Jonathon Brooks, Texas Longhorns Wear Down Kansas Jayhawks

The Texas Longhorns are off to their first 5-0 start since 2009

Matt Galatzan | Sep 30, 2023

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Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns might not have played their best game on Saturday afternoon.

But in front of a packed house at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, they still looked every bit a College Football Playoff contender, taking down the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks 40-14 in Austin.

Things got off to a fast start for the Horns, who moved down the field and scored their first touchdown on the opening drive, thanks to a Quinn Ewers touchdown run from 30 yards out.

However, that's when the first-half issues started for the Horns, with a missed field goal and squandered red zone opportunities allowing the Jayhawks to stay in the game.

Not to mention a Quinn Ewers interception - his first of the season - at the end of the first half when the Longhorns were on the move into Kansas Territory.

In the second half, however, the Longhorns got things moving in a hurry, with Jonathon Brooks adding a touchdown just over a minute and a half into the third quarter, extending the lead to 20-7 for Texas.

Jonathon Brooks breaks free vs. the Kansas Jayhawks / © Sara Diggins, Austin American-Statesman

The Longhorns would then score on two of their next three possessions, including one more Brooks touchdown, to put the lead at 33-14 in the fourth quarter, and all but seal the game away.

In fact, it was Brooks who was the catalyst and consistent playmaker for the Horns all afternoon, rushing 21 times for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

The monster day gave the Longhorns their first 200-plus yard rusher since last season when Bijan Robinson ran for 209 yards and four touchdowns in Lawrence against the Jayhawks.

Stud wide receiver AD Mitchell also had a monster game, hauling in nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Ewers finished the day completing 25 of 35 passes for 325 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 40 yards and two more scores.

As a team, the Longhorns amassed over 650 yards of total offense, including more than 330 yards on the ground.

Following the win, the Longhorns (5-0) will now head into their much-anticipated matchup with the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas.

Published Sep 30, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns In SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks with the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com for 247Sports. He then moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, ex Longhorns Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, FOX News and former ESPN host Will Cain, as well as countless other recruits and former players for each of the teams he has covered. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.