Texas Preview – 55 Days Until Kansas Football

The Jayhawks travel to Austin for one more showdown before the Longhorns head to the SEC.

Is Texas back? Who knows. But the Longhorns are back for one more ride in the Big 12 before leaving for the SEC, and with that the Kansas Jayhawks will head back to Austin for the first time since Jalon Daniels, Jared Casey, and company came away with a win and all the Applebees they could eat.

Pre-Game Notes

Texas and Kansas began playing regularly in football as conference members in 1996, and since then it has been mostly Texas, with the Longhorns winning 17 of 19. Before that, Kansas won the first two matchups in the two programs’ history, defeating Texas in 1901 and 1938.

The two KU wins as Big 12 members have come in the last six years; the 2016 24-21 win in Lawrence with David Beaty as coach and the 57-56 win in Austin in 2021, signifying Lance Leipold’s arrival. But the Jayhawks have been more competitive of late. Texas won by just seven in 2018 and two (the 50-48 barnburner) in 2019. Last year was a different story, with the Longhorns steamrolling to a 55-14 victory in Lawrence.

The Mike Plank Four-Down Scouting Report

First Down

Before Texas leaves the Big 12, the Longhorns are targeted as the team to beat this year. Texas was voted first in the Big 12 preseason poll by media members, receiving 41 of 67 first-place votes. One of the reasons for that is returning 15 of 22 starters from a team that went 8-5 a season ago. That includes all five offensive linemen from a dominant group.

Following Texas’ spring game, coach Steve Sarkisian announced that Quinn Ewers would start the season at quarterback. Ewers struggled at times as a freshman last year but apparently had an impressive spring and did enough to keep freshman phenom Arch Manning from taking the reins just yet.

Second Down

The big loss from the offense was top-10 NFL draft pick Bijan Robinson. Robinson racked up 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground in 2022, including obliterating Kansas for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Jonathon Brooks could see more action – he averaged 6.6 yards per carry on 30 carries to go with five touchdowns – as could former Alabama back Keilan Robinson, and the Longhorns are also bringing in the top freshman back in the nation this year in CJ Baxter.

Third Down

The receiving corp has fewer question marks. Xavier Worthy – one of the best receivers in the league – is back, as is second-leading receiver Jordan Whittington. They are joined by Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell, five-star freshman Johntay Cook II, and four-star freshmen Ryan Niblett and DeAndre Moore Jr. It’s safe to say Ewers will have plenty of targets to throw to in his sophomore season.

Fourth Down

The Longhorns’ defense was mostly solid last year, allowing 21 points per game. A big reason was the ability to get to the quarterback, as Texas led the country in pressures. And the main forces behind that are back, specifically Barryn Sorrell, who recorded 5.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 2022. But arguably the best defensive player coming back is Jaylan Ford, looking to build on a team-high 119 tackles, four interceptions, and three forced fumbles, as well as 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Matchup On Paper

The Texas offense was balanced but leaned toward the run last year, and for good reason. But with Robinson gone, Ewers with another year of experience, and a plethora of options at receiver, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Texas air it out more this season. That means the secondary of Kenny Logan, Cobee Bryant, Mello Dotson, and company must be ready.

But unless Texas has fixed some secondary issues, Daniels and the KU offense should be able to sling it around as well. The Longhorns allowed opponents to complete 62% of their passes for 242 yards per game. Seven of Texas’ 13 opponents last year threw for 250 yards or more against the Longhorns.

Final Whistle

The timing of the matchup this year will be interesting to see. Texas and Kansas have not faced off in September since 2014, and most of the matchups have been late in the season in mid-to-late November. Obviously the weather could be a factor, with Austin being considerably hotter on September 30 than around Thanksgiving. But it’s also just the second conference game for each team. In the grand scheme, the timing shouldn’t make much of a difference, but it could help from an attrition standpoint if KU faces a similar string of bad injury luck to last year.