The Texas Longhorns improved to an 8-1 overall record and 5-1 conference record on Saturday. That’s all that matters, but how they got there was more than cause for concern.
The Longhorns held a 27-7 lead until the final seconds of the third quarter. Then the defense imploded.
At 27-7, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski decided it was time to let off the gas. Kwiatkowski went from aggressive press coverage to his signature ten yards off, soft coverage. In a matter of minutes the game went from 27-7 to a 27-27 tie.
The offense did its part to get there too. While leading 27-14, Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy threw an interception on a screen pass to set up the Wildcats deep inside Longhorns territory. Murphy threw at least four or five interceptions on the day, but only two were intercepted.
On the following offensive drive, Texas running back Jonathon Brooks coughed up the football and helped Kansas State to a 27-27 tie.
Despite it all, the Longhorns found a way to win in overtime. Sarkisian deserves credit for building a lead with a clearly incapable backup quarterback and a banged up squad.
Here’s how social media took in the game.
