Notebook: Texas Longhorns' Run Game Fuels Win Over Kansas Jayhawks

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns ran past the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks thanks to their strong rushing attack.

Texas continued their Big 12 dominance in a 40-14 win over the previously undefeated Kansas Jayhawks today in an afternoon showdown. The Longhorns remain unbeaten after today, thanks to a strong running attack, and will take an unblemished record into the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma next weekend.

It may not have gone exactly according to plan, but Texas walked out of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with a win over a top-25 team, which is what really matters. While the Longhorns didn't exactly light up the scoreboard, they dominated the time of possession behind a powerful rushing attack led by Jonathan Brooks.

Texas Ground Game

The Longhorns didn't put 50 points on the board, but they dominated the display in other ways. Texas finished with a possession time of 40:26 curshing the Jayhawks tally of 19: 34. That final mark comes from taking control at the line of scrimmage on both sides.

Offensively, Texas pushed the Jayhawks back all day, securing a rushing total of 334 yards. Running back Jonathan Brooks led the way for the Horns racking up 218 yards and two touchdowns. fellow ball carrier CJ Baxter contributed 67 yards and QB Quinn Ewers added two touchdowns on the ground as well.

Quinn Ewers vs. Kansas / © Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman

Longhorn QB Quinn Ewers

Even with 365 total yards (40 rush) and three total touchdowns (2 rush), some may point to this game and say Ewers didn't do as much for the Longhorns as they expected, but that's ok. Even though the redshirt sophomore threw his first career interception, he put his legs on display and managed not to make any wild missteps, keeping his composure even after the turnover.

Once Texas had the game safely in hand via their run game, all that Ewers had to do was make the smart play, not the big play. He was able to do that effectively and that's why Texas had this one wrapped up in the third quarter without being ahead by 40 points.

5-0 Start

The Texas Longhorns have long waited to "be back". And now after their first 5-0 start since 2009, that's truly just on the horizon. With the Red River Rivalry coming up next week in Dallas, the Horns have a chance to cement their place back in the upper echelon of college football, at least for this season.