Texas Longhorns WR Adonai Mitchell Has Career-Best Game, Talks Support of Maalik Murphy: 'It's Not Easy'

Texas Longhorns receiver Adonai Mitchell put together a game-changing effort in Saturday's win over the Kansas State Wildcats.

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Longhorns' offense hit a wall in the second half of Saturday's meeting in Austin with the Kansas State Wildcats, but a big day from receiver Adonai Mitchell might make fans forget about the miscues, at least for now.

No. 7 Texas (8-1) beat No. 23 Kansas State (6-3) in a 33-30 overtime thriller thanks to stout defense late in the game, though one could argue the Longhorns should've never found themselves in that position thanks to the hot start Mitchell had that allowed Texas to build both momentum and an early three-score lead. 

Thankfully for Texas, he came through once again when the game got tight in the fourth quarter to finish off what he started.

Mitchell finished with a career-high 149 yards on a game-high eight grabs and one touchdown. He admitted afterwards that he didn't realize it was a career-best day yardage-wise. But more importantly, Mitchell has now reached the end zone in three straight games and leads the team with eight receiving touchdowns this season.

Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy has now found Mitchell for three touchdowns this season. He said the success he had when throwing to the veteran receiver on Saturday wasn't due to anything special or some magical game plan.

"Great week of practice, honestly," Murphy said. "Great preparation. We were dialed in. Honestly all the receivers had a great week of practice. I was confident coming into this game."

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (5) reacts after making a catch during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium / © Scott Wachter, USA TODAY

Mitchell jump-started things for Texas with a 12-yard grab on the game's first drive before giving the Longhorns their first score of the day on a 37-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter. Texas took a 7-0 lead and quickly added to it afterwards when Mitchell laid out for a 47-yard grab downfield that helped set up a field goal and a 10-0 lead.

The Longhorns eventually built a 17-0 lead with 11:34 in the second quarter, but the offense and Mitchell quieted down a bit from this point on. Murphy tossed his first of two questionable interceptions midway through the second quarter, which was the first of five straight scoreless possessions for Texas. This drought didn't end until 9:21 left in the third.

Mitchell has seen a lot in his college career. So when Murphy had the pair of game-changing interceptions, the standout receiver already knew how to show support toward his quarterback.

"It's not easy to go through," Mitchell said. "It's not easy to bounce back after making a mistake in front of 100,000. I don't care who it is. It's our job as teammates, as brothers to come together and lift one another up."

Soon after Murphy's second pick, the Longhorns gave it right back to K-State on a fumble from Jonathon Brooks. The Wildcats tied the gamed at 27-all as a result, and the pressure was now on.

But this is when Mitchell reinserted himself.

On a crucial fourth-quarter possession Murphy led a 14-play, 69-yard drive that featured a heavy dose of Mitchell, who caught three passes for 44 yards on the drive. This led to a 34-yard field goal for Texas, which ultimately proved to be a life-saving score considering the Wildcats hit the game-tying field goal with one second left in regulation shortly after.

Regardless of his miscues, Murphy made key completions to Mitchell when it mattered most.

"It's tough because playing the quarterback position, all eyes are on you," Mitchell said. "It's definitely tough but, you know, we all came together as a team. ... We all leaned on each other when the moment came, and the moment didn't get too big and we found a way to pull off the W."

Mitchell will look to keep up his recent play when the Longhorns visit the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday in Fort Worth.