Texas 24, Kansas 17: Second half surge halted as Longhorns reach Big 12 title game.

By Will Leverett

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It was not the prettiest game of Sam Ehlinger’s career. In fact, of his 17 career starts donning the burnt orange and white, it was one of his ugliest.

However, Texas’ performance could be summed up in the sophomore quarterback’s 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter: tough, physical and just enough for the Longhorns to pull out the 24-17 victory over Kansas, a win that gives Texas its first Big 12 Championship game berth in nine years.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the win.

Turning it over

Prior to Friday’s game, Ehlinger hadn’t thrown an interception since before Labor Day. He struggled against a Kansas defense who has had no issues getting takeaways this season. The sophomore doubled his season’s interception total, throwing a red-zone pick in the first half on a throw right to a Kansas defensive back, then tossing another one in the second half on a missed throw on a slant route. He also fumbled, but it was recovered by the Longhorns.

Ehlinger was not at his sharpest on Friday, as he went 16-of-28 passing and missed multiple open receivers. His two turnovers allowed Kansas to hang around, which nearly cost the Longhorns in the end. But even while he wasn’t sharp, the offense did what it needed to do against an undersized Kansas defense. They were physical, they got the run game going when Ehlinger was clearly off, and they got out to a large enough lead to fend off any comeback attempt.

Fast defensive start

In a first half that was dominated by the Longhorns, it was the Texas defense that really showed up in Lawrence. Fresh off a commanding performance over an Iowa State offense that was previously rolling, they took it to a Kansas offense that had scored 40 points on Oklahoma a week prior. Jayhawk running back Pooka Williams ran all over the Sooners, but was held in check for the first 45 minutes, and it showed. Kansas punted six times in the first three quarters of play and only reached Texas territory twice in that span.

This was without the presence of leading tackler Gary Johnson, who was suspended for the full game for a violation of team rules. The Longhorn defense got big performances from freshman linebacker Joseph Ossai, who finished with 5 tackles in Johnson's absence, and freshman safety Caden Sterns, who led the way with 8 total tackles.

Late comeback attempt falls short

A lot can be said about this Texas team. You can’t call them boring.

The Big 12 Championship berth seemed all but clinched when Cameron Dicker kicked a field goal to extend the lead to 24-7 with 11 minutes remaining. But credit to a Kansas team playing its last game with head coach David Beaty, they did not quit. They forced a Texas 3-and-out, then drove 70 yards for a score on an outstanding 31-yard touchdown pass. Then, chaos nearly ensued.

The Jayhawks recovered a perfectly executed onside kick right down the middle, and all of a sudden, a stadium that was maybe halfway-filled had new life. They were able to drive 30 yards and set up a field goal, pulling within one score.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Texas receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, a fitting way for the Longhorns to secure the championship game berth, at the hands of a player whose monster season has helped lifted them to new heights.

It wasn’t pretty, but Texas did just what it needed to do in the fourth quarter to win. On to Arlington they go for the Big 12 Championship on December 1.

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