The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
Football heads out on the road Saturday, plays at K-State
10.20.2014 | Football
Longhorns face No. 11/11 Wildcats at 11 a.m. Central in Manhattan; game will air on ESPN.
Longhorns Gameweek | Texas-Kansas State Notes (PDF) | Tickets
The Football team snapped a two-game skid with a thrilling 48-45 win over Iowa State Saturday to move to .500 in the Big 12. The Longhorns (3-4, 2-2) will play at Kansas State at 11 a.m. Central Saturday. The Wildcats (5-1, 3-0), the lone unbeaten team left in Big 12 play, edged Oklahoma, 31-30, on the road last Saturday. Texas won last season's matchup with K-State, 31-21, in Austin. The Texas-Kansas State game will be shown nationally at ESPN. Longhorn Network airs a pregame show beginning at 9 a.m. The game can also be seen on WatchESPN. The Longhorn IMG Radio Network broadcast, including flagship KVET (1300 AM/98.1 FM) in Austin, begins at 10 a.m. To listen to the game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, tune into 87.9 FM. The game can also be heard online at TexasSports.com. Tickets are available for all games through TexasSports.com or by calling (512) 471-3333.
Offenses Shine as Horns Rally to Down Iowa State: A 21-yard field goal from Nick Rose with three seconds left lifted Texas to a stirring 48-45 victory over Iowa State on Saturday. After Iowa State scored the tying touchdown with 28 seconds left, the Longhorns opted not to wait for overtime when they took over at their own 28. Tyrone Swoopes, who was 24 of 36 for 321 yards, connected with receivers Jaxon Shipley and John Harris on pass plays of 39 and 29 yards, respectively, to set up first-and-goal at the 4 with seven seconds left. Rose was summoned to drive home the decisive kick in a game featuring six ties and 1,036 total yards of offense. Rose's field goal was the first Longhorn game winner in the final seconds since Justin Tucker nailed a 40-yarder as time expired to defeat Texas A&M, 27-25, in 2011. Last year's game with ISU also came down to the wire. Case McCoy's 1-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak with 51 seconds left lifted Texas over Iowa State, 31-30, in Ames.
The Kansas State Series: Texas and Kansas State have met 14 times with the Wildcats leading, 8-6, in a series that dates back to 1913. K-State has won five of the last six meetings with Texas snapping a five-game losing streak last season. The Horns have a 5-3 record in Austin, but the Wildcats lead 5-1 in Manhattan. The Wildcats won the first two Big 12 matchups (48-7, 1998/35-17, 1999) before the Horns posted a 17-14 win at K-State in 2002 and a 24-20 victory at home in 2003. Kansas State won 42-24 the last time (2012) the teams met in Manhattan. The Wildcats earned a 41-21 decision in Austin in 2007 and a 45-42 win in Manhattan in 2006, in a game where QB Colt McCoy was hurt during the first series after giving Texas a 7-0 lead. Prior to the teams becoming Big 12 opponents, the Longhorns had won three of the series' first four contests (64-0, 1942/41-7, 1927/46-0, 1913).
K-State Series Tidbits: Kansas State is the only team in the Big 12 Conference to lead an overall series with the Longhorns. Although Texas and Kansas State have played only 14 times, the series dates back to a 1913 Longhorns' victory in Austin (46-0). Prior to joining the Big 12 Conference, UT and Kansas State last met on Sept. 26, 1942. The Longhorns, who agreed to bench their freshmen - which included stars Gus "Pig" Dittmar and Alva "Fats" Carlton (who were not eligible under Missouri Valley Conference rules), shut out Kansas State, 64-0, that year in Austin.
First-and-Goal:
• After surrendering 524 yards of offense to Iowa State, Texas dropped to 34th (from 17th) in the FBS in total defense (346.3 yards per game). However, the Longhorns still rank high nationally in a number of defensive categories. They are No. 5 in passing defense (163.9 ypg), No. 10 in yards allowed per play (4.52), 12th in passing efficiency defense (104.23 rating) and tied for 12th in sacks (3.43 pg). In the three games prior to Iowa State, the Horns held Kansas QB Montell Cozart to a rating of just 50.84, Baylor's Bryce Petty to a career-low rating of 104.20 and Oklahoma's Trevor Knight to a season-low 129 passing yards.
