Texas prepares for massive matchup with No. 9 Kansas

There’s no better resume building opportunity moving forward for Texas than Kansas on the road.

Another opportunity to move off the bubble will take place on Saturday. The Texas Longhorns (17-9) take on the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (20-6) in Allen Fieldhouse.

Like the Houston Cougars who Texas faced last Saturday, the Jayhawks are good at protecting their home floor. Kansas is 13-0 at home on the season compared to a 3-5 record on the road. That doesn’t make them any less vulnerable.

The Jayhawks have five losses in Big 12 conference play with an 8-5 record in such games. College basketball’s toughest conference has got the better of most teams. Kansas is no exception. Pulling an upset will still be a tall task for the Longhorns.

Texas enters the game with conference wins over No. 11 Baylor (19-7), Oklahoma (18-8) and TCU (18-8). Another top victory could solidify the team’s NCAA Tournament resume and take pressure off of its final four regular season games.

It’s not a must-win game for the Longhorns, but like Houston, Iowa State and BYU it’s an opportunity to earn a difficult win that they failed to earn in previous tries. Texas will face Kansas on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Texas to be tested by an impressive Kansas secondary on Saturday

Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant leads an impressive and opportunistic Jayhawks secondary.

The Kansas secondary poses a daunting task for Texas this week. It is perhaps the most concerning of all strengths that the Jayhawks present because it is likely to go unnoticed.

Much can be made of the team’s improvement in run defense, tackling and physicality this season. All of those points are legitimate given statistics and the eye test from last week’s game and the team’s other three games. That said, the Kansas secondary is perhaps the scariest part of its defense. It could be on full display Saturday.

Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant headlines the group statistically thus far. He has secured two interceptions, forced a fumble and earned one pass breakup this season. He is joined by fellow big name Kenny Logan Jr. at safety, with boundary cornerback Mello Dotson and free safety Marvin Grant rounding out the unit.

The group is aggressive and physical in addition to its playmaking ability. They pose a real risk of ending Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers’ streak of pass attempts without an interception. More than that, the unit could frustrate receivers and stall the Longhorns offense by forcing receivers off their spots.

The Texas offense is capable of an offensive explosion on Saturday but it might need to over-prepare to make that happen. It cannot take this secondary lightly.

Texas is in for a battle Saturday afternoon. The game will reveal if the Longhorns wide receiver room is up to the task.

Shut It Down: Texas defensive line can end the game against Kansas

The Texas defensive line can end Kansas’ upset bid before it starts.

The Texas defensive line has mauled its way into several backfields early this season. For the team to secure a win on Saturday, the Texas front needs to duplicate that performance.

Early this season, starting edge rusher Ethan Burke has emerged as a problem for opposing offensive tackles. The problem has yet to have been solved. Opposite him is Barryn Sorrell who is still bringing the impact he brought last season, despite what the stat sheet might lack.

It’s getting competitive in opposing backfields this season. Several Longhorns have secured a sack thus far. Against Baylor, defensive tackle Byron Murphy tallied two sacks of his own. The unit has been disruptive. Its disruption could spell chaos for its next opponent.

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels is a true dual threat quarterback. He can run and pass at a high level. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe brought a similar skill set against Texas, but with a much less consistently accurate arm. This week, Texas has to get Daniels on the ground.

The Longhorns can end this game with a dominant pass rush. They will look to bring that pass rush on Saturday afternoon.

Keys for Texas in avoiding an upset loss against Kansas

Texas needs to prepare with a level of focus strong enough not only to win, but to win soundly.

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns (4-0) face their second ranked matchup of the season against the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks (4-0). It doesn’t have to be a suspenseful game unless Texas allows the suspense.

The Longhorns defeated the Jayhawks 55-14 last season. Kansas starting quarterback Jalon Daniels was healthy, as were many of the weapons the team brings into Austin. And no matter how much the Jayhawks have improved, this feels like a game that is Texas’ to lose.

The game presents matchups that feature strength on strength. The Kansas offense and Texas defense are both strong units that do particularly well on the money downs. The winner of this particular matchup will likely win the game. The Texas defense won soundly last season.

Here’s a look at a few keys for Texas avoiding an upset against Kansas.

Beat Kansas: An early look at one of Texas’ toughest tests in 2023

The Longhorns shut down Kansas last season. Can they do it again?

The Texas Longhorns (4-0) play host to the ranked and undefeated Kansas Jayhawks (4-0) on Saturday. The game is looking to be a tougher challenge than many expected.

The Jayhawks have looked impressive in four wins. Last week, the team defeated the surging BYU Cougars, 38-27.

Under current head coach Lance Leipold, Kansas is known for its offensive attack. Current signal caller Jalon Daniels leads a potent Jayhawks offense with great running back Devin Neal and a bevy of receiving weapons.

On the other side, Kansas has performed at a high level making clutch defensive plays in games it doesn’t dominate. The Jayhawks are a good team. That said, a focused Texas team could be too much.

Last season, Texas defeated Kansas 55-14 behind a dominant defensive performance. And while the Jayhawks have improved since that game, the Texas defense has also improved tremendously.

Kansas appears to hit harder and tackle better in 2023. Texas will need to play quality football over four quarters to ensure victory. That said, while we expect the Jayhawks to close the 41-point gap between the two teams from a year ago in Lawrence, I wouldn’t expect an upset in Austin.

The Jayhawks can muddy this game. We have seen Wyoming and Rice play competitively for a half against Texas. Nevertheless, a focused effort should allow the Longhorns to head to Red River with a 5-0 record.

The two teams will play on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Texas Basketball: Examining the importance of earning the No. 1 seed

Beating Kansas can make Texas’ tournament path less restrictive in March.

