By Steve Habel/Associate Editor
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The topsy-turvy 2014 Texas football season took a decidedly downward spiral Saturday when No. 11 Kansas State whitewashed the Longhorns 23-0 to the utter delight of a raucous crowd of 52,879 at Snyder Family Stadium.
The loss marked the first time the Longhorns (3-5 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play) have been shutout since losing to[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]Oklahoma 12-0 in the Cotton Bowl in 2004. Texas only sniffed the red zone once in this game, with its deepest penetration ending on the Kansas State 14-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The drive ended in a failed fourth down and 1 conversion.
In all three of its four previous losses (against UCLA, Baylor and Oklahoma), Texas had a chance to win if the team could have made a few plays at crucial times. Fans never got that feeling against Kansas State, which played its smash mouth-brand of mostly conservative football, knocking the Longhorns down and never letting them get back off the ground.
For every step forward the Longhorns had made in the past few weeks — in the losses to Baylor and OU, and a thrilling, last-second win against Iowa State — they took two steps back versus Kansas State.
The saddest thing about the loss was the ease at which Kansas State (6-1 and at 4-0, the only team undefeated in Big 12 play) handled the Longhorns.
The Wildcats played to their ranking and drew on their confidence to beat Texas. They kept things close to the vest, doing just enough to ensure a dominating win while keeping injured quarterback Jake Waters mostly out of harm’s way.
After all, as the conference leader, Kansas State still has plenty to play for. Texas, with three Big 12 losses and four games left against tough opponents, is stuck with plenty of soul searching and whole lot of “we’re rebuilding” and “wait until next year.”
Disciplined play once again played a major role in the Wildcats’ win as they surrendered no turnovers and committed only three penalties for 25 yards. On the other hand, Texas coughed up a fumble and racked up 66 yards on seven penalties. The Longhorns were out-possessed 39:14 to 20:46 and were also unable to convert their two red zone possessions to points, while allowing Kansas State to go 4-for-4 inside the 20.
“We were totally outplayed up front,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “Kansas State didn’t even have to do anything outside the norm — they played their base defense throughout. I was very surprised that we didn’t play better but we still have five games to right the ship.”
The Longhorns’ offense was almost invisible, gaining a season-low 196 yards — 92 yards fewer than they amassed in the first half against Iowa State. The Texas defense, despite holding the Wildcats to field goals on three possessions, allowed Kansas State to convert nine of its 17 third downs, three of them for 13 yards or more.
“I’m frustrated that we couldn’t get off the field on third down — that’s the money down and where the game is won and lost,” defensive coordinator Vance Bedford said. “We played pretty well in the first half until we let Kansas State drive the field on us and score right before halftime.”
Kansas State moved the ball well on its opening drive, moving 67 yards in 11 plays before the Texas defense forced a 19-yard field goal by Matthew McCrane that gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
After a 12-yard punt granted Kansas State the ball at the Texas-42, the Wildcats drove to another McCrane field goal, this one from 30 yards out. The Texas defense, on the field for most of the first quarter, acquitted itself well by keeping Kansas State out of the end zone and the offense in the game.
That changed in late in the second quarter as the Wildcats drove 85 yards in 12 plays to a 2-yard touchdown run by DeMarcus Robinson. Kansas State converted three third downs on the drive, two of them for 13 yards or more. The most damaging was a 29-yard hookup from Waters to Tyler Lockett when the Wildcats needed 14 yards to move the chains.
“We could’ve gone to halftime down just 6-0 if we would’ve executed like we’re supposed to,” Bedford said. “Lockett worked his way open and Waters had the time to get him the ball. That one really hurt us.”
Kansas State got another McCrane field goal — this one a career-long 38-yarder — at the 4:34 mark of the third quarter to expand its lead to 16-0.
After Texas failed to gain a yard on its early fourth-down conversion attempt, Kansas State put the final nail in the coffin with a 10-play, 86-yard drive that included two more third-down conversions and culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run from Charles Jones.
“We had our chances, but we didn’t execute our game plan and got in our own way too many times,” head coach Charlie Strong said. “I wouldn’t say we were flat — we just didn’t play the way we needed to against a very good team. We have to continue to play.”
The Longhorns return to action on the night after Halloween when they travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech. A lot has to change between now and then to assure that Texas gets the treat — and not the trick — on the South Plains.
1. How did Kansas State control Tyrone Swoopes?
Texas’ sophomore quarterback had become a force in previous games against Oklahoma and Iowa State but was held in check by Kansas State’s more-experienced defense.
