Football preview: Kansas

Texas (4-5, 2-4) vs. Kansas (1-8, 0-6)
November 13, 2021
Where: Austin, Texas
Stadium: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU (Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler)
Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network (Craig Way, Roger Wallace, Will Matthews)
Spanish Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network (Dr. Rubén Pizarro-Silva, Jesus Mendoza)

THE OPENING KICKOFF

The University of Texas continues its 129th season of football on Saturday when the Longhorns face Kansas for the 20th all-time meeting.
Texas (4-5, 2-4) will look to snap a four-game skid when the host the Jayhawks in Austin. The Longhorns fell last Saturday to Iowa State, 30-7, in Ames.
Kansas arrives in Austin with a 1-8 record, including an 0-6 mark in Big 12 play, following a 35-10 loss at home to Kansas State last weekend.
Saturday's matchup will be Texas' fourth night game of the season with the Longhorns holding a 1-2 record in the previous contests.
Texas currently boasts 927 all-time wins, the fourth-most in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 927-383-33 (.703).

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

Texas is set to face off with Kansas for the 20th time in program history on Saturday, and for the ninth time in Austin.
The Longhorns are 16-3 against Kansas all-time, and 8-0 when the teams face off at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
This will be the first game between the two Big 12 foes since 2019 after last year's game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
UT's 0.842 winning percentage against the Jayhawks is its best against any current member of the Big 12 Conference.

A Texas Win Would ...

Be Texas' 928th victory all-time, keeping UT as the fourth-winningest program in college football history.
Improve the Longhorns to 17-3 all-time against Kansas and 9-0 in Austin.
Give Steve Sarkisian his 51st victory as a head coach and fifth at The University of Texas.

The Captains

This season, Texas will be naming game captains on a weekly basis.

LOUISIANA (Game 1): OL Derek Kerstetter, RB Roschon Johnson and LB DeMarvion Overshown.
ARKANSAS (Game 2): TE Cade Brewer, K/P Cameron Dicker and DL Moro Ojomo.
RICE (Game 3): OL Junior Angilau, DB B.J. Foster and WR Jordan Whittington.
TEXAS TECH (Game 4): DB Anthony Cook, RB Keilan Robinson and QB Casey Thompson.
TCU (Game 5): DL Keondre Coburn, OL Denzel Okafor and RB Bijan Robinson.
OKLAHOMA (Game 6): RRB oschon Johnson, OL Derek Kerstetter, LB DeMarvion Overshown and RB Keilan Robinson
OKLAHOMA STATE (Game 7): TE Cade Brewer, DB B.J. Foster, EDGE Ovie Oghoufo and DB Brenden Schooler.
BAYLOR (Game 8): RB Roschon Johnson, OL Derek Kerstetter, DL Moro Ojomo and DB Josh Thompson.
IOWA STATE (Game 9): OL Junior Angilau, LB Luke Brockermeyer, DL Keondre Coburn, RB Bijan Robinson

Bijan Brings the Noise

Bijan Robinson has been on a roll this season, racking up yards at an astonishing rate. In nine games, he has 1,057 yards on 181 carries (5.8 ypc) and 11 touchdowns to go along with 23 receptions for 247 yards and three more scores. In 204 plays he has 1,304 yards for 6.4 yards per play and 14 touchdowns.
Robinson eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the Iowa State game to become the 13th Longhorn to surpass 1,000 yards on the ground in a season. It marked the 24th time in program history in which a Longhorn has accomplished the feat.
The sophomore's hot first half of the season earned him nods on five midseason All-America teams, garnering accolades from the Associated Press, CBS Sports, ESPN, The Athletic and The Sporting News.
Robinson is currently second in the Big 12 Conference rushing yards (1,057), rushing yards per game (117.4) and all-purpose yards (144.89), third in rushing touchdowns (11) and total touchdowns (14) and fourth in yards per carry (5.84), scoring (9.3 points per game) and total points scored (84). His marks in total touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing yards per game and all-purpose yards all rank in the top-10 nationally.
Over his last 13 games, Robinson has totaled 1,579 rushing yards on 228 carries (6.9 ypc) with 15 touchdowns, while hauling in 31 receptions for 376 yards (12.1 ypr) and scoring five touchdowns. All told, he has 1,955 yards on 259 plays for 7.5 yards per play and 20 touchdowns.
He has scored 20 touchdowns (15 rushing and five receiving) in his last 11 games.
In a 10-game stretch that began last season against Kansas State and concluded against Baylor this season, Robinson scored a touchdown scored a rushing or receiving touchdown in each game, equaling the longest stretch for a Longhorn since Jordan Shipley scored in 10 consecutive games in 2008. It was the longest streak for a UT running back since Cedric Benson in 2003-04, when Benson matched Ricky Williams' UT record of 11 consecutive games in 1998-99.

