The Kansas Jayhawks marched into DKR and beat Texas in a 57-56 in an overtime thriller. It would not be an understatement to call that one of the craziest games in college football history.
Texas has now dropped five straight games for the first time since 1956. One year before Darrell Royal was hired.
Entering the game, Kansas had lost 56 straight conference road games. A streak that has lasted 13 years.
The night could not have gone any worse for Texas. They turned the ball over four times on two strip-sacks and two interceptions. One was taken back for a touchdown.
Kansas scored three touchdowns in the final two and a half minutes of the first half to take a commanding 35-14 halftime lead.
Texas charged back in the second half to tie the game up on a Cade Brewer touchdown with only 22 seconds left.
Both teams would trade touchdowns to start overtime but Kansas head coach Lance Leipold would send his team out for the game-deciding two-point conversion.
The play felt like slow motion. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels scrambled to his right, then threw to his fullback Jared Casey, who had not caught a pass all season. Casey hauled in the pass capping off one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Here are five takeaways from a historic night in Austin:
The loss falls on the defense
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The Texas defense has been pretty subpar all year. Opposing offenses have sliced through the Texas defense all too often, but allowing 50 points to a Kansas team starting their third-string quarterback set a new low.
The run fits are awful. The tackling is poor. The pass rush is non-existent.
The Kansas offense finished 11-17 on third down and went 7-7 in the red zone with seven touchdowns. Many times Kansas players ran into the endzone untouched.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s unit was incapable of coming up with the big play necessary to win the game.
Casey should never have been pulled
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Sark said before the game that Hudson Card was going to get early playing time in this game. That plan should have changed after Kansas punched Texas in the mouth to go up 14-0.
Casey led two promising drives to start the game, the second one ended in a touchdown. Card came into the game on the third drive and looked promising. Tossing a nice 33-yard touchdown to Xavier Worthy. Card would turn the ball over on his next two drives including a pick-six right before the half.
Casey has his inconsistencies but has earned the right to start the last two games of the season.
Xavier Worthy deserves Biletnikoff consideration
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
The freshman wide receiver single-handedly kept Texas in the game. Worthy recorded 14 catches for 152 yards and three scores.
Lost in the news because of the loss, Worthy is having the best freshman season a Texas wide receiver has ever had.
Worthy has 831 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. Leading the country in both yards and touchdowns among freshmen.
The Horns would be tough to beat if they could find 22 Xavier Worthy type players.
Time to give younger players more playing time
Jeff Woo/Denton Record-Chronicle
Texas has officially hit rock bottom. It is time to start looking ahead to next season, giving the young talent more playing time.
Freshman tight-end Ja’tavion Sanders and safety JD Coffey have yet to see significant playing time this season. With not much left to play for Sak should consider giving those two more opportunities in the final two games of the year.
Steve Sarkisian has a difficult job in front of him
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Texas is having one of the worst seasons in program going to face signifiacnt roster turnover in the offseason.
Steve Sarkisian will have the opportunity to pitch early playing time to players in both high school and the transfer portal.
Texas could use impact starters at almost every single position on the field if they want to filed a competitive team next season.
Texas has had a good track record with transfers in recent years. Texas has found key contriuters Calvin Anderson, Gerry Johnson, Tre Watson and other above average starters.
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