Swoopes has had success with three types of throws — the rollout, the quick-hitter from a three-step drop and the deep ball down the left sideline, although the latter was only in the Iowa
State game.
Kansas State took those passes away from Swoopes, as its secondary — especially the cornerbacks — blanketed Texas’ outside receivers and forced Swoopes to work through his progressions to his second or third options, with mostly poor results.
“[Against Iowa State] Swoopes made those throws and made a lot of plays,” Strong said. “We would’ve liked to see that today since it was there for him. He just didn’t make them into plays when we had the chances to get it done.”
Swoopes ended up throwing for just 106 yards after hitting on 13 of his 25 passes. He didn’t throw an interception but at least three of his passes hit the hands of a Kansas State defender and should’ve been picked off.
“We had the chance for some good plays but didn’t execute on offense enough to score,” Swoopes said. “We have been getting better. [Against Kansas State] we just didn’t make the plays we needed to in order to continue to improve.”
2. Who was Texas’ best player against Kansas State?
Even in the loss, defensive end Cedric Reed was a star, creating constant havoc while racking up six tackles — five of them solo efforts — and generally harassing Waters throughout the game.
Reed, who was expected to be a true force for the Longhorns this season, has been mostly quiet. He’s the player most teams focus on when trying to attack the Longhorns’ defensive front, and has drawn his share of double-teams because there hasn’t been a constant presence from the other defensive end.
He’ll have to continue to make plays and assert himself for the Longhorns to have any success with their base pass-rush defense.
Reed was so tough to block Saturday that he drew two holding calls. Kansas State usually doesn’t get whistled for any penalties, much less holding. There were, however, a handful of other times when the blocking against Reed’s rush should’ve drawn flags but didn’t.
“I’ve seen a lot of holding, but that’s common,” Reed said. “It’s tough with the guys we’re going up against.”
“I take full responsibility for my play this year,” he added. “I’m trying every day.”
3. Was there a key play in this game?
When a team is dominated as much as the Longhorns were against Kansas State, it’s difficult to pick one play as a determining factor. That said, Texas’ inability to convert its fourth and 1 early in the fourth quarter was the play that ended any real hopes the Longhorns had to win — and it was all downhill after that.
Texas, down two possessions at 16-0 and grasping at anything for a spark, only needed to move about two feet to keep its potential scoring drive alive. Running back Johnathan Gray tried to run off left tackle but was stopped for no gain by a pair of Kansas State defenders.
Gray initially landed on the back of a teammate and seemed to lunge forward past the line to gain before he touched the ground.
Replays showed that the initial spot by the referees was likely wrong, but there wasn’t enough visual evidence to overrule the original call and the play stood.
“You look at it and every fourth-and-1,” Strong said. “We could get it down there and get the first down to set us up for an opportunity to score. That would’ve made it a 16-7 game and that’s a different ball game.”
4. Is the Longhorns’ defense wearing down?
It sure seems like it. Kansas State ran 73 plays to the Longhorns’ 52 and kept the Texas defense on the field for almost two-thirds of the game. Ball control was the strategy that the Texas offense needed to use this year to be successful, but Kansas State (and Baylor earlier in the year) switched the roles.
There was never any doubt that the defense would carry Texas this season, but, even with the best of intentions, that load gets heavier and heavier. The Longhorns’ defense has to make stops on third down to help themselves.
The stats illustrate the way the heavy workload is taking its toll. Linebacker Jordan Hicks, the team’s leading tackler this season, had just three stops against Kansas State.
Three of Texas’ top five tacklers against the Wildcats were from the secondary, meaning that the ball was getting downfield more, either by pass (Kansas State had 19 completions) or when the runners got into the second and third levels of the Texas defense.
“Losing a game like this is disappointing and it hurts,” Reed said. “We tried to rally as well as we could, but they had a couple big plays. We kind of gave in.”
5. Can the Longhorns still make a bowl game?
Texas will have to win three of its four games to earn the chance to play in the postseason, but the deck — and the schedule — is stacked against the Longhorns.
The only contest that looks like a good chance at a win will come on Nov. 1 against a reeling Texas Tech team that allowed TCU to pile up 82 points and 785 total offensive yards. But even that game will not be an easy one as Tech seems to play its best against the Longhorns — and the Red Raiders’ best is good enough to beat Texas.
The rest of the schedule is a gauntlet. Texas is at home against surging West Virginia and then on the road versus Oklahoma State. The annual Thanksgiving night affair is against, gulp, TCU, which might be the best team in the conference.
“This team will fight — we’re not going to quit yet,” Hicks said. “There’s a lot of stuff we need to correct. We’ll put in the work. We have to focus on the next game.”
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