Thompson at the Helm

Junior QB Casey Thompson is making the most of his opportunity since being named the starter in week three against Rice.
Thompson guided Texas to victories in each of his first three career starts, the first Longhorn to begin his career 3-0 since Garrett Gilbert in 2010.
At Baylor, the junior established career highs with 23 completions and 38 attempts, while passing for 280 and two touchdowns and rushing five times for 31 yards, including a long of 25 yards.
With his two touchdown passes against Baylor, Thompson has passed or run for a touchdown in all eight games this season and nine straight dating back to the Alamo Bowl last season.
Against Oklahoma State, Thompson completed 15-of-27 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.
The Oklahoma native had a career day in his Red River Showdown debut against rival Oklahoma, setting then-career highs in completions, attempts and passing yards completing 20-of-34 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns.
His 388 yards passing were the 12th-most for a Longhorn in program history, while his five touchdowns were tied for the second in UT history and were the most-ever for a Longhorn against the Sooners.
Joined Colt McCoy and Sam Ehlinger as the only Longhorns to have multiple five-touchdown passing games.
At TCU he completed 12-of-22 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown in leading the Longhorns past the Horned Frogs, UT's first win in Fort Worth since 2013, surpassing 1,000 career passing yards in his 12th career game.
He garnered Maxwell Award Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, was named a Manning Award Star of the Week and earned a spot on the Davey O'Brien Award's Great 8 list following his second-ever start against Texas Tech.

The X-Factor

Texas true freshman WR Xavier Worthy leads all FBS freshmen with 679 receiving yards and 75.4 receiving yards per game (35 receptions). Worthy's eight touchdown catches lead the Big 12 Conference and are tied for 11th nationally. Additionally, his 19.4 yards per catch are 19th-best nationally and tops among Power Five freshmen, ranking behind only Bub Means of Louisiana Tech's 19.60 yards per catch among freshmen in the FBS.
He had a spectacular first half of his freshman campaign, landing on a pair of Freshman Midseason All-America teams with nods from ESPN and The Athletic, as well as a spot on the Biletnikoff Award watch list.
Worthy's eight touchdown receptions are tied for the most by a freshman in UT history, while his 679 receiving yards rank third all-time for a freshman.
Against Iowa State, Worthy caught two passes for 32 yards, including a four-yard score that gave him eight touchdown receptions for the season, equaling Roy Williams' freshman record established in 2000.
At Baylor, Worthy caught four passes for 115 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown reception, his third touchdown of at least 60 yards during the season.
The freshman is averaging 34.3 yards per touchdown catch (274 yards on 8 TDs).
Against Oklahoma State, he hauled in five receptions for 28 yards, his fourth five-reception game this year.

Worthy's 261 yards (on nine receptions) vs. Oklahoma are the most in a game by any FBS player this season, while his three TD catches vs. Texas Tech are the third-most in a game for any FBS player in 2021, and the most by a Power 5 freshman.
He is first freshmen in UT history to have three 100-yard receiving games in a season and the only one with a 200-yard performance.
In his Red River Showdown debut against Oklahoma, Worthy hauled in nine receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
His 261 receiving yards against Oklahoma were a new freshman record, the second-most in a game in UT history (273, Jordan Shipley vs. UCF, 2009) and the best output ever for a Longhorn against the Sooners.
The nine receptions against Oklahoma are tied for fourth-most by a freshman in a single game in program history.

Dynamic Demarvion

Senior LB DeMarvion Overshown has played in 36 games and made 21 starts during his collegiate career.
Overshown is off to a stellar start this season and has been named a Butkus Award semifinalist after racking up 65 tackles (33 solo) with 5.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
He has recorded 144 tackles (82 solo), 20.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 12 pass breakups, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, three recovered and one block punt.

At Baylor, Overshown had a team-high two pass breakups while collecting five tackles (three solo).
Totaled four tackles (one solo) against Oklahoma State before leaving early in the second half with an injury.
Against Oklahoma, the Arp, Texas native had eight tackles (five solo) with two tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and his first career blocked punt.
In Texas' victory over TCU, Overshown registered 10 tackles, including a career-best eight solo tackles, for his second game of 10 or more tackles on the season.
He collected a team-high eight tackles against Arkansas, the second-straight game in which he has led the team in tackles.
In UT's season-opening win over Louisiana, Overshown registered a career-best 13 tackles (4 solo), while also picking up a half sack for a loss of four yards.
Overshown recorded 21 tackles in the first two games of the season, the most tackles for a Longhorn in the first two contests of the season since Cedric Reed had 24 in 2013.

Jamison in Rarified Air

Senior DB D'Shawn Jamison is one of the most electrifying returners in school history, and a threat to score anytime he touches the football.
In 2021, he has returned 13 kicks for 294 yards (22.6 ypr) and nine punts for 75 yards (8.3 ypr).
For his career, Jamison ranks fourth in kick returns (48) and kick return yards (1,305), while his current average 27.2 yards per return stands as the best in UT history.

The defensive back intercepted his first pass of the season against Oklahoma State, the fourth pick of his career and first since 2019.
At TCU, he had three tackles (two solo) and recovered a fumble in the first quarter, the second fumble recovery of his career and first since 2019 against Oklahoma.
Jamison moved into fourth place on UT's all-time kick return yardage list with a pair of 36-yard returns at TCU, giving him 1,155 yards for his career.

