Texas football pounds No. 24 Kansas: our staff takeaways from Longhorns' 40-14 win

At some point this season, maybe today's 40-14 win over No. 24 Kansas will be seen as an easy win in a top-25 matchup. And on first glance, it was. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers passed for 325 yards, running back Jonathon Brooks flashed his way to 217, the defense made big plays when it had to and produced another turnover and this win moved the Horns to 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big 12.

So what is there to complain about? Maybe that this was a one-score game late in the third quarter, and at that point the game's storyline was that the Horns led despite not being able to put the Jayhawks away and were mired by the inability to finish drives as well as continued struggles on special teams. What will happen when the Longhorns don't turn on the fourth-quarter jets and have to rely on plays in the passing game and making important kicks?

Still, a 40-14 win is a 40-14 win, right?

Our takeaways from Saturday's win:

Jonathon Brooks is blossoming into a star

Jonathon Brooks is a full-blown star. Not only did the third -year sophomore from Halletsville reach 100 yards on the ground for the third consecutive game, but he became just the 14th player in school history to top 200 yards on the ground after racking up 217 yards on 20 carries. Give a huge assist to the offensive line, which plowed the way for 336 on the ground.

Brooks' last three games: 164 vs. Wyoming, 106 and a pair of TDs at Baylor, and 217 and another pair of TDs vs. Kansas.

Another week, another backup quarterback

You can’t blame Texas for another team’s misfortunes, but its recent rack record against No. 2 quarterbacks should make Oklahoma starter Dillon Gabriel nervous considering he faces the Horns next week in the Cotton Bowl. Kansas starter Jalon Daniels missed the game with back tightness, which means Texas has now faced three consecutive backup quarterbacks dating back to the Wyoming game in week three. Gabriel will easily be the most accomplished quarterback Texas will face his season, assuming the starter escapes the Sooners’ game against Iowa State on Saturday without an injury.

How do we feel about this win?

On one hand, Texas just produced 661 yards of total offense — 325 passing, 336 rushing — and balanced the Jayhawks into submission. And the Horns were favored by 16 and won by 26. And they won a top-25 matchup, improved to 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big 12 and should find themselves right in the same No. 3 spot in the AP poll behind Georgia and Michigan.

But on the other, the Horns didn't blow Kansas out despite the final score. The Jayhawks, who shocked Texas in overtime the last time they were here in 2021, worriedly hung around for three quarters behind a backup quarterback. Special teams are an important part to this game and Texas has flubbed returns and kicks two weeks in a row now. Last week it was muffed returns and a doinked field goal try, today it was two missed field goals from Bert Auburn. Sure, they were 50- and 47-yarders, but still. There were issues with closing out scoring drives, as Texas had to settle for field goals or worse, missed field goals. And tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and cornerback Ryan Watts both watched the second half in street clothes after suffering injuries in the first half.

Oklahoma is next week. The Sooners were embarrassed 49-0 last year and you sure would rather see Texas rushing into that matchup with some momentum and confidence. Instead, the Horns are in fix-it mode.

Health is a concern

Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who has two 100-yard receiving games this season, suffered an injury in the first half and didn’t return to the game. Cornerback Ryan Watts also left the game and did not return. The Longhorns didn’t miss those key players while pulling away for the win, but they will need them next week against Oklahoma.

Texcetera

Quinn Ewers' streak of consecutive passes without an interception came to an end at 245 near the end of the first half. It's still the second-longest in Texas history, though. … With Ja'Tavion Sanders injured early (ankle), Gunnar Helm didn't do much with his opportunity. He finished with no catches; eight different Longhorns caught at least one pass, but Helm wasn't one of them. He'd had his moments the past two weeks, too. Sanders had one catch for 10 yards before he went out. … Number of Texas punts: 0. The Horns dominated in time of possession (39:41 to 20:19). … National top-five watch: No. 1 Georgia held off Auburn 27-20, No. 2 Michigan blew out Nebraska 45-7, No. 3 Texas beat No. 24 Kansas 40-14, and No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Florida State were off.

Next up for Texas: Oklahoma

11 a.m. next Saturday, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, ABC

The Sooners (4-0, 1-0) are playing Iowa State at home tonight on FS1.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Longhorns football beats No. 24 Kansas at home: our takeaways