Texas closer to bowl-eligible with 42-27 win over Kansas
AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 11: Malcolm Roach of Texas lifts Antwuan Davis in celebration after an interception in the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Shane Buechele connected with Lorenzo Joe on a 49-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and the Texas defense forced four first-half turnovers in a 42-27 win over Kansas on Saturday night.
Texas got a small measure of revenge for the Longhorns' shocking loss at Kansas last season, a defeat that doomed former coach Charlie Strong, who was fired a week later. Texas' struggles have continued under new coach Tom Herman, but the victory got Texas (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) a step closer to becoming eligible for their first bowl game since 2014 with two games left.
Antwuan Davis returned a first quarter interception for a touchdown and Toneil Carter and Lil'Jordan Humphrey added scoring runs as Texas built a 35-17 lead by halftime.
Texas set up three first-half touchdowns with turnovers and ended another Kansas drive in the end zone with an interception. Carter Stanley passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns, but had three turnovers in the first half. The Jayhawks (1-9, 0-7) have just three Big 12 wins over the past seven seasons.
Buechele passed for 249 yards.
THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas: The Jayhawks had been shut out in their previous two Big 12 road games, but fought to stay in this one if not for the disastrous first half of turnovers. The defense even knocked around Buechele and dropped an interception that would have been a sure-fire touchdown. Of Texas' first four touchdown drives, only one started beyond midfield.
Texas: The Longhorns offense still struggled for long stretches and the defense had one of its more uneven outings in weeks, giving Herman something new to worry about in a late-season fight for a bowl game. The secondary clearly missed suspended cornerback Holton Hill, who will not return this season. A change at kicker resulted in another missed field goal.
UP NEXT
Kansas plays at No. 5 Oklahoma next Saturday.
Texas plays at West Virginia next Saturday with a chance to earn a sixth win to become bowl-eligible.
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