Two weeks in the past, Texas let a sport in opposition to Oklahoma State slip away within the fourth quarter.
The Longhorns weren’t about to let it occur once more.
After driving Bijan Robinson to a 31-10 halftime lead at Kansas State, then watching the No. 13 Wildcats come roaring again down the stretch, the Longhorns’ protection stepped up one final time. Keondre Coburn stripped Adrian Martinez close to midfield with 34 seconds to go, Jaylan Ford pounced on the free ball and Texas escaped with a 34-27 victory Saturday evening.
“We just understood that we’re not going to lose again on the road. That’s when the fight came out,” stated Robinson, who ran for 209 yards and a rating. “The defense came up clutch. They understood that they had to put the game on their backs and they had to stop them and execute and that’s what they did.”
Quinn Ewers threw for 197 yards with two TD passes to Xavier Worthy, and Roschon Johnson added a TD run for the Longhorns (6-3, 4-2 Big 12), who management their very own future within the race for the Big 12 title sport.
They start a three-game ending gauntlet in opposition to No. 7 TCU subsequent week earlier than video games in opposition to Kansas and Baylor.
“I told the guys, ‘We’re not done. We have more work,’” Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian stated. “We have a great opportunity ahead of us in this entire month of November. What you do in November is what everybody remembers.”
Martinez threw for 329 yards and two TDs, however he additionally threw an interception that was a Texas landing and had the fumble the clinched the sport. Deuce Vaughn had 73 yards speeding together with 86 yards and a landing receiving.
“The guys stayed in the fight,” stated Wildcats coach Chris Klieman, whose group hasn’t overwhelmed Texas since 2016. (*5*)
The momentum swung to Texas on the fourth play of the sport, when Kansas State’s Julius Brents earned a questionable focusing on penalty, taking the Wildcats’ finest cowl cornerback off the sector for the remainder of the sport.
The Longhorns proceeded to reel off three straight landing drives, all going eight performs and 75 yards. Robinson capped the primary with a 36-yard run, Johnson completed the second from 9 yards out, and Worthy capitalized on Brents’ absence by hauling within the first of his two TDs to present the Longhorns a 21-10 lead.
The solely time Kansas State (6-3, 4-2) bought off the sector got here when Johnson fumbled on the finish of a 37-yard acquire. But the Wildcats promptly punted away, Texas added a subject aim, after which Martinez was picked off within the closing minutes to arrange Worthy’s second landing reception and prolong the result in 31-10 on the break.
The Longhorns had 352 yards of offense by that time in opposition to a Kansas State protection that restricted Oklahoma State to 217 whole in a 48-0 win final week. Robinson had bullied his method for 161 on the bottom, one of the best half of his profession.
(*13*) Klieman stated. “I think he’s one of the best running backs in college football for a reason.”
Kansas State mounted a second-half comeback, and it was that struggling protection that jump-started it. Josh Hayes popped one other fumble free and, after a collection of penalties, Martinez scored from a yard out to make it 31-17.
Martinez then hit Kade Warner from 25 yards out on the primary play of the fourth quarter to make it a landing sport.
Texas and Kansas State promptly traded subject objectives, however the Wildcats’ kick got here after a time-consuming drive that drained greater than 6 minutes off the clock. It bought them inside 34-27 however with simply 4:26 left within the sport.
The Wildcats stuffed Robinson on third all the way down to get the ball again, and Martinez rapidly moved them to midfield. But after changing fourth down with a go to Vaughn with 34 seconds to go, the senior quarterback — getting the beginning over Will Howard, who had been dynamic final week in opposition to the Cowboys — fumbled the ball away.
“We had a chance to win it in the fourth quarter,” Klieman stated. “We just made too many mistakes.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas misplaced a pair of fumbles and didn’t convert on fourth down, however in any other case the offense was practically unstoppable within the first half. In the second, the Longhorns managed to make simply sufficient to performs to maintain Kansas State at bay.
Kansas State made far too many errors, starting with the Brents penalty and private fouls on middle Hayden Gillum and linebacker Daniel Green. The Wildcats completed with 9 penalties for 85 yards in an uncharacteristic efficiency by one of many higher disciplined groups within the Big 12.
UP NEXT
The Longhorns performs No. 7 TCU subsequent Saturday evening.
The Wildcats head to Baylor the identical evening.
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