Replay: Texas football knocks off Kansas State on the road in key Big 12 victory

richard tijerina, austin american-statesman

Sun, Nov 6, 2022, 1:25 AM·12 min read

The Texas Longhorns are 1-6 in true road games under Steve Sarkisian, are coming off a loss in their last game, and are playing the same Kansas State team that just last week blew out the same Oklahoma State team that two weeks ago beat Texas. And the Longhorns are favored to beat No. 13 Kansas State in Manhattan. Go figure.

Maybe it's the stakes — Texas (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) must win out to have any hope of making it to the Big 12 championship game, and even that might not be enough. So a loss on Saturday would be a crippling blow to Sarkisian's second season. Maybe it's the uncertainty at quarterback for Kansas State, which may start Adrian Martinez, the runner, or Will Howard, the passer. Or maybe it's the fact that Texas has won five straight over the Wildcats (6-2, 4-1), including a 69-31 pasting in 2020, the last time the Longhorns were in Manhattan.

More:Bohls: Steve Sarkisian needs some serious momentum to kick-start his Texas program

Follow along below for live updates this morning and throughout the contest:

Texas running back Roschon Johnson scores on a touchdown run in the first half of the Longhorns' game at Kansas State on Saturday.

Texas wins ... and finds itself in the thick of the Big 12 race

Texas has beaten No. 13 Kansas State 34-27 in Manhattan, the Longhorns' first true road win since October 2021 with a huge night from Bijan Robinson and perhaps an even huger night from linebacker Jaylan Ford, who had a game-turning interception at the end of the first half and a game-saving fumble recovery at the end of the game. TCU has a two-game lead in the conference race and is the only undefeated team left in the league, and Texas is sitting at 4-2 tied for second place with Baylor and Kansas State, and now holds the tiebreaker over the Wildcats.

Next up: TCU, next Saturday.

Jaylan Ford saves the game — and maybe the season, too (4th, :24)

Texas looks headed to win this game, and it was a huge defensive play that saved the day. In the closing seconds, with Kansas State needing a touchdown to force overtime, Keondre Coburn forced a second Adrian Martinez fumble on the drive and Jaylan Ford recovered it. The Longhorns, up 34-27, will take over at their own 39-yard line. It was a tough end to what looked like a dangerous Wildcats drive. Martinez found Kade Warner for 13 yards over the middle to move it close to midfield, but the Wildcats avoided total disaster when Ogie Oghoufo forced a fumble as Martinez was smothered by heavy pressure. But the Longhorns couldn't pounce on the ball before it bounced out of bounds. That forced a third-and-12 from Kansas State's 44, and Martinez found RJ Garcia for six yards. Martinez saved the drive with a 7-yard floater to Deuce Vaughn for a first down, but then the Longhorns forced the turnover.

The Wildcat will have their chance (4th, 2:43)

Kansas State has forced a Texas punt and will start their drive at the 19-yard line, needing a touchdown to tie the game. Bijan Robinson was stuffed on a third-and-4 on Texas' last drive to force the punt. Texas leads 34-27.

Can Texas close this one out?(4th, 4:26)

Adrian Martinez has placed the Wildcats on his back in the fourth quarter, having just engineered a 13-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Ty Zentner's 28-yard field goal. Texas still leads, but it's a one-possession lead at 34-27. Martinez was 4-for-6 passing on the drive and also had scrambles of 11 and 14 yards to get Kansas State close. And the drive was saved by a 16-yard flopper from Martinez that Phillip Brooks somehow caught on a third-and-9 play. But Ogie Oghoufo wrapped Martinez up for a 2-yard loss to force third-and-9, and then heavy pressure forced Martinez to throw it away.

Auburn's kick puts Texas back up by 10 (4th, 10:29)

Texas has made this a two-possession game again on Bert Auburn's 29-yard field goal, the Longhorns' first points of the second half. Texas, after watching Kansas State put up a pair of touchdowns, is leading 34-24. A blitz on third-and-7 from the 11-yard line forced Quinn Ewers into an early throw, and he couldn't find Bijan Robinson in the end zone. The Wildcats were lucky to get out of this drive with just a field goal. Lots of mistakes, including a 15-yard late hit and a 10-yard defensive holding flags.

