Replay: No. 7 Texas beats No. 23 Kansas State in overtime, 33-30, on late fourth-down stop
For the second time this season, Texas is playing host to a top-25 matchup at Royal-Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns passed that first test easily, a 40-14 win over then No. 24 Kansas on Sept. 30. This time, however, the stakes are higher against No. 23 Kansas State, the defending Big 12 champion that, at least for Saturday, stands in the way of Texas' pursuit of a conference championship and possible College Football Playoff invitation.
More: Texas Longhorns football preview: Game vs. Kansas State could determine Big 12 title
Maalik Murphy will make his second straight start in place of injured quarterback Quinn Ewers. Texas is a 3½-point favorite.
Follow this thread throughout today's game for live updates, scores and analysis:
Texas makes Kansas State pay for its overtime gamble, grabs 33-30 win
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, after having seen his kicker miss on a field goal and 27-yard field goal, made the huge decision to go for it on an all-important fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, trailing No. 7 Texas 33-30 in overtime.
On fourth-and-goal, after a Texas timeout, Howard was chased down in the backfield and launched an ill-fated flutterer. Game over.
A 19-yard pass to Ben Sinnott set the Wildcats up inside the 10-yard line. Will Howard moved it up to the 4 on a short keeper, and on second-and-goal T'Vondre Sweat swatted Howard's pass away. That set up third-and-goal from the 4, and Howard threw incomplete into the end zone.
No. 7 Texas improves to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12 race. No. 23 Kansas State drops back to 6-3, 4-2.
Overtime No. 1: A field goal for Texas
Texas' overtime drive went nowhere, and Bert Auburn's 42-yard field goal has Texas up 33-30 after its first shot in overtime. The chance now swings over to Kansas State, which will start at the 25-yard line.
A Maalik Murphy pass was knocked down at the line, Jonathon Brooks was cut short after just a 1-yard carry and on third-and-9, Murphy couldn't find favorite target Adonai Mitchell.
Kansas State won the toss and chose to play defense first.
Anyone in the mood for some overtime?
Kansas State kicker Chris Tennant, who missed an extra point and a 27-yard field goal try earlier this game, was clutch from 45 yards out, tying this game 30-30.
There's only 1 second left to play.
The drive started with Will Howard nickel-and-diming Texas with short sideline routes. Those took the Wildcats to midfield with 1:07 left. After two incompletions and a short 4-yard catch, Kansas State faced a third-and-6 with the clock ticking at Texas' 45. T'Vondre Sweat couldn't wrap up Howard, a hobbled Ryan Watts couldn't close in quick enough on a late blitz, and on fourth-and-6 with 26 seconds left, Howard found Phillip Brooks for an 18-yard gain inside Texas' 30. With 17 seconds left, Howard spiked the ball to stop the clock.
Two incompletions produced a third-and-10 from Texas' 27 with 10 seconds left. Howard, under a rush, threw it out of bounds.
Texas, trying to ice the game, instead punts it back
There's 1:18 left in this game, Texas still leads 30-27, and it's up to the Longhorns' defense.
Texas spent its opportunity, getting the ball back deep in its own territory with a 30-27 lead and 1:45 left to play, playing it conservatively. The Longhorns won it three straight times, even on third-and-3, which was a pitch to CJ Baxter that went backward, and had to punt it away.
Kansas State, trailing 30-27, will take over at its own 40-yard line. But the Wildcats are out of timeouts.
Kansas State's missed field goal may save the day
There's 1:45 left in the game, and Texas just dodged a big bullet when Kansas State kicker Chris Tennant's 27-yard chip shot field goal went wide left, keeping this a 30-27 Texas lead.
The drive basically came down to this: a third-and-1 from Texas' 11-yard line. Quarterback Will Howard, on a keeper up the middle, was stuffed by T'Vondre Sweat. That forced the Wildcats to settle for the kick.
It was a fitting end to what was a wild drive, including a Ryan Watts late hit penalty, a Will Howard pass that went just over the fingertips of a Texas defender, a Kansas State sideline catch that had to be reviewed and a Wildcats run that had to be spotted after a review. That set up the Sweat stop.
Also, Watts went down toward the of the drive. He was grabbing his left hamstring while on the field.
Bert Auburn field goal makes this a 30-27 game
There's 6:03 left in the fourth quarter, and Texas now leads Kansas State 30-27.
