Jonathon Brooks soars in No. 3 Texas’ 40-14 win over No. 24 Kansas

On Saturday, the Texas Longhorns squared off against a team that is no slouch in the 24th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. Despite a sluggish start to the first half, and really most of the third quarter, the Longhorns found a way to takeoff and soar to a sizable 40-14 home victory, thanks in large part to running back Jonathon Brooks’ massive 217 yards on the ground.

Saturday’s contest was initially a story of missed opportunities for the Longhorns, who had no trouble of making their way into Kansas territory but stalled almost as fast as they arrived there. Prior to today’s game, the Jayhawks had struggled to stop opponents from scoring once they found their way into the red zone. However, the Longhorns frequently had to settle for field goal attempts, twice to no avail as Texas kicker Bert Auburn struggled against Kansas. In fact, up until 2:33 left in the third quarter, Saturday’s clash was just a one possession game at 20-14.

Sometimes, even the best of teams need a little momentum boost. For Texas, that momentum boost came in the third quarter when the Longhorns defense recovered a fumble on a fourth down attempt by the Jayhawks. On the ensuing drive on offense, Jonathon Brooks scored his second touchdown of the game with 2:33 left in the quarter, giving the Longhorns a 26-14 lead. From that point on, the Longhorns would go on to add another 14 points of scoring production, while keeping the Jayhawks silent.

With that being said, Jonathon Brooks was the star of the show on Saturday. After starting the season as the second running back on the depth chart, splitting snaps with freshman CJ Baxter, Brooks has gone ballistic on the ground – rushing for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts against the Jayhawks. After the game, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian credited much of Jonathon Brooks’ success on his ability to make safeties miss, allowing him to make plenty of ‘home run’ plays. Overall, the Longhorns tallied 661 yards of total offense, led by Brooks’ big contribution and an additional 325 passing yards from Ewers.

Ultimately, the Longhorns had themselves a good day in the office at DKR. On offense, other than throwing an interception right before the end of the first half, sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers gave his guys a chance to make plays and scored a total of three touchdowns, two of which were on the ground. Furthermore, wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, like Jonathon Brooks, had himself a career night with 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Against Kansas, the Longhorns defense was streaky at times. The group did allow two big-play touchdowns, including one which turned out to be a lucky break for Kansas after Texas safety Jalen Catalon jarred the ball loose on a massive, spine-realigning, hit on Kansas quarterback Jason Bean – which was then taken to the house by running back Daniel Hishaw. And later, in the third quarter, Bean threw a 58-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Trevor Wilson. Other than those two massive plays for the Jayhawks, the Longhorns once again had themselves a quietly solid night, allowing only 260 yards of total offense.

Next weekend, the Longhorns will travel to the Cotton Bowl for this year’s annual Red River Rivalry game against the 14th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Kickoff from Dallas, TX is set for 11 A.M. (CT), and the game will be televised on ABC.

Game Stats:

• QB Quinn Ewers: 25/25, 325 passing yards, 3 total TDs, 1 INT
• RB Jonathon Brooks: 20 carries, 217 yards, 2 TDs
• WR Adonai Mitchell: 10 receptions, 141 yards, 1 TD
• WR Xavier Worthy: 7 receptions, 93 yards
• LB Jaylan Ford: 7 tackles