One play into the fourth quarter, and this is a game again (4th, 14:54)

Adrian Martinez found Kade Warner down the middle for a 25-yard touchdown pass, and don't look now, but that once-upon-a-time three-touchdown lead at halftime has melted away in Manhattan. Texas still leads 31-24, but momentum has clearly shifted toward the Wildcats. Texas' last three drives have gone fumble, punt and punt.

Worthy's fumble opens the door for Kansas State (3rd, 8:37)

A big play on defense has helped Kansas State cut the Texas lead to 31-17. Adrian Martinez's 1-yard run came on the end of a wild drive that saw one big Wildcats play get wiped out by a holding penalty, and a personal foul call on Jerrin Thompson that saved the drive from a first-and-35 hole and even a controversial video review of Martinez's touchdown. And it all was made possible by a Xavier Worthy fumble after making a catch on Texas' side of the field. It was Texas' second turnover of the game.

Texas has No. 13 Kansas State in a corner (halftime)

Texas has taken a 31-10 lead over Kansas State at the break, and the 13th-ranked Wildcats are in trouble. Texas' defense controlled the second quarter, getting a key sack to kill one Kansas State drive and then forcing a turnover on the Wildcats' attempted final drive of the first half to get points. The Wildcats, with 1:35 to work with, tried to work the clock for a final score but Adrian Martinez didn't see linebacker Jaylan Ford floating in the zone, and Ford picked it off and returned it to Kansas State's 27-yard line. Quinn Ewers found Xavier Worthy alone in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 3.

Robinson has gone over 1,000 yards for the season in this game. Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn has moved into the No. 2 spot on the Wildcats' career rushing list. Neither running back has disappointed. Robinson has 15 carries for 161 yards and a touchdown and also has a 21-yard catch; Vaughn has 12 carries for 54 yards and is the Wildcats' leading receiver with three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats will get the ball to start the second half. No one is forgetting that Texas has blown two double-digit second-half leads so far this season, or that the Longhorns are 1-6 in true road games under Steve Sarkisian — or that oddsmakers felt Texas was a field goal better in this matchup.

Bert Auburn adds a field goal to pad Texas' lead (1:35)

Bijan Robinson's big 68-yard romp down the sideline set up Texas' latest score: a 28-yard field goal from Bert Auburn, making this a 24-10 game. (Quinn Ewers took a hard hit on a third-and-goal blitz from the blind side; he was slow to get up, but looked OK on the sideline.) Robinson's big run was a makeup for Roschon Johnson's costly lost fumble on the Longhorns' previous drive, when a Kansas State defender knocked the ball loose from behind at the tail end of a breakaway 37-yard run on a fourth-and-1 from near midfield. On the Wildcats' ensuing drive, Kansas State coach Chris Klieman gambled on fourth-and-2 from Texas' 16, trailing 21-10. But Adrian Martinez's shot into the end zone was incomplete.

Xavier Worthy does it again — and for the 20th time (2nd, 10:24)

Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who spent the first quarter pretty much as an offensive decoy while targets were going Jordan Whittington's and Ja'Tavion Sanders' direction, has made the most of his first reception of this game: a 13-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Ewers after making a nice move on his defender in the end zone. Texas now leads 21-10 and we're about to see how Kansas State responds to pressure. It was Worthy's 20th career touchdown catch — and he's playing in his 20th career game. You can do the math. ... Oh, and there's been a Savion Red sighting. The freshman receiver from Grand Prairie had a 9-yard catch on the drive.

The Wildcats blink first (2nd, 13:40)

This could be a long night for both defenses. But for shootout purposes, the Wildcats have blinked first. Kansas State's Ty Zentner's 22-yard field goal has made this a 14-10 game early in the second quarter. Take a look at both teams' first four drives: Texas — 8-75-TD, 8-75-TD; Kansas State — 7-65-TD, 16-84-FG. Of note: Texas lost nickel back Jahdae Barron on the drive; he collided with Jaylan Ford while trying to make a tackle on a sliding Adrian Martinez on an 8-yard scramble. He was replaced by Michael Taafe, who has seen increased snaps over the last two games.

