Replay: Texas football travels to Lawrence, knocks out Kansas for Big 12 victory

There's just something about the Kansas Jayhawks that can bring out the worst in the Texas Longhorns. As much as Kansas has struggled against the rest of the Big 12 and, really, the rest of the nation, the Jayhawks sure can give Texas fits.

The Charlie Strong era, for all intents and purposes, ended in the Longhorns' second-to-last game of the 2016 season, a 24-21 loss in Lawrence on Nov. 19. In the next trip to Lawrence, No. 11 Texas left with a seven-point win in 2018. Cameron Dicker's walk-off field goal gave the Longhorns a 50-48 win in 2019, the 2020 game was canceled and the Jayhawks shocked the Horns 57-56 in overtime last year, in Austin no less.

So, Saturday's matchup between no-longer ranked Texas (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) and once-ranked/once 5-0 Kansas (6-4, 3-4) has plenty on the line. Besides the revenge factor, the Longhorns' remaining path to a conference championship game rematch with TCU is to beat Kansas this week, beat Baylor next week and hope for both Kansas State and Oklahoma State to slip up one more time in their final two games.

The weather in Lawrence is expected to be fairly harsh — low 40s, plus rain. The Longhorns are favored by nine points. Follow along below for live updates this afternoon and throughout the contest:

Texas improves to 7-4 (final)

Texas has beaten Kansas in Lawrence, 55-14. After that flurry of scoring over the first half of the fourth quarter, the Longhorns settled in, ran the clock out and head back home with a 7-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the Big 12 heading into next Friday's regular-season finale against Baylor. Kansas State won a big one today, beating West Virginia in Morgantown, to remain all alone in second place in the conference standings. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, which has the tiebreaker advantage over Texas, play this evening.

The Longhorns need to beat Baylor and hope that Kansas upsets Kansas State next week, and that Oklahoma State either falls tonight in their Bedlam matchup or next week at home against West Virginia. If those three things happen, Texas will make it to the Big 12 championship game for a rematch with TCU.

Quinn Ewers finished 12 of 21 for 107 yards and one touchdown; Bijan Robinson had 25 carries for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Jonathon Brooks had 108 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries. Jordan Whittington was Texas' top receiver, with six catches for 56 yards. Ewers' touchdown pass went to Keilan Robinson. Anthony Cook and Morice Blackwell Jr. each had six tackles to lead the team.

Move over, Bijan Robinson (4th, 9:09)

This Texas win will be remembered for Bijan Robinson's monster game, but Jonathon Brooks just put his stamp on the game with a big 70-yard touchdown run on a third-and-five play. He broke out of two tackles and then sped untouched for the final 60 yards. The Longhorns now lead 55-14.

Quick-strike Kansas scores again (4th, 10:33)

Kansas has gone up-tempo and, in turn, just produced a four-play, 74-yard drive that took all of 59 seconds off the game clock. Jalon Daniels hit Quentin Skinner for a 55-yard strike over the middle at the expense of Kitan Crawford, and then found Luke Grimm for a 12-yard touchdown pass in the end zone two plays later. Texas leads 48-14.

Texas is pouring it on (4th, 11:36)

Bijan Robinson is on the sideline, the Texas Longhorns are on their way to an impressive win and the reserves are getting their snaps. Jonathon Brooks and Jaydon Blue are taking care of things in the running game and Texas is now up 48-7 on Brooks' 3-yard touchdown run, his third score of the season. It's been this kind of day for the Longhorns: going for it on fourth-and-3 from Kansas' 29-yard line on the final play of the third quarter, leading 41-7. Brooks bulled his way for five yards and the first down. He also converted a third-and-1 inside the 5 to set up the score.

Texas has rushed for 338 yards on the day.

There goes the shutout (3rd, 1:39)

Kansas has finally gotten on the scoreboard, a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jalon Daniels to Torry Locklin, to make this a 41-7 game heading toward the end of the third quarter. The big play of the drive was a 42-yard pass from Daniels to Lawrence Arnold, who stiff-armed Jett Bush along the way, to Texas' 24.

Bert Auburn makes this a 41-0 lead (3rd, 4:17)

Two burning questions remain in what's looking like a runaway Texas victory:

Will the Longhorns, who now lead 41-0, allow Kansas to score at all? We saw this defense blank Oklahoma in Dallas; it's now less than a quarter-and-a-half away from doing it again in Lawrence.

And why is Bijan Robinson still in this game? He's got 25 carries for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns, including runs of 1, 8 and 4 yards on this last drive, which ended with Bert Auburn's 40-yard field goal, his second kick of the day. Robinson headed to the sideline to catch his breath after a tough 4-yard carry on fourth-and-1 from Kansas' 41. Keilan Robinson finished out the drive, so maybe Bijan is done for the day.

Bijan Robinson sets a new career single-game mark (3rd, 11:03)

Bijan Robinson picked a good run to go over 200 yards on the day: a 31-yard touchdown — his fourth score of the day — on Texas' first drive of the second half, putting the Horns up 38-0. Robinson had runs of 9 and 17 yards earlier in the drive and now has 22 carries for 230 yards, breaking his previous best game of 216 yards last year against TCU. He had 209 this season against Kansas State.

