There’s been no panic this week in the Lone Star State as unranked Texas prepares to host hapless Kansas on Saturday in Austin, in a game between two Big 12 teams that are stuck in the mud and going nowhere fast.
That might come as a surprise to some who have come to expect a short fuse from the Longhorns’ fanbase. Instead, there’s been a collective yawn and a shaking of heads as Texas (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) tries to get back on track after losing four consecutive games for the first time since 2010 — all in conference.
The Longhorns are home after a 30-7 loss at Iowa State on Nov. 6 in which they were totally outplayed after halftime for the fourth straight contest, managed just 207 total yards of offense and got little or nothing out of their two quarterbacks or their defense.
Texas gained only 6 yards, had just 14 offensive snaps and punted four times during the pivotal third quarter as the Cyclones roared to the lead and the win after trailing 7-3 at the half. It’s the fourth game in a row that the Longhorns were leading in the third quarter and lost.
“We don’t have time for feeling sorry for ourselves,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “This has been a long month with some grueling losses, and our guys continue to come back and fight back. I’d be remiss without saying that I’m as frustrated as anybody because I know what we’re capable of.”
Quarterback Hudson Card passed for just 101 yards and a touchdown for Texas after entering in relief of the ineffective Casey Thompson. Bijan Robinson, the Longhorns’ star running back, had 90 yards rushing and caught eight passes for 36 yards but fumbled twice.
Kansas travels to Austin after a 35-10 loss to Sunflower State rival Kansas State in Lawrence on Nov. 6. The Jayhawks (1-8, 0-6) have now lost 13 straight games to K-State and have dropped eight consecutive games — by an average of 31.5 points per contest — since a season-opening 17-14 win over South Dakota.
Kwamie Lassiter II led Kansas with six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, with third-string quarterback Jalon Daniels passing for 105 yards and Devin Neal rushing for 62 yards on 19 carries for the Jayhawks.
“We’ve got to keep working — got to keep working,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve said for a long time. Our margin of error is small, and we have to find a way to overcome things that don’t go our way and respond better than we have and become a little bit more consistent.”
The Longhorns lead the all-time series 16-3, including a 9-0 record at home.
–Field Level Media
