prediction of his own …
Jayden Daniels, Marvin Harrison Jr. headline our Heisman candidates
It’s already a fun one in Austin …
Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
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