The No. 3 Texas Longhorns (4-0) will face the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks (4-0) in Austin on Saturday. The game provides Texas with its second ranked matchup of the season.
Saturday poses one of the toughest challenges for the Texas defense. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels leads an offense that ranks No. 25 in yards per game (463.0), No. 12 in rushing offense (217.8) and No. 59 in passing offense (245.2). Given how well Baylor executed downfield throws against the Longhorns, the Jayhawks should be able to land a few of their own.
The challenge for Kansas comes on defense, where the Texas Longhorns rushing attack looks to run as effectively as it did last year vs. this squad. Last season, Texas ran for 427 yards including an 11-carry, 108-yard performance from Jonathon Brooks. It’s unclear how much better Kansas has become in run defense, but the Texas offense has certainly improved.
There’s a reason Texas borders on a 17-point favorite. It was favored by that much last week. The Longhorns should impose their will on the Jayhawks in the run game. How many stops Texas can make defensively and how much focus it plays with should determine by how much it can win this game.