Tag: Big 12 football scores

No. 3 Texas hands No. 24 Kansas its first loss, 40-14

Jonathon Brooks ran for 218 yards as Texas outgained Kansas 661 yards to 260.

Two teams entered Austin undefeated on Saturday. Kansas is no longer undefeated.

The Texas Longhorns (5-0) thoroughly defeated the Kansas Jayhawks (4-1) on Saturday. The score doesn’t tell the story.

Texas more than doubled Kansas’ total yards on the day, but luck helped the Jayhawks back into the game. Save for two explosive plays the Texas defense minimized the damage.

Kansas went 0-for-8 on third down for the game. It wasn’t for lack of opportunities. Jason Bean and Kansas receivers failed to connect on several completable plays. Even so, the Longhorns defense played a winning game despite some of the warts.

Offensively, Texas had its fair share of struggles in the passing game. There weren’t many struggles on the run. Running back Jonathon Brooks ran for 218 yards on 21 carries. The Longhorns totaled 308 rushing yards including two scores for Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.

The Longhorns did sustain an injury in the game. Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders suffered an apparent ankle injury early in the game. Sanders did not return to action.

In Sanders’ absence, Ewers and wide receiver AD Mitchell connected on 10 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Fellow receiver Xavier Worthy added seven catches for 93 yards. Ewers finished the game 25-for-35 for 325 yards with three total touchdowns and an interception.

The Longhorns will take on the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners next Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ABC.

Looking at what Texas is up against with undefeated Kansas

Does Kansas have the level of athlete to keep up with Texas?

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.

No. 3 Texas plays to the standard, beats Baylor 38-6

Texas showed fans what the standard was against Baylor.

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns (4-0) defeated the Baylor Bears (1-3) on Saturday. In doing so, Longhorns played like the No. 3 team in the country winning 38-6.

Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers continued his prime time road game success completing 18 of 23 passes for 293 yards and a passing touchdown. Ewers added a 29-yard rushing touchdown.

Texas running back Jonathon Brooks led Longhorns rushers with 18 carries for 106 yards. Ja’Tavion Sanders led Texas receivers with an explosive 110-yard game on five receptions.

Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford got another interception, while defensive tackle Byron Murphy compiled two sacks.

The major takeaway from the game involves perhaps the team’s most complete game of the season. The Longhorns dominated the first half carrying a 28-6 lead into halftime.

The lone blemish came in the return game. Three Longhorns muffed either a punt or kickoff return. Two of the three fumbles gave Baylor the ball in Texas territory.

Next up, Texas takes on the Kansas Jayhawks (4-0) on the heels of a big win over BYU.

Texas played to the standard. Now it must continue to do so over the next ten weeks.

Big 12 headlines from Week 1 of the 2023 season

Oklahoma easily had the best day, while TCU, Baylor and Texas Tech all lost in upset fashion.

The first week of the Big 12 season surprised on Saturday. Several teams performed below standard including the Texas Longhorns. That said, the majority of those below standard showings performed worse than Texas on the day.

TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor all entered the season with Big 12 title aspirations. The left the weekend with a losing record.

Baylor’s loss was easily the most embarrassing as the Bears fell to the Texas State Bobcats at home. The Bears were nearly four-touchdown favorites before LSU and Auburn transfer quarterback TJ Finley lit up the scoreboard.

Elsewhere, the Texas Tech Red Raiders continued their road woes under Joey McGuire. The team fell to Wyoming in double overtime, 35-33. Given its remaining schedule, the loss does not bode well for McGuire’s team. Tech will take on Oregon next in Lubbock.

Let’s examine a few headlines from the day.