UT seeks rare road win
MANHATTAN, Kan. — It has been more than 13 months since Texas won a true road game.
The Longhorns have lost five consecutive true road games since beating TCU in Fort Worth on Oct. 2, 2021.
It’s a trend No. 24 Texas (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) must buck Saturday night at No. 13 Kansas State (6-2, 4-1) to keep any hope of reaching this year’s Big 12 title game.
“The common theme (in road games) is us getting a little outside of ourselves when adversity strikes late in the ballgame,” said Sarkisian, who is 1-6 in true road games at Texas. “We have to do a really good job of instilling confidence in our players that they’re in the right position to go make plays that we want them to make. And I think we’ll do that.”
The Wildcats won’t be lacking for confidence coming off their 48-0 win over then-No. 9 Oklahoma State. But Sarkisian believes Texas will be up to the challenge after its long layoff since a 31-24 loss to the Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on Oct. 22.
Here’s what to keep an eye on Saturday night when Texas and Kansas State meet at Bill Snyder Family Stadium:
1. Who’s K-State’s QB?
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman hasn’t said who he plans to start at quarterback against Texas.
Nebraska graduate transfer Adrian Martinez started the Wildcats’ first six games. He threw for 900 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 546 yards with nine scores before suffering a knee injury in the first series against TCU.
Junior Will Howard, a more traditional pocket passer, has turbocharged the offense’s aerial attack since replacing Martinez. Howard has completed 34 of 57 passes for 521 yards with six touchdowns, one interception and one rushing touchdown, and he threw four touchdown passes in the first half alone in last week’s rout of Oklahoma State.
But Klieman hasn’t tipped his hand, and both players could see the field against Texas. Fortunately for the Longhorns, they’ve had two weeks to devise strategies designed to stop two very different quarterbacks.
2. Ewers looks to rebound
There’s no quarterback guessing game at Texas these days. Sarkisian handed the keys to redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers, and when the Ohio State transfer is healthy, he’s going to have the ball in his hands.
But Ewers was uncharacteristically erratic in his last outing, completing just 19 of 39 passes for 319 yards with two touchdowns and three picks in the loss to Oklahoma State. He missed long, short, over the middle and outside the numbers.
“One game should never define you,” Sarkisian said. “You gotta get back on the horse and start riding again.”
The Wildcats aren’t an easy team to throw on. Or score on. They rank 20th nationally in passing efficiency defense and 11th in scoring defense.
3. Last battle for backs
Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn are two of the nation’s top running backs.
Robinson is averaging 150 yards from scrimmage per game and has topped 100 rushing yards in six straight outings. Vaughn is averaging 129 scrimmage yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry and is coming off a 158-yard rushing performance against Oklahoma State.
Clearly, it’s not easy to stop either halfback. But Texas might have a slight edge here considering it has limited Big 12 opponents to 116.2 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry, both the best marks in the league.
4. Secondary banged up
Starting safety Anthony Cook broke his left arm against Oklahoma State and is not expected to play. And freshman defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau (ankle), who played a seasonhigh 62 snaps against Oklahoma State, is doubtful.
With Cook sidelined, junior Kitan Crawford will play most of the snaps at boundary safety.
But starting cornerback Ryan Watts (hamstring) looks to be in better shape heading into Saturday’s game. And having the rangy 6-foot-3 defensive back on the field should provide a boost for a secondary that’s struggled on the road dating back to last season.
5. Special teams alert
Texas has reaped the rewards from strong special teams play several times this season. Junior Keilan Robinson is always a threat to break off a big kickoff return, and he’s one of three Longhorns to have blocked a punt this season.
But Texas will have to be on high alert whenever they’re punting to Kansas State. The Wildcats lead the nation in punt return average (25.8 yards) and have two return touchdowns this year.