AUSTIN, Texas — It wasn't pretty. At times, it was downright ugly. There were missed opportunities all afternoon. But in the end, the No. 7 Texas Longhorns showed just why they are considered one of the best teams in the country, earning a gritty 33-30 win in overtime against Kansas State Saturday afternoon.
With the reigning Big 12 Champions traveling to Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the Longhorns played an uncharacteristically sloppy game, turning the ball over three times and allowing a punt to be blocked.
The Longhorns started off strong, opening up a 17-0 lead in the second quarter and completely dominating the Kansas State offense. The momentum began to turn after a Maalik Murphy pass was intercepted late in the second quarter on a mistimed route with Johntay Cook. The interception allowed the Wildcats to march down the field and score their first points of the game on a Will Howard touchdown pass to Phillip Brooks just before halftime.
The Longhorns controlled the majority of the third quarter, but the Wildcats began to gain momentum heading into the fourth. A series of miscues by the Longhorns, punctuated by a Jonathon Brooks fumble, allowed the Wildcats to come back and tie the game at 27.
A Bert Auburn field goal with six minutes to go allowed the Longhorns to retake the lead, 30-27. On their next drive, the Wildcats were able to quickly ramble down the field, before the drive ultimately stalled. The Longhorns then caught a break when Wildcats kicker Chris Tennant missed a 27-yard field goal.
After the Longhorns' next drive stalled out, the Wildcats had one more chance to either tie or potentially pull ahead for good. Howard's brilliance continued, and Tennant was able to repent for his earlier miscue, nailing a 45-yard field goal to tie the game at 30 as time expired in regulation.
The Longhorns got the ball to start overtime but were forced to settle for a field goal to go ahead, 33-30.
Kansas State then got the ball and immediately threatened after a Howard completion over the middle to tight end Ben Sinnott put the Wildcats inside the six-yard line. However, the Longhorns held firm, keeping Kansas State out of the end zone and coming up with a huge stop on fourth down to secure the thrilling overtime victory.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Maalik Murphy had flashes of brilliance, but also made a number of mistakes consistent with inexperience. Murphy finished with a somewhat erratic stat line, completing 19 passes on 37 attempts for 248 yards and a touchdown, but also threw two costly interceptions at key moments including one that led to a Kansas State touchdown.
Running back Jonathon Brooks, who has arguably been the Longhorns best player so far this season, was effective once again but also ran into turnover issues of his own. Brooks finished with 112 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but also lost a crucial fumble early in the fourth quarter that allowed the Wildcats to tie the score. Running back C.J. Baxter finished with 92 yards and a touchdown of his own.
The real bright sport for the Longhorns offense on Saturday was wide receiver A.D. Mitchell, who continues to show some real rapport with Murphy. Mitchell finished with 149 yards and a touchdown on eight catches, continuing his hot streak.
Defensively, the Longhorns were terrorized all afternoon by Wildcats quarterback Will Howard. The senior signal caller competed 26 of 42 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception and a lost fumble.
Wide receiver Phillip Brooks made only five catches, but each were impactful, including two huge touchdowns to bring the Wildcats back into the game.
The Longhorns will next face TCU in Fort Worth on Nov. 11.