• The Longhorns are coming off their two most productive offensive outings of the season. One week after posting 482 total yards (148 rushing/334 passing) vs. Oklahoma, the second-highest total in series history (553 in 1999), Texas rolled up a season-high 512 total yards vs. Iowa State. Over the last two weeks, the Longhorns have jumped from No. 114 to 96 in the total offense national ranking (370.0 ypg). The offensive output the last two games is the best in conference play since the 2011 season. The Longhorns rolled up 590 yards vs. Kansas (Oct. 29) and then 595 vs. Texas Tech (Nov. 5).
• QB Tyrone Swoopes has emerged as the focal point of the offense in just his second season. Swoopes has directed the offense the last six games, completing 130 of 213 passes (61.0 percent) for 1,389 yards with eight TDs and five interceptions. He posted career highs in completions (27), attempts (44) and passing yards (334) vs, Oklahoma and followed up by recording career highs in total offense (416) and rushing yards (95) vs. Iowa State. His passing yards and total offense (384) outputs were the most ever by a Longhorn in the Oklahoma series.
• Jaxon Shipley (44) and John Harris (40) are leading the team in receptions. They rank tied for fifth (6.3 pg) and ninth (5.7), respectively, in the Big 12. Harris (86.7) and Shipley (86.3) also ranks 1-2 on the team in all-purpose yards. Malcolm Brown (396) and Johnathan Gray (345) are the top rushers. Texas rushed for a season-high 191 yards, including a career-high 95 by Swoopes, and a season-best average of 4.9 yards per carry against Iowa State. The Longhorns are averaging 176.3 rushing yards over the last three games after producing just 120.5 during the first four. UT rushed for 190 yards vs. a Baylor defense that ranked No. 6 in the nation in rushing defense (80.0 ypg). The Longhorns followed up with 148 yards (40 attempts), including a season-high 78 by Brown and 50 by Swoopes, vs. Oklahoma. The Sooners entered the game ranked No. 22 nationally in rushing defense, allowing 109.6 yards per contest. Kansas State has one of the top rushing defenses in the nation. The Wildcats lead the Big 12 and rank 10th nationally, surrendering 100.8 ypg.
• Nick Rose was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance vs. Iowa State. The junior connected on a 21-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to lift Texas to a 48-45 win. It was just the 10th field goal in school history to win a game in the final 10 seconds. He also hit a career-long 45-yarder and tallied a career-best 12 points.
• Leading up to the Kansas game, Texas announced a pair of personnel updates. QB David Ash decided to retire from football due to his injury history and DT Desmond Jackson had surgery on his injured foot (vs. UCLA) and is out for the year.
Streaks, Trends and Milestones:
• Texas (48) and Iowa State (45) combined for the 93 points in Saturday's game, ranking it tied for the ninth-highest scoring contest in school history.
• Texas has 11 interceptions already this season after posting 10 all of 2013. That is the most for UT in the first seven games since recording 12 in 2009. That year they finished with a national-best 25 interceptions. The Horns rank tied for sixth nationally in interceptions and tied for 30th in turnovers gained (14). Kansas State has only thrown three interceptions this season, and its six total turnovers rank tied for the ninth fewest in the country.
• Sophomore Dylan Haines, a walk-on turned starting safety, posted the Longhorns' second interception return for a touchdown this season in the Iowa State game. Haines picked off Sam Richardson in the second quarter and weaved his way 74 yards for the TD. That was 13th-longest pick for a score in school history and longest since 2009 when Curtis Brown went 77 yards for a TD vs. Oklahoma State (Oct. 31). LB Demarco Cobbs has the other return for a score this season (28-yarder vs. North Texas).
• Jaxon Shipley posted six catches for 92 receiving yards vs. Iowa State to move from fifth to fourth on the UT career receptions list (203), passing Mike Davis (200/2010-13). Shipley is 4 yards shy of reaching sixth on the career receiving yards list (2,385), just behind B.J. Johnson (2000-03).
• Hicks, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his 15-tackle, one-interception performance vs. Kansas (Sept. 27), has a team-high 98 stops. He has averaged 15.0 tackles over the last six games, including a career-best 18 vs. UCLA and Iowa State. Steve Edmond is second with 76 stops, including a career-best 19 vs. Baylor. He is averaging 11.8 tackles over the last six contests.
