Traveling to Austin to play during a triple-digit heat index, No. 24 Kansas will face off against No. 3 Texas for the 22nd time in program history, but for the first time as ranked opponents.
And this year, both teams enter the matchup undefeated.
Kansas has started 4–0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1915. With a five-game win streak last year, the Jayhawks have an opportunity to make their record 5–0 for two consecutive seasons with a win against Texas.
The sun beating down on players and fans at Darrell K Royal Stadium begs the question: who can handle the heat?
“We got our work cut out for us,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a pre-game press conference. “This is a veteran team. They’ve been in their system now for two to three years, a lot of older players, so we know they’re going to come ready to play. We gotta make sure we do our part to make sure we’re ready to play.”
The first time the Jayhawks played the Longhorns was in 1901, with the Jayhawks taking the win 12-0. Although Kansas won the first game, Texas has continually dominated throughout the history of the matchup, winning 17 of 21 games played between the two.
Texas and Kansas began to play each other more frequently with the creation of the Big 12 in 1994. Texas beat Kansas in their longest win streak from 1996 to 2015, achieving scores such as 66-14 in 2005 and a 43-0 sweep in 2011.
However, in 2016, the Longhorns experienced their first loss against the Jayhawks in almost a decade. Losing in overtime 24-21, two interceptions and a successful two-point conversion by Kansas put them in a position to take the win.
And the last time Kansas played Texas at DKR in 2021, Texas lost to Kansas in overtime again, 56-57. Even though it was only the fourth loss against Kansas, the upset was devastating at home.
On the surface level, there are several similarities between the 2016 loss and the 2021 loss: the games went into overtime and successful Kansas two-point conversions gave them the opportunity to win. However, the two games could not have been more different.
For instance, Sarkisian was not a coach at Texas in 2016, and all of the players who saw the field during the 2016 game have since graduated.
Sarkisian and some current players on the Texas roster remember the loss in 2021. For instance, Xavier Worthy had a fantastic individual game, recording 14 receptions for three touchdowns, breaking a variety of freshman records and almost reaching the Texas single-game record.
While Texas made up for their loss with an unquestionable 55-14 win in Lawrence last season, both teams have grown both offensively and defensively since their last matchup.
“We don’t have to go backwards; We’re going to keep forging forward,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got to focus on the task at hand and that’s playing this Kansas team, because this Kansas team is a lot different than that Kansas team two years ago.”