A running back-by-committee kind of touchdown (1st, 5:13)

Anyone in the mood for a shootout? Texas has answered Kansas State's game-tying touchdown drive with another scoring drive of its own, this one powered not just by Bijan Robinson, but by the Longhorns' other two running backs a well. Robinson had carries of 2, 6 and 3 yards and a nifty 21-yard reverse screen, while Keilan Robinson surprised the Wildcats with a quick toss for an 11-yard gain, and then Roschon Johnson squirted up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown run to put Texas back up 14-7.

Deuce Vaughn answers right back (1st, 8:41)

This already was a juicy matchup because it was pitting the Big 12's top two running backs against each other. So far Bijan Robinson and Deuce Vaughn are not disappointing. After Texas went up 7-0 on its first drive behind Robinson's 36-yard touchdown run, Kansas State has tied it 7-7 on Vaughn's 28-yard touchdown catch that followed some hard-nosed running plays earlier in the drive. So far, Robinson has three carries for 42 yards and one touchdown; Vaughn has four carries for 24 yards and the 28-yard touchdown catch.

So far, so good: Texas lands first punch (1st quarter, 12:30 left)

Things couldn't have started much better for Texas in this game. The Longhorns are up 7-0 on Bijan Robinson's 36-yard touchdown run with 12:30 left in the first quarter. Even better: the Longhorns converted a third-and-9 to keep the drive alive, Ja'Tavion Sanders is an active part of the game plan early (three targets), and the Wildcats are going to have to go the rest of the way without Julius Brents, their top defensive back. He was thrown out of the game on a targeting penalty on a hit he made on Jordan Whittington. Brents is fourth on the team in tackles, has 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups. That's a big loss to this defense.

When Texas has the ball and K'State's on defense, something's gotta give

We're about 15 minutes from kickoff.

Kansas State is allowing only 17.3 points and 354.9 yards a game. The Wildcats are No. 11 in points allowed, No. 7 in turnover margin, No. 16 stopping fourth downs, No. 22 in sacks and No. 26 in tackles for loss. So far, the Wildcats have held every Big 12 team they've played — Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Iowa State, TCU and Oklahoma State — below their season scoring average. (Texas, meanwhile, is averaging 36.4 points a game.)

And beware, Quinn Ewers. The Wildcats have picked off 11 passes, which lead the Big 12 and are tied for ninth-most nationally.

Ugh. Another road game.

Texas is 1-6 in true road games under Steve Sarkisian — and only 2-7 if you include the annual neutral site game with Oklahoma. The Longhorns lost last year at Arkansas, West Virginia, Baylor and Iowa State, with a road win at TCU, and are 0-2 so far this year (losses at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State).

Still, the Longhorns opened the week as 2½-point favorites over No. 13 Kansas State on Monday; today, that has bumped up to a 3-point spread. Go figure.

Wildcats will start Adrian Martinez — right?

Kansas State's Adrian Martinez is listed as the starter at quarterback today on the depth chart that was handed out in the press box. Martinez also seen seen working with starting center Hayden Gillium during the Wildcats' warmups at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. But Kansas State fans might not be sold on these pregame clues about who'll start: Martinez went through the same warmups last week but still sat out the 48-0 win over Oklahoma State with a reported leg injury. Will Howard threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns in relief.

We're about 30 minutes away from kickoff.

— Danny Davis

It's a windy day in Manhattan

The students at Bill Snyder Family Stadium have spared none of the Longhorns, so even freshman kicker Will Stone heard some boos when he walked onto the field by himself for warmups. Stone, though, was probably more interested in the weather than the fans since he handles kickoffs for Texas: a stiff wind is blowing in Manhattan and kicking into the south end of the stadium. It will be a challenge today.