• Safety Jason Hall made his first career start in the Kansas game and was credited with a career-high seven tackles. He became the first true freshman to start a game since Blake Gideon in 2008. Gideon started all 13 games at safety that season.
• Dominic Espinosa, who fractured an ankle in the season opener vs. North Texas, had his team-best 40 consecutive-game starting streak snapped vs. BYU. DE Cedric Reed, who has started 26 straight games, now has the team lead. TE Geoff Swaim has the most consecutive starts on offense with 13.
• For just the 14th time on UT record, UT held an opponent to under 100 yards of total offense when it limited North Texas to just 94 (79 rushing, 15 passing). The 94 yards yielded rank No. 13 on the UT single-game list and it marked the first time since Oct. 29, 2011, that the Longhorns held an opponent under 100 yards. Texas was one of just three schools in the FBS to allow that few yards in week one (also Pittsburgh, 57, and Louisiana-Monroe, 94). The 15 passing yards surrendered to UNT rank No. 9 on the UT single-game list.
• The Texas defense forced North Texas into four interceptions, the most since the 2009 Oklahoma State game (Oct. 31). Dylan Haines, Jordan Hicks, Adrian Colbert and Demarco Cobbs each recorded his first career interception. Cobbs returned his pick 28 yards for a touchdown. DT Chris Whaley had UT's last interception return for a score (31 yards) in the 2013 Oklahoma game. The Horns followed that up with four more interceptions vs. Kansas.
Last Time vs. Kansas State (Sept. 21, 2013): Behind a career-high 141 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Johnathan Gray and a defense which forced three turnovers, Texas defeated Kansas State, 31-21, in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. The victory was the Longhorns' first over the Wildcats since 2003 and snapped a five-game losing streak in the series. QB David Ash went 14 of 25 with 166 yards and a touchdown in the first half to help the Longhorns take a 17-7 halftime lead. Ash had concussion symptoms and didn't play after the halftime break, giving way to senior Case McCoy who directed two second-half scoring drives and finished 5 of 9 for 59 yards. Texas finished 9 of 18 on third-down conversions.
Producing Explosive Plays: One week after producing a season-best 12 explosive plays (12-plus yard rushes/16-plus yard catches) against Oklahoma, the Horns had nine vs. Iowa State (four on the ground and five in the air). Two of the explosive plays came during the final drive of the game (3 plays, 68 yards, 19 seconds) to set up the game-winning 21-yard field goal by Nick Rose. UT has eight pass plays of 30 or more yards this season and five occurred over the last two weeks. WRs Jaxon Shipley (32), Marcus Johnson (41) and John Harris (38) each had a reception of more than 30 yards vs. Oklahoma. Harris had catches of 32 and 45 yards in the Iowa State game. Prior to the last two games, Texas had a season best of seven explosive plays (vs. North Texas and Baylor).
Sack Attack: The Longhorns have combined for 24 sacks over the first seven games and rank tied for 14th in the FBS (3.43 per game). Twelve players have been involved in a sack this season, including five with 2.0 or more. DT Malcom Brown leads the way with 4.5 which ranks tied for 57th in the FBS (0.64 per game). DT Hassan Ridgeway is second with 4.0 - tied for No. 74 (0.57 pg). Texas has at least three sacks in six of the seven games this season. Baylor entered the Oct. 4 game as one of only two teams in the nation not to allow a sack (also New Mexico State) and the Longhorns took down QB Bryce Petty three times. The Bears had no sacks in their first 163 pass attempts of the season.
Holding Baylor's High-Powered Offense in Check: Baylor entered its Oct. 4 game with Texas ranked No. 1 in the FBS in scoring (56.8 points per game), first in total offense (641.0 ypg) and fourth in passing offense (401.3 ypg) and the UT defense held the Bears well below those averages as they produced 389 yards of total offense, including 111 passing yards. It marked just the second time in the last 45 games Baylor posted less than 400 yards of total offense (370 vs. TCU in 2013) and it was the lowest passing yards output by the Bears since the final game of the 2008 season (91 vs. Texas Tech). UT held Baylor's explosive plays to a minimum. The Bears had five runs of 12-plus yards and only three pass plays of 16 or more yards.