Dicker the Kicker

Senior K/P Cameron Dicker has scored 363 points during his career, the most all-time for a Texas kicker and the third-most all-time for any position in UT history.
Dicker is 56-for-75 on his career field goal attempts and has made 195-of-198 PATs.
He ranks fourth in UT history in field goals made (56) and is tied for fifth in attempts (75).
With success on his lone point-after try at Iowa State, Dicker extended his streak of successful PATs to a career-best 59, the fifth-longest streak in UT history.
Against Baylor, Dicker scored six points, making his lone field goal attempt and all three PATs. His third point after try gave him 359 points for his career, supplanting Dusty Mangum as UT's all-time leading scorer among place-kickers.
His 197 career point after attempts and 194 career point after makes are each 14 behind UT's all-time leader Dusty Mangum.
Against TCU, Dicker earned Co-Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors after connecting on a career-best four field goals and finishing 4-for-4 on the day while also making good on both of his PAT attempts to extend his streak of successful tries to 46 straight.
In Texas' victory over Rice, Dicker was successful on all 10 of his extra point attempts, equaling the UT single-game records for both attempts and successful tries.
The Austin native is all handling punting duties this season and added to the Ray Guy Award watch list following week eight of the season. He has punted 35 times for 1,674 yards for an average of 47.8 yards per punt, tied for fifth among FBS punters, with five punts landing inside the opponent's 20-yardline.
This season, Dicker has booted two of the six longest punts in Texas history, registering the fifth-longest punt in program history with a 78-yard effort in the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma followed by a 77-yard punt the following week against Oklahoma State.
At Iowa State, he established career bests with 11 punts for 483 yards.

Full Steam Ahead

The running backs ran wild in Texas' 58-0 win over Rice with three Longhorns breaking runs for over 60 yards, the first time in program history that three different players have registered rushes of over 60 yards in the same game.
Junior Roschon Johnson started things off with a 72-yard jaunt for a score in the first quarter and sophomore Bijan Robinson followed with a 62-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Not to be out done, sophomore Keilan Robinson added a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Texas finished the game with a program-single-game record 10.4 yards per carry (41 carries for 427 yards).
The last time Texas had three different players with a run of 60 yards or more in a season was 2004. Romance Taylor had a 74-yard touchdown run in the season opener against North Texas and Cedric Benson busted a 60-yard run at Arkansas the following week. Vince Young added one of his own with a 60-yard run in the Rose Bowl against Michigan.
Texas' previous season with at least three runs of 60 yards took place in 2015, when D'Onta Foreman had three (Kansas – 93 yards, Oklahoma – 81 yards, West Virginia – 65 yards) and Chris Warren III had one (Texas Tech – 91 yards).
The last time there were three plays of 60 or more yards in a single game occurred against Oklahoma in 2005 when Jamaal Charles ran 80 yards for a touchdown, Rodrique Wright scored on a 67-yard fumble return and Vince Young connected with Billy Pittman for a 64-yard touchdown pass.
In addition to three players busting 60-plus yard runs, four different players rushed for touchdowns against Rice, with freshman Jonathon Brooks joining the trio with a 17-yard score in the fourth quarter.

Breaking Big Plays

Texas has registered 600 yards of offense in each of their two games (620 vs. Rice/639 vs. Tech). That's just the second time in school history that the Longhorns have had back-to-back 600-yard games. UT had 3-straight 600-yard games in 2005 (606 vs. Oklahoma State/645 vs. Baylor/617 vs. Kansas). The 1,259 yards over two games are the second-most yards in a two-game stretch in UT history.
Texas rushed for 427 yards against Rice and 346 against Texas Tech, the first time rushing for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games since 2016 against Cal (307) and Oklahoma State (329).
The Longhorns surpassed 300 yards passing and 300 yards rushing on the day, which was last accomplished against Colorado in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.

Passing on Punts

Against Rice and Texas Tech, the Longhorns did not attempt a single punt, the first time in program history that UT had not punted in consecutive games.
Between a punt following their first drive of the second half against Arkansas and an early second quarter punt at TCU, the Longhorns went 29 consecutive drives without attempting a punt, the third longest streak since 2005.
The Longhorns streak included 10 full quarters without attempting a punt.
The only other season in which Texas had two games with zero punt attempts was in 2011 (vs. Texas Tech, at Baylor).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Junior Angilau

Cade Brewer

Luke Brockermeyer

Jonathon Brooks

Keondre Coburn

Anthony Cook

Cameron Dicker

Sam Ehlinger

B.J. Foster

D'Shawn Jamison

Roschon Johnson

Derek Kerstetter

Ovie Oghoufo

Moro Ojomo

Denzel Okafor

DeMarvion Overshown

Bijan Robinson

Keilan Robinson

Brenden Schooler

Casey Thompson

Josh Thompson

Jordan Whittington

Xavier Worthy

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics