No. 7 Texas gets FG from Bert Auburn, goal-line stand in OT to outlast No. 23 Kansas State

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas’ defense played three different games on Saturday in the seventh-ranked Longhorns’ 33-30 overtime win over No. 23 Kansas State. 

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First there was the defense that dominated the game’s first 41 minutes; then there was the unit that allowed the Wildcats to tie the game in the fourth quarter and have two chances, the second one successful, to send the game into the extra period. 

Finally there was the defense that bowed its neck and refused to succumb when Kansas State went for the win, rather than a highly probable tying field goal, in overtime. 

That unit was the one that made the difference and Bert Auburn kicked four field goals, including the game-winning 42-yarder in overtime, that allowed Texas to survive a calamitous early-fourth quarter stretch and beat the Wildcats for the seventh straight time, this one before a sun-splashed crowd of 102,846 fans in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Texas led 27-7 before a late third-quarter score by Kansas State followed by two touchdowns by the Wildcats over a 2:23 span of the fourth quarter after a Maalik Murphy interception and a Jonathon Brooks fumble allowed the visitors to pull even.

Auburn’s 34-yard field goal put Texas back in front with 6:03 to play in regulation. Chris Tennant, who was wide left on a 27-yard FG attempt with 1:45 remaining, sent the game to overtime with a 45-yarder with one second left.

The Longhorns had the ball first in overtime and were forced to settle for Auburn’s field goal. Kansas State’s Will Howard passed 19 yards to Ben Sinnott on first down but three subsequent plays netted the Wildcats just two yards. 

Instead of attempting a field goal that would have sent the game to a second extra period, Kansas State went for the win and was denied when Howard was pressured Barryn Sorrell and passed wildly and incomplete.

The Longhorns (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) won their third consecutive game and remained tied atop the conference standings but the win did not come without a heaping helping of drama. 

Murphy passed for a career-high 248 yards and a touchdown to Adonai Mitchell in his second career start but also was intercepted twice. Jonathon Brooks ran for 112 yards and a score for the Longhorns, eclipsing 1,000 yards for the season

Howard threw for 327 yards and four TDs in the loss for Kansas State (6-3, 4-2 Big 12). The Wildcats, who had a three-game winning streak snapped, were held to just 33 yards rushing.

After driving into K-State territory on their first drive, the Longhorns lit the scoreboard on their second possession, with Murphy throwing a picture-perfect pass to Mitchell for a 37-yard touchdown at the 8:36 mark of the first quarter.

Texas added to its lead with a 32-yard Auburn field goal with 1:06 remaining in the first. Murphy hit Mitchell on a 47-yard pass and then found Jordan Whittington for 19 yards to set up Auburn’s kick.

The Longhorns rolled the dice on fourth down from their own 46 yard line three and a half minutes into the second quarter and hit big. CJ Baxter took a pitch from Murphy, made a defender miss at the line of scrimmage and rolled untouched 54 yards for a TD that put Texas up 17-0. Baxter finished with 90 yards on 10 carries.

Texas moved to the K-State 11-yard line late in the second quarter but failed on fourth down and one when short-yardage quarterback Savion Red dropped the ball in the backfield, continuing the Longhorns’ shortcomings in the red zone.

The Wildcats’ Shane Porter blocked a Ryan Sanborn punt with 1:35 to play before halftime, allowing Kansas State to run its first play in Texas territory on the ensuing snap from the UT 42. Howard hit Jayce Brown with a 28-yard connection to the 11 and then passed to Phillip Brooks for a six-yard TD pass that brought the Wildcats to within 17-7 with 54 seconds left in the half.

Texas got a huge break on the Wildcats’ opening drive of the third quarter as Michael Taaffe was in the right place at the right time to intercept a deep pass that was bobbled by K-State’s Keagan Johnson. It was Taaffe’s third interception in three games.

Texas added to its advantage with a five-yard Brooks TD run at the 9:21 mark of the third quarter that came one play after Ethan Burke’s strip-sack of Howard was pulled away from the K-State quarterback by Jaylan Ford.

Auburn tied his season high with a 49-yard FG with 4:13 remaining in the third to move the Longhorns’ lead to 27-7. Kansas State finally got on track late in the quarter, driving 75 yards in eight plays (and overcoming three penalties) to Howard’s 26-yard scoring pass to Brooks to bring the Wildcats to within 27-14 on the final play of the third quarter.

Kansas State immediately got a chance to further cut into the lead when Murphy was intercepted by Jacob Parrish. After an 11-yard return and a fumble that was recovered by the Wildcats’ Colby McAllister at the UT 12, Howard passed to Johnson on a crossing route for a score with 13:33 to play and Kansas State was down just 27-21.

Another Texas turnover, this one a Brooks fumble at the UT 32, set the table for Howard’s scoring pass to Jayce Brown on the ensuing snap that tied the game at 27. The Wildcats could have had the lead with a successful PAT kick but botched the snap.

That set the stage for Auburn, and Tennant, and finally Auburn again. And finally the Texas defense – and a huge sigh of relief from Longhorn Nation.

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Texas returns to play on Nov. 11 when it travels to Fort Worth to battle struggling TCU.