One week after listless loss, Texas is making up for lost time (halftime)

Bijan Robinson has scored three touchdowns and has also had two others called back, one by penalty (a Ja'Tavion Sanders holding penalty) and one, at the end of this drive, by replay when his brilliant 25-yard scoring run, complete with cuts and jukes and a leap toward the pylon was reversed. That left Steve Sarkisian with a first-and-goal at the 1 with 1 second left, and on the final play of the half, Robinson — who else? — leaped over the middle of the line for the touchdown.

Texas leads 31-0 heading into the second half.

First-half stats for Texas: Quinn Ewers is 8-of-14 for 82 yards and 1 TD. He's managing things today, letting the running game lead the way. Robinson has 19 carries for 172 yards and 3 TDs, and Roschon Johnson has 34 yards. Jordan Whittington is leading Texas in targets and catches, with 3 receptions for 33 yards, and Xavier Worthy has two catches for 30 yards. Defensively, Jaylan Ford has 5 tackles and an interception.

Texas is outgaining Kansas in total yards, 301 to 136. The Jayhawks have managed only 86 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and six first downs. Jalon Daniels is 9-of-14 for 86 yards and the pick.

Robinson — Keilan this time, not Bijan — scores (2nd, 4:56)

Sure, there's a whole second half to play and this season, that has been an adventure. But Texas is threatening to knock out Kansas. The Horns now lead 24-0 on Keilan Robinson's 15-yard touchdown catch that came on third-and-goal. It was the other Robinson (Bijan) who set up the score, though. He bounced off a couple of Kansas tacklers for a big 31-yard run to the Jayhawks' 10-yard line. Jake Majors was flagged for a false start, which pushed the Horns back to the 15, and Quinn Ewers threw incomplete to Robinson on a wheel route on second down to set up the scoring paly. Bijan Robinson has 14 carries for 124 yards and two scores. He's averaging 8.9 yards a carry.

Kansas' drive comes up empty (2nd, 7:23)

Texas is still shutting out Kansas 17-0, as the Jayhawks just missed out on getting onto the scoreboard when Jacob Borcila's 34-yard field goal try went wide right in the swirling Lawrence winds. On the critical fourth-and-1 play right before the kick, Jalon Daniels evaded backfield pressure from two Longhorns to find Jared Casey for 12 yards and a touchdown, but Kansas was flagged for an ineligible receiver downfield. So the Jayhawks settled for the field goal try. Kudos to Jaylan Ford, who stopped Mason Fairchild one yard short of the first down at Texas' 12-yard line on third-and-8, forcing the fourth down.

Tucker-Dorsey ejected for targeting (2nd, 12:09)

Texas will have to go the rest of the way today without linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, who was ejected for targeting in the second quarter on a Jalon Daniels pass. He was also called for roughing the passer on the play, too, so Kansas went from a first-and-10 from Kansas' own 25 to first-and-10 at the 40. It's still a 17-0 game, but the Jayhawks are driving.

No touchdown, but Texas pads lead (2nd, 12:18)

Texas has scored on its third straight drive, a 28-yard field goal by Bert Auburn, to take a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter. The key play of the 12-play, 46-yard scoring drive: a 24-yard snag-and-run pass on third-and-6 from Quinn Ewers to Xavier Worthy, who extended on the run to just barely grasp control of the ball. Worthy raced to KU's 28. The second-biggest play: Ewers, on a fourth-and-4 hard count from the 22, induced two Jayhawks defensive linemen to jump offside. Bijan Robinson scored his third touchdown on a 7-yard run, but it was called back on a holding penalty by Ja'Tavion Sanders, and the Horns settled for the field goal.

Another Texas drive, another Texas touchdown (1st, 5:33)

Bijan Robinson's 17-yard scamper around the left side has put Texas up 14-0 — his second score of the first quarter — and so far, the defense has picked up right where it left off last week. A tip of the hat to Xavier Worthy, whose 22-yard punt return set the Longhorns up in great position at Kansas' 28. It's early, but this could end up being a big day for Robinson, who's got 8 carries for 69 yards already, averaging 8.6 yards per pop.

Robinson's run puts Horns up early (1st, 7:50)

Texas has struck first, taking a 7-0 lead on Bijan Robinson's 2-yard touchdown run right up the middle. It's Robinson's 13th rushing score of the season and Texas' first touchdown since just before halftime of last week's loss to TCU. Jordan Whittington had a nice 12-yard run on a quick pitch while in motion, and the Longhorns utilized Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Keilan Robinson on this drive. It was a 10-play, 68-yard scoring drive; Bijan Robinson had four carries on it for 27 yards. Remember, he had only 29 total yards last week.

Early on, a battle of punts (1st quarter, 11:48)

There have been two drives so far in Lawrence. Both Texas and Kansas opened with three-and-out punts.