The Texas Longhorns have not reached the Sweet 16 since 2008. That season, Texas ultimately fell to the Memphis Tigers in the Elite Eight.

Rodney Terry’s team will look to snap that abysmal streak with a berth in this year’s Round of 16. They can increase their chances of reaching that goal by winning games like Monday night’s matchup against Kansas and earning a No. 1 seed.

Last week’s wins over then No. 7 Kansas State and No. 11 Baylor are important for a number of reasons. The most important reason revolves around bolstering a No. 1 seed resume.

For starters, only one No. 1 seed has lost to its first opponent in a tournament model of 64 teams or more. Virginia fell to UMBC in 2018.

Escaping past the next opponent has been difficult in recent years, but the odds of a first round exit are slim for most teams.

On top of that, No. 1 seeds are nearly twice as likely to reach the Final Four as No. 2 seeds. Since the tournament grew to over 64 teams, over 52% of tournaments have seen two or more No. 1 seeds reach the Final Four.

Put simply, Texas can do nearly as much to determine its fate during the regular season as it can in March. With wins over Gonzaga, Kansas State, Baylor and TCU in hand, a win at No. 9 Kansas can inch the Longhorns closer to a deep tournament run.

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Texas vs Kansas Prediction Game Preview

Texas vs Kansas game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 12 game on Saturday, November 19

Texas vs Kansas prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 12, Saturday, November 19


Texas vs Kansas Prediction, Game Preview

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Texas vs Kansas How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 19
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Texas (6-4), Kansas (6-4)
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Why Texas Will Win

Be shocked if this isn’t the Bijan Robinson show.

5 was held to just 29 yards on 12 carries in the tough loss to TCU last week and now he’ll bust out against a Kansas defense that’s been a tad rough against the run allowing 260 yards or more in three of the last four games.

Robinson was on a roll going into the showdown against the Horned Frogs – over 100 yards in seven straight games – and now the big runs should come.

Kansas can’t come up with third down stops, it’s not generating anything in the backfield, and …

Bowl Projections

Why Kansas Will Win

The Kansas offense continues to roll.

Star QB Jalon Daniels is trying to work his way back into the mix – he’s questionable for this – but the O has been keeping up the production with close to 1,100 yards over the last two weeks with Devin Neal running every bit as well as Robinson has.

The 224-yard day against Oklahoma State was the breakout performance, and he followed it up with 190 yards against Texas Tech.

The Texas defense has been okay against the run, it’s been getting hammered lately through the air – the TCU loss aside – and at home, the Jayhawks should be balanced enough to move however it needs to.

Schedules, Predictions CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

It might not be the wild and crazy 57-56 game of last year – at Kansas win – but there’s a chance it isn’t far off.

This is fun time for Kansas. It’s bowl eligible, it’s the last home game of the season, and next week it’s the rivalry game against Kansas State. It’s going to let it all loose with a huge day from the offense.

This is desperation time for Texas. It’s bowl eligible, but that’s not nearly good enough in a disappointing 6-4 season so far.

The Longhorns will have a little more offense down the stretch, but Kansas will make this a whole lot of fun.

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Texas vs Kansas Prediction, Line

Texas 40, Kansas 34
Line: Texas -9.5, o/u: 64.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Texas vs Kansas Must See Rating (out of 5): 4

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FULL PREVIEW: Texas Longhorns (6-4) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (6-4)

Texas is due for more luck this week. Here’s who to watch for in this pivotal game.

The Texas Longhorns are once again in a must-win scenario on Saturday. More than for conference title standing, this game is about bolstering program perception after losing to Kansas last season.

The Kansas Jayhawks enter the game with a 6-4 record and bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. Given Lance Leipold’s culture changing success, players likely aren’t satisfied with simply playing football in December.

The next two games for the Jayhawks provide arguably the biggest opportunity to make a statement of their own. After Kansas faces Texas they take on the in-state rival Kansas State Wildcats. With an opportunity to secure its best season since 2007, the program should bring its best effort on Saturday.

Let’s look at what to watch for in this pivotal game.

Analytics have Texas in store for another close game against Kansas

Texas is in store for another wildly competitive game.

The Texas Longhorns continue their Big 12 gauntlet on the road against Kansas this week. If you’re expecting Texas to finally break through for a decisive win, this might not be the week.

One advanced stats comparison has Texas projected to score an average of 29.0 points to Kansas’ 28.21 average. The projections give the Longhorns a 52.29 percent chance to win, but for the team in Austin games rarely go as planned.

There’s a wide array of data points for Texas heading into Saturday’s game. The first half of the season, Steve Sarkisian’s team was one of the best performers nearly every week. Quinn Ewers’ unpredictability of late makes it difficult to know what to expect from Sarkisian’s squad.

We can glean a few things from the data, although it looks to favor the Jayhawks in more than a few areas.

Let’s examine a few of the key takeaways from the above projection.

Texas vs. Kansas: An early look at Saturday’s game

The games haven’t gotten any less important for Texas after the TCU loss.

The Texas Longhorns have a huge battle upcoming on Saturday. The Big 12 schedule pits the six-win Longhorns against another six-win team, the Kansas Jayhawks.

Lance Leipold’s team isn’t sneaking up on anybody, but especially not Texas. Steve Sarkisian’s team seemed to experience the beginning of KU’s football resurgence in last season’s home defeat.

The Longhorns fell 57-56 to the Jayhawks in overtime last season, as Kansas converted a two-point attempt for the win. This season, Leipold’s team enters the game confident and bowl eligible.

Texas will look to find itself on Saturday after a poor offensive effort last week. Texas’ lone touchdown came on a defensive scoop and score late in the fourth quarter against TCU. To win in Lawrence, the team will need more scoring from its offense.

Let’s look at a few things to monitor as we approach the game.