Texas will play in the Big 12 title game for first time since 2009 after beating Kansas.
UT does ‘just enough’ to play for crown for first time since 2009
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The panic was all external.
Texas itself was disappointed, but not defeatist, after dropping its season opener to Maryland on Sept. 1. Coach Tom Herman said the team’s primary goal — compete for a Big 12 championship — remained unaffected.
It would be different this year, he explained. Just watch.
Eighty-four days later, Herman and the 14th-ranked Longhorns finally could say, see, we told you so.
Texas defeated Kansas 24-17 in an ugly game on an ugly day at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium to earn a berth in next Saturday’s Big 12 championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Longhorns (9-3, 7-2) will face sixth-ranked Oklahoma after the Sooners knocked off 13thranked West Virginia 59-56 on Friday.
“I told the team, it’s kind of like golf,” UT coach Tom Herman said. “They don’t draw pictures on the scorecard. They don’t draw pictures of wins and losses.
“We’ve done just enough to earn the right to play for our conference’s title game.”
In true Texas fashion, it stretched out Friday’s game for as long as possible.
Kansas (3-9, 1-8) stayed afloat deep into the fourth quarter, buoyed Kyle Thompson’s fieldflipping punts and a defense that did what no other Big 12 team could — frustrate Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
This was a lesser Ehlinger, hindered by a sprained throwing shoulder.
He wouldn’t admit it, but something was off on a day in which he completed 16 of 28 passes for 154 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble. His Big 12 record streak of consecutive passes without an interception ended at 309.
Ehlinger missed on a surefire touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Beck late in the second quarter and was intercepted by Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen two plays later. He overthrew Collin Johnson after the 6-foot-6 receiver broke free on a deep crossing route. He was again picked off by defensive back Shakial Taylor in the fourth quarter, setting up Kansas at the Texas 25-yard line.
But Texas did enough against an offensively-challenged Kansas team to avoid disaster.
To start, Ehlinger took Texas on a 11-play, 98-yard scoring odyssey crowned by a 26-yard touchdown strike to Johnson. In the third quarter Ehlinger flicked a pass to Beck in the flat for a fiveyard score to put Texas up 14-0.
And while the fullback-sized quarterback was more reluctant to run, he didn’t shy away from doing so when necessary.
Ehlinger barreled through three Jayhawks defenders on a three-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, absorbing body shots all the way.
“Probably tried to force a few things here and there,” Herman said. “He was a little bit off throwing the football. Just a little bit.”
But this win, as much as any this season, belonged to the defense.
Texas limited Kansas to five first downs and 82 total yards in the first half. It did so without senior linebacker Gary Johnson, suspended due to a violation of team rules.
Coordinator Todd Orlando’s unit didn’t miss a beat with junior Jeffrey McCulloch sliding over to Johnson’s rover spot and freshman Joseph Ossai making his first career start at the B-backer position.
McCulloch’s meaty mitts were responsible for ending the Jayhawks’ bid at another upset, nearly two years to the day after Texas slumped off this same field following a 24-21 overtime loss.
With Kansas just outside the red zone following Ehlinger’s second interception, McCulloch swiped at quarterback Peyton Bender’s pass, corralled the tipped ball, and trekked 65 yards down the field.
Freshman kicker Cameron Dicker converted a 34-yard field goal to put Texas ahead 24-7 with 10:57 remaining.
“It was an enormous play in the game,” Herman said. “For our defense to have our back and Jeff to make an incredible play like that, get it down to where we could take some time off the clock and still get points, that was huge.”
Herman didn’t believe any ghosts from that that 2016 loss still lingered to haunt Texas, but some extraordinary happenings nearly turned this game into another monumental disaster.
Running back Pooka Williams broke off a 57-yard touchdown run to start the final quarter. After Dicker’s field goal, Bender connected with receiver Daylon Charlot for a 31-yard scoring strike. Then Kansas recovered an onside kick and hit on a 45-yard field goal with 1:36 left on the clock.
It took receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey recovering the Jayhawks’ final onside kick attempt to send the few remaining blueclad fans away.
Texas danced off the field following an a cappella rendition of “The Eyes of Texas,” primed for next week’s trip to Jerry Jones’ monstrous stadium. This was the triumph they all envisioned following that misfortune in Maryland.
But, Herman stressed, the journey isn’t complete.
“Just getting there isn’t the goal,” Herman said. “They would be angry if I told you the story was already written. The story is still unfinished.”