The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 8 Texas 17, No. 17 Kansas State 14
10.19.2002 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Sophomore PK Dusty Mangum kicked a 27-yard field goal with 1:32 remaining, then junior DT Marcus Tubbs blocked Jared Brite's 36-yard field goal attempt with seven seconds left in the game as No. 8 Texas beat No. 17 Kansas State, 17-14. The 11th-largest crowd in K-State history (50,659) witnessed the Longhorns win their 11th consecutive road game (excluding neutral-site contests) and snap a two-game losing streak to the Wildcats.
Junior WR B.J. Johnson caught four passes for a season-high 132 yards and a touchdown for the Longhorns, who improved to 16-5 on the road under head coach Mack Brown. Johnson put Texas on top 7-0 with his 39-yard score on the second play of the second quarter and added receptions of 53 and 32 yards that set up separate scoring drives.
Senior DE Cory Redding and sophomore LB Derrick Johnson led a strong effort by the Texas defense. Redding contributed seven solo tackles, a pair of sacks and four TFLs, while Johnson had a career-high 14 stops. The Longhorns held the nation's second-highest scoring offense to their lowest point total of the season and limited K-State nearly 100 yards below its season rushing average of 255.5 yards per game (No. 6 NCAA).
The Longhorns clung to a 14-6 lead following freshman TE David Thomas' 2-yard touchdown reception with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. After Johnson hauled in a 53-yard grab to spot the ball at the Wildcats three, senior QB Chris Simms executed the play-action, rolled to his left and lofted his second scoring pass of the game to Thomas.
Kansas State answered on its first drive of the fourth quarter. QB Ell Roberson floated a 15-yard TD pass to TE Thomas Hill on fourth-and-9 with 10:40 left to pull the Wildcats to within two at 14-12. K-State, which missed the extra point following its first score, converted the two-point conversion when RB Darren Sproles bulled into the end zone to knot the game at 14.
Following a punt by the Wildcats, the Longhorns took over at their own 36 with 4:26 remaining. They gained 15 yards on the first play thanks to a face mask penalty against Kansas State. Then, on third-and-11 from the K-State 49, Simms hooked up with Johnson for a 32-yard completion. Four plays later, Mangum sent his 27-yard attempt through the uprights for the game winner.
The Wildcats made things interesting on their final drive. Roberson hit James Terry on consecutive passes for 27 and 15 yards to move the Wildcats into position for Brite's game-tying attempt, but Tubbs got his hand on the ball for his second blocked kick of the season and Texas ran out the clock.
The Longhorns seemed ready to take the lead with seven minutes to go when senior LB Lee Jackson recovered a Roberson fumble on the Wildcats 30, but Simms threw an interception on the next play, which gave the Wildcats the ball on their own 3-yard line. However, the drive stalled at the K-State 29 and the Wildcats were forced to punt.
Texas opened the scoring with Johnson's 39-yard touchdown reception on the second play of the second quarter. K-State's Travis Brown had a 33-yard punt on fourth-and-21 following a Roberson fumble and the Longhorns got the ball at the Wildcats 39-yard line.
The Wildcats got on the board on their ensuing drive thanks to Sproles, who broke a 61-yard run on second down. After junior CB Nathan Vasher caught up with the 5-foot-7, 170-pounder at the 19 to save a touchdown, Roberson scrambled 11 yards. An offsides penalty against Texas made it first-and-goal from the eight and Nick Hoheisel scored from the two on third-and-goal. Brite's extra point was blocked by junior DE Kalen Thornton, leaving Texas with a 7-6 lead.