Not that there haven't already been some moments: Remember when we said Jason Bean had been announced as Kansas' starting quarterback? Yeah, not so much. Former starter Jalon Daniels ran out onto the field to the delight of the 45,000-plus at Memorial Stadium. His first pass, though, should have been a 32-yard pick-six from Jahdae Barron, who jumped all over the slant route on Kansas' first play but couldn't contain the ball after it bounced off his hands. ... Not much to say about Texas' first drive, which saw Quinn Ewers go 1-for-3. Daniel Trejo, kicking into a stiff 20-mph wind, punted 29 yards for his first effort.

Texas vs. Kansas: tale of the tape

Where the Longhorns and Jayhawks rank nationally in various categories:

Points per game: Texas 34th, Kansas 17th (advantage: KU)

Total offense: Texas 41st, Kansas 29th (advantage: KU)

Total defense: Texas 59th, Kansas 117th (advantage: UT)

Passing: Texas 51st, Kansas 64th (advantage: UT)

Stopping the pass: Texas 90th, Kansas 118th (advantage: UT)

Rushing: Texas 50th, Kansas 18th (advantage: KU)

Stopping the run: Texas 39th, Kansas 93rd (advantage: UT)

After 10 games, Kansas has just as many wins as Texas, a 6-4 season that, like the Longhorns', has had ups and downs. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 5-0 shock-the-nation type of start, notching wins that at the time looked better then than now — over Iowa State, West Virginia, Houston and Duke. But now they're scrambling, having lost four of their last five games. In the Big 12, Kansas has beaten Iowa State and Oklahoma State and has lost to TCU, Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech.

We're about 15 minutes away from kickoff.

Jason Bean announced as Kansas' starter

Backup quarterback Jason Bean, who has thrown for 1,256 yards with 14 touchdowns and four picks in place of injured starter Jalon Daniels, has been announced as the Jayhawks' starter for today's game. Daniels got Kansas off to a 5-0 start before he got injured. He had thrown for 1,072 yards with 11 touchdowns and one pick.

Texas has been here before: not knowing which quarterback to prep for. Kansas' Jalon Daniels dazzled throughout September but suffered a shoulder injury during the 38-31 loss to TCU on Oct. 8. Bean has stepped in to at least deliver the stats, if not the wins; Kansas has averaged 32.5 points in his four starts.

There are 15 Texans on the Jayhawks' roster, 12 of whom hail from either the Metroplex or Houston areas. Two quarterbacks are Texans as well, including Bean. Another Texan is from the Austin area — offensive lineman De'Kedrick Serns, from Del Valle.

The scene — and seen — in Lawrence

We're about 30 minutes away from kickoff. It's a chilly afternoon in Lawrence, but that didn't stop a Longhorn or two from going through part of their warmups without a shirt. The temperature at kickoff should be in the mid-30s. And Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has missed the last four games with a shoulder injury, is going through warmups.

The attendance for Kansas' five home games this season at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium: 34,902 (Tennessee Tech); 47,233 (Duke); 47,233 (Iowa State); 47,233 (TCU); and 43,606 (Oklahoma State). Stadium capacity is 47,000.

— Danny Davis

What's at stake today

Texas, still clinging onto hope as well as a narrow path to the Big 12 championship game, must win its final two games plus get some help to get to Arlington (both Kansas State, which currently sits all alone in second place) and Oklahoma State (which is tied with Texas in third place and owns the tiebreaker over the Horns) have to lose one of their final two games as well. Today, the 15th-ranked Wildcats are leading West Virginia in Morgantown 35-19 early in the second quarter; Oklahoma State plays at Oklahoma tonight (6:30, ABC). Baylor and conference-leading TCU are locked in a close one (Baylor leads 28-26 with 2 minutes left to play in Waco).

You have to go back to 2014 for the last time Texas beat Kansas in Lawrence with ease, a 23-0 victory. Since then: the 2016 game there was a 24-21 KU win that, for all intents and purposes, sealed Charlie Strong's firing one week later; the 2018 game was a 7-point win over the Horns and the 2020 game was canceled. KU beat Texas in overtime last year in Austin.

About the Jayhawks

Talk about a turnaround. Kansas went 2-10 last year, finishing in last place in the Big 12 (1-8) and didn't make a bowl game. This season the Jayhawks jumped out to a 5-0 start and are headed to a bowl. Just like Texas, they're 6-4. ... That lone conference victory for the Jayhawks last year? The 57-56 overtime win over Texas in Austin. Since that game, the Jayhawks have gone 6-6. (Texas is 7-5.).

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The Jayhawks have produced seven plays of 60 or more yards. ... Kansas had one player on the Big 12 preseason team: safety Kenny Logan Jr., who's fifth in the conference with 80 tackles and has had double-digit stops in four games. He also has two picks. ... Nationally, Kansas ranks 17th in points per game, 29th in total offense, 18th in rushing and 64th in passing, but defensively, KU is 117th in total defense, 118th against the pass and 93rd against the run.

We're about one hour away from kickoff.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Replay: Texas travels to Kansas, wins key Big 12 matchup in Lawrence