Why Texas Won

The Longhorns were able to pull through thanks to last second heroics by backup quarterback Case McCoy.

McCoy replaced starter David Ash in the middle of the fourth quarter and was able to rescue Texas from what would have been the worst loss in the Mack Brown era by delivering a last-minute touchdown drive.

The win was capped off in spectacular fashion but was marred by another poor defensive showing and a poor offensive effort.

It goes down as a victory in the win-loss column, but it was a telling example of just how far the program has to go to return to its standards.

Quarter by quarter
First: Texas jumped out, quickly forcing the Jayhawks into a three-and-out. Joe Bergeron and the Texas offense capitalized right after, when the big back punched in his 15th touchdown of the year on a three-yard run. From that point though, both teams could not make much happen.

Second: That changed in the second quarter when Kansas figured out the Longhorns could not handle the run. Kansas gashed the Texas defense on the ground for two touchdowns and more than 100 yards to enter the half ahead 14-7.

Third: No points were scored in the third, but Texas failed to take advantage of two golden opportunities. On the second drive of the half, the Longhorns could not pound the ball into the end zone on the Kansas one-yard line. And on the next drive, Texas was moving the ball deep in Jayhawk territory before Ash tossed his second pick of the game.  

Fourth: This quarter was all about the last-minute drive. Ash was benched, McCoy came in and the magic ensued. The drive included a huge fourth-down conversion, a 39-yard pass to Mike Davis and the game-winning touchdown caught by D.J. Grant.

By the numbers
234: Number of rushing yards Texas allowed. The fifth game in a row the Longhorn defense has surrendered over 192 yards rushing. 
63: The number of passing yards Ash had in three-and-a-half quarters. 
68: The number of passing yards McCoy had in the fourth quarter. 
46: Minutes in between the Longhorns first quarter touchdown and their next score in the fourth quarter against a one-win Kansas squad.

Stock down
David Ash: The sophomore had what was easily his worst game of the season. He missed on short and long throws, threw for only 63 yards, completed only half of his passes and tossed two picks.

Stock up
That performance got him benched and may have created a quarterback controversy between him and McCoy. 

Jonathan Gray: The freshman tailback was easily the best player for the Longhorn offense Saturday. He rushed for a career-high 111 yards on 18 touches and earned the starting nod from co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin. 

Expect Gray to see the majority of the carries, outside of the red zone, until Malcolm Brown returns.

What’s next: Texas Tech

The schedule certainly does not get any easier for the Longhorns. Next week they take on the Red Raiders in one of the toughest road environments in the country.

Texas Tech features a prolific passing attack and a stout defense, which will present a challenge for a team that struggled to beat lowly Kansas.