Bert Auburn's 34-yard field goal was the latest score.
This drive came down to a fourth-and-4 decision to go for it over what would have been a 54-yard field goal try from Kansas State's 37-yard line. The play went the Longhorns' way; Maalik Murphy threaded a need to Ja'Tavion Sanders for 16 yards and into scoring territory.
This Murphy-to-Adonai Mitchell connection looks like the real deal. They hooked up three times for 44 yards on this latest drive alone, and Jonathon Brooks did a lot of the other heavy lifting. Murphy looked Xavier Worthy's way three times; one was for a scant 2-yard gain, the other was a misfire and the last was a not-so-close shot into the end zone.
For the game, Mitchell has 8 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.
We've got a tie game, folks
Kansas State took all of one play to make the Longhorns pay for Jonathon Brooks' fumble.
Will Howard, on first down, hit Jayce Brown for a 32-yard touchdown strike down the middle of the field for what looked like the go-ahead score, but the ensuing extra-point was botched. There's 12:30 left, it's a 27-27 game and Texas is reeling.
Remember when Texas was up 27-7?
Update: yes, it's time to worry.
Texas' Jonathon Brooks fumble has give the ball right back to Kansas State, which takes over at Texas' 32-yard line
Kansas State draws closer with TD
We have reached that point in the game where you need to take a breath, realize that Texas is still leading Kansas State in the fourth quarter, and focus. Because Kansas State has just turned a big defensive play off an equally big mistake from Maalik Murphy into a short touchdown. This is now a 27-21 game.
Murphy was picked off on a poorly-thrown screen pass. It was Jacob Parrish's second pick of the day and it set the Wildcats up at Texas' 12.
There's 12:37 left to play.
Texas take 27-14 lead into final quarter
Kansas State has cut Texas' lead to 27-14 at the end of the third quarter.
Phillip Brooks turned two missed tackles into a 26-yard touchdown catch down the sideline, a sloppy end to an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
Long field goal pads Texas' lead
There's 4:13 left in the third quarter, and Bert Auburn's 49-yard field goal has pushed No. 7 Texas' lead over No. 23 Kansas State 27-7. A 27-yard run up the middle from Jonathon Brooks was the big play of the drive.
Auburn is now 14-of-19 for the season. And CJ Baxter has 91 yards today, while Brooks has 80. Both have scored touchdowns.
Jonathan Brooks scores 14th touchdown of the year
Jonathan Brooks has scored on a 5-yard touchdown run behind left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., and all looks right with No. 7 Texas again. The Longhorns lead 24-7 with 9:21 left in the third quarter.
It was Brooks' 14th touchdown of the season.
Ethan Burke's big play has Texas in gold position
Another big defensive play for Texas: edge rusher Ethan Burke popped the ball out of Will Howard's hand on a pass rush, and Howard was never able to take control of it as he fell on it inside the Wildcats' 5-yard line. But Jaylan Ford, entering the play at the end, did end up with the ball and after an official review, the refs agreed. The initial call was a Howard recovery.
The seeds of that score came from Ryan Sanborn; the Texas punter who had one blocked in the second quarter uncorked a 54-yarder that was downed at Kansas State's 6-yard line.
There's 9:26 left in the third quarter. Texas, which leads 17-7, starts in great position: a first-and-goal at the 5.
Another week, another Michael Taaffe pick
For the third straight week, backup safety Michael Taaffe has come up with a big interception. This one, for the second week in a row, came off a tip-drill play when Will Howard's downfield shot bounced off his receiver's hands as he tried to control it. Taaffe, in the right place at the right time again, gave the ball back to Texas at its own 20, but more importantly injected a bolt of energy into the DKR crowd.
Questions for the second half
What will happen on the opening drive of the third quarter? Kansas State was hot in the second quarter. Texas was not.
Will this be a Jonathon Brooks or CJ Baxter second half? Brooks has been quiet. Baxter has not.
Will Maalik Murphy right himself? More first-quarter Murphy than second-quarter Murphy is critical for Texas.
Will Texas' dominance on defense continue? The front line has stuffed the run in a big way, the linebackers have been active and Ryan Watts' return has soothed things in the secondary.
Texas takes a 10-point lead into halftime
It's halftime at DKR. No. 7 Texas leads No. 23 17-7.
