More third-down issues hurt the defense and the Jayhawks threatened again by pushing the ball inside the 10-yard line, but the defense held again and the subsequent 26-yard field goal hit the goalpost.
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Jerrod Heard threw an 84-yard touchdown pass to John Burt on Texas’ first offensive play and D’Onta Foreman ran 93-yards for a third quarter score.
Kansas (0-9, 0-6) has lost 37 in a row away from home and the Jayhawks have given up at least 58 points in three straight games. Texas has 24 sacks – including 17 in the past three games – and is led by linebacker Peter Jinkens’ four. And that doesn’t even count his fifth score, a fumble pickup and run for 10 yards into the end zone. It appeared that KU coach David Beaty tried to argue that the Texas player came from out of bounds to recover the ball.
Minutes later, a 26-yard field goal attempt clanked off the right upright as time expired.
Sophomore kicker Nick Bartolotta missed another field goal – this one from 26 yards. Their biggest challenge will be trying to limit the Texas offense; the Jayhawks are last in all of FBS in total defense with over 580 yards per game allowed, and second-to-last with 47.1 points per game allowed.
Heard finished with 201 yards passing and 23 yards rushing, one of his best games since a 527-yard school record effort in a loss to California back on September 12.
The Texas Longhorns take on the Kansas Jayhawks today in a game on the Big 12 college football schedule which sees one team struggling through a mediocre season filled with controversy, and the other team faring far worse and still looking for its first win of the year. Head coach Charlie Strong has talked repeatedly about the need for a guy who can gain yards after the catch in those situations and the talented freshman stepped up big in that area after a quiet week in Ames, pivoting outside and showing his track speed to finish the play. The Longhorns play next at West Virginia, host Texas Tech on Thanksgiving and end the regular season at Baylor.
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ABOUT TEXAS (3-5, 2-3): Heard (66-of-111 for 839 yards, three TDs, three INTs) leads the Longhorns in rushing (502 yards, three TDs), but former starterTyrone Swoopes (207 rushing yards, five TDs) will continue to be used in short-yardage situations. “The next week you’re so explosive…”