Defense Impresses In Red River Showdown: Oklahoma entered its game with Texas (Oct. 11) averaging 488.2 total yards per game (No. 29 in the nation), but was held to 232, including only 29 (on 14 plays) in the first half. The total offense output was the lowest by the Sooners in the series since 2002 when they gained 209 in a 35-24 loss and fewest yards overall since totaling 230 in a 27-24 loss at Colorado in 2007. OU was also held to 1 of 11 (9.1 percent) on third-down conversions. That was the worst percentage by a Longhorn Big 12 opponent since Baylor was 1-for-11 in 2008. Iowa State entered Saturday's game converting 47.8 percent of its third-down attempts, which ranked 16th nationally. ISU converted 9 of 19 chances (47.3) against a UT defense allowing just a 32-percent conversion rate (No. 24 in the FBS). K-State enters this week ranked No. 8 in the FBS in third-down conversions (50 percent).
By the Numbers
1: Cedric Reed leads the current roster in career tackles for loss (31), sacks (14.0) and forced fumbles (5).
1: Charlie Strong is the only head coach in Louisville to win at least three bowl games and he did it in just four seasons.
2: The Longhorns have two alums on the coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Vance Bedford was a cornerback (1977-'79, '81) and Les Koenning coaches the position he played (1978-80) - wide receiver.
2: Charlie Strong was twice named Big East Coach of the Year (2010, '12).
2: Charlie Strong served as the defensive coordinator on two national championship teams at Florida (2006, '08).
2: The Longhorns have two running backs on the roster with more than 1,800 career rushing yards. Malcolm Brown ranks 13th on the school's career list (2,366) and Johnathan Gray is 18th (1,826).
3: Charlie Strong had three of his Louisville players selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, tied for the most in the nation.
3: The Longhorns, who rank tied for 14th in the FBS in sacks (3.43 pg/24), have produced at least three sacks in six of the seven games this season.
3: The Longhorns have three BCS Bowl victories in four appearances, including winning the 2005 National Championship.
3: Quandre Diggs is the team's active career leader with 33 pass breakups. He needs three more to reach the UT career top 10.
4: Charlie Strong had four of his Louisville players selected in the top 75 of the 2014 NFL Draft, tied for the most in the nation.
4: Jaxon Shipley ranks No. 4 in school history in career receptions (203).
5: Number of career starts the offensive line had registered entering the BYU game (Kent Perkins - 2; Sedrick Flowers - 2; Marcus Hutchins - 1).
5: Cedric Reed ranked tied for fifth in the FBS last season with five forced fumbles (0.38 per game).
5: Malcolm Brown had a team-best five 100-yard rushing games in 2013.
7: Jaxon Shipley ranks No. 7 in school history in career receiving yards (2,385).
9: Jaxon Shipley ranks ninth on the school's all-time punt return average chart (10.3).
10: Malcolm Brown has a team-high 10 career 100-yard rushing games, a mark that ranks tied for ninth in school history. The Longhorns are 7-3 when Brown rushes for 100 or more yards.
11: Jordan Hicks has 11 career double-digit tackle games.
23: During 2012-13, Charlie Strong led Louisville to a 23-3 record. The win total was tied for fourth in the FBS over that span.
24: Malcom Brown has 24 career tackles for loss, which ranks second on the team among active players (Cedric Reed - 31).
26: Cedric Reed has started 26 straight games which leads the team.
28.5: The Longhorns have surrendered just one sack per 28.5 pass attempts over the last three games (four sacks/114 pass attempts).
35: Number of career starts by members of the offensive line (Kent Perkins - 8; Sedrick Flowers - 8; Marcus Hutchins - 7; Jake Raulerson - 4; Taylor Doyle - 5; Darius James - 2; Camrhon Hughes - 1).
40: Dominic Espinosa had his team-leading streak of 40 straight starts snapped when he missed the BYU game (fractured ankle).
56.4: Jaxon Shipley (44) and John Harris (40) lead the team in receptions and are the clear top targets of Tyrone Swoopes. That duo has accounted for 56.4 percent (84 of 149) of the team's receptions.
77: Tyrone Swoopes had his streak of 77 passes without an interception snapped vs. Baylor. That is the 10th-longest streak in school history.
102: Texas' 102 appearances in the BCS standings were the most of any team in the country.
158: Over the last eight years, Texas has the most Academic All-Big 12 selections of any team in the conference with 158.
267: Steve Edmond is the team's active leader in career tackles (267).
878: With 878 victories in program history, Texas is third on the NCAA all-time victories list behind only Michigan and Notre Dame.