Texas had a chance to perhaps get one final score in before halftime, but Maalik Murphy didn't look interested in doing his part. Two passes on the final drive were misthrows behind Murphy's target. The quarterback making his second career start looked impressive with a live arm through the first quarter, but has regressed in the second. Kansas State conceivably could/should have three interceptions by this point.
Texas has been led by Murphy, who's 12-of-21 for 175 yards, a TD and a pick; CJ Baxter with his 64 yards on only four carries (a 54-yard touchdown run will do that for your stats line); and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who's already got four catches for 101 yards and his third touchdown in two weeks.
The Longhorns dominated this game for well over a quarter, but the Wildcats broke through with their blocked punt and capitalized on it, too. Jonathon Brooks missed a series or two, but did return later in the second quarter. He's got nine carries for 50 yards, including a 21-yard gain in the first quarter. The defensive line has snuffed out Kansas State's running plan, Wildcats quarterback Will Howard (7-of-12 for 78 yards, 1 TD) hasn't had much luck testing Texas' secondary and the K-State running game has been denied in large part by the Longhorns' defensive line.
Feels like Steve Sarkisian has some work to do on the offensive side of the locker room during halftime.
Texas leads in total yards (307-106), passing yards (175-78) and rushing yards (132-28). Neither side is impressing on third downs, as they're a combined 1-of-13 on conversions. Texas leads in time of possession (16:48 to 13:12) but also has committed five penalties, though each one has been a 5-yard infraction.
Kansas State's blocked punt leads to a 'Cats touchdown
There's 54 seconds left in the first half and Kansas State is on the board. A Will Howard touchdown pass to Phillip Brooks has this a 17-7 game as we head into halftime. The pass was from 6 yards out.
A big special teams mistake set the Wildcats up near midfield. What looked like a rare protection breakdown allowed a Wildcat to stream in and block Ryan Sanborn's kick.
Don't forget: the Wildcats will get the ball to start the second half, too.
Fourth-down flop kills Texas' drive at the 12
There's 3:39 left in the first half and Texas still leads Kansas State 17-0, but the Longhorns just left points on the field.
Texas faced a fourth-and-2 decision at Kansas State's 12, which Steve Sarkisian went for. In came Savion Red for a wildcat snap, but he mishandled the snap and Kansas State registered a turnover on downs. The ending of the drive spoiled another strong Xavier Worthy punt return. His big 33-yard return set the Longhorns up at the Wildcats' 41-yard line. He's had runbacks of 19 and 33 yards.
Murphy's first mistake spoils another promising drive
There's 7:33 left in the first half, Texas still leads Kansas State 17-0, but the Longhorns' latest drive stalled again just as they were getting into scoring territory. This time it was at the Wildcats' 36.
Something went wrong on Maalik Murphy's interception. It was either a Murphy error or an issue with perhaps Johntay Cook II, who fell down on his route. Either way, Murphy's launch landed around four Wildcats with nary a burnt-orange jersey in sight.
The Wildcats will take over at the 28; Jacob Parrish picked it off inside the 5, but returned it out to the 28.
CJ Baxter bursts through the Wildcats for a TD
There's 11:34 left in the first half, and No. 7 Texas is separating itself from No. 23 Kansas State. The Longhorns lead 17-0 after CJ Baxter's big 54-yard touchdown run. And it came on a fourth-and-1 gamble from Steve Sarkisian at the Longhorns' own 46.
Of note: Jonathon Brooks, who has left the field twice already (both in the first quarter) favoring an ankle, missed this latest drive. Keilan Robinson started it and Baxter finished it.
Texas cashes in on its first red zone trip
There's 1:06 left in the first quarter, and Texas now leads 10-0.
Bert Auburn's 32-yard field goal produced points for Texas' first trip today in the red zone, that area from the 20-yard line in that has proven problematic for the Longhorns over the past month.
Another Murphy-to-Mitchell scoring connection
There's 8:36 left in the first quarter and Texas is leading Kansas State 7-0.
Maalik Murphy found Adonai Mitchell for a beautiful 37-yard touchdown pass, hitting the Georgia transfer in stride for the score on a post pattern. Murphy and Mitchell, of course, hooked up twice for touchdowns in last week's win over BYU. In fact, technically, every touchdown Murphy has thrown as a Longhorn — so far — has gone to Mitchell, you can say.
Of note: this was the first touchdown Kansas State has allowed in its last 26 drives by opponents, and Mitchell came up limping a bit after the score. Looks like a left ankle issue.
Texas' first drive: a promising series, but a punt in the end
Texas, which got the ball first to start the game, looked like it had something going in the opening drive of this game, but the Longhorns stalled once they reached Kansas State's 33-yard line.
On third-and-5 from the 33, Texas was pushed back five yards because of a false start penalty on Ja'Tavion Sanders. On third-and-10 from the 38, Maalik Murphy overthrew Xavier Worthy downfield by a step, and Worthy had a step on his defender, too.
The Longhorns punted, and Kansas State takes over at its own 7-yard line. It's a 0-0 game.
Jonathon Brooks is worth watching today
Look for Texas to lean on Jonathon Brooks today. He's averaging 115.4 yards per game and his 923 yards rank sixth-best nationally. And get this: through Texas' first eight games, his 923 yards are actually three more yards than Bijan Robinson had at this point last season, and he ended up winning the Doak Walker Award as college football's best running back.
Brooks is the leading rusher in the UT backfield. He's averaging 115.4 yards per game and his 923 rushing yards rank sixth-best nationally. Through Texas' first eight games last season, eventual Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson had rushed for 920 yards.
For the record, in Texas' ninth game last season — the 34-27 win over the Wildcats — Robinson ran wild, finishing with 209 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.
Texas will honor Ricky Williams today
Former Texas running back Ricky Williams will be honored during today's game for the 25th anniversary of his 1998 Heisman Trophy. Williams, now 46, finished his college career as the NCAA's all-time leading rusher though he has since been passed by San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey and Wisconsin's Ron Dayne.
Williams still holds 31 school records, including career rushing yards (6,279), career touchdowns (75), single-season rushing yards (2,124 in 1998) and rushing yards in a game (350 vs. Iowa State in 1998).
"He set a legacy just for the running backs and just for the institution of Texas," UT running back Jonathon Brooks said earlier this week. "He set a good example for us to want to be like."
How we're calling Texas-Kansas State
We're about 10 minutes away from kickoff.
We've got UT beat writers Danny Davis and Thomas Jones as well as columnists Kirk Bohls and Cedric Golden covering today's game from the DKR press box. Their game predictions:
Kirk Bohls: Texas, Texas, 27-24. This more than any other game outside of Alabama figures to be a line of scrimmage challenge. Whichever team asserts its will on the line will prevail, and I believe Texas is slightly superior to Kansas State there and will hang on for a win.
Danny Davis: Texas. After the dust settles in Austin this weekend and Bedlam happens for perhaps the final time, the Big 12 should have definitive front-runners in the race for the conference crown. Expect Texas to be in the pole position after beating Kansas State for the seventh straight time.
Cedric Golden: Texas, 27-24. Don't expect a shootout. Steve Sarkisian loves to air it out, but he has to understand that the running game should be front and center. Jonathon Brooks goes off, and the Horns walk out with a win.
Thomas Jones: Texas, 23-20. Sarkisian won't bypass any field goals this week in a hard-nosed battle between arguably the Big 12's two most physical teams.
Will points be at a premium?
Both of these defenses are solid, but Kansas State's is on a real roll. The Wildcats have allowed only a field goal in their last two games, a 41-3 win over TCU two weeks ago and last week's 41-0 shutout of Houston. Both games were played in Manhattan.
Last weekend, Texas held BYU to two short field goals in a 35-6 win at DKR. But consider this: Kansas State hasn't allowed a touchdown in its last nine quarters, a streak of 25 straight offensive drives.
Texas has Kansas State's number
Remember when road trips to Manhattan were scary propositions for Texas? Not so much anymore. In fact, the Longhorns have won their last six meetings with Kansas State: a 40-34 double-overtime thriller in 2017, 19-14 in 2018, 27-24 in 2019, 69-31 in 2020, 22-17 in 2021 and 34-27 last year. That's an average margin of victory of 10.6 points, but if you remove that 2020 from the equation, the other five wins have been by an average of 5.2 points.
In five of those six straight wins, Texas has had at least one 100-yard rusher, so keep an eye on what Jonathon Brooks does today. He's come up just short of that mark in his last two games, finishing with 99 yards at Houston two weeks ago and 98 yards in last week's win over BYU.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Replay: No. 7 Texas stuffs Kansas State on fourth down, wins 33-30
