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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/2Pollaski2Furious on 2024-08-22 15:11:00+00:00.
Save for the four games Saturday, one week before it all begins!!!
7: TEXAS LONGHORNS (lost to Kansas 24-21) [2016]
Texas was back, folks.
At least that’s what ESPN announcer Joe Tessitore had boldly proclaimed amidst the celebrations of the Longhorn’s thrilling 50-47 triple overtime win over #10 Notre Dame in the season’s opening week. Two and a half months later, reality had proven quite different. The Longhorns were just 5-5, the once-monumental win having dimmed to being more of an indication of the Irish’s own woes that year. To even salvage a bowl from the disappointing season, they would have to win one of their final two games.
Fortunately, the first of those two games was against Kansas. The Jayhawks weren’t just winless in conference play, and had lost nine straight after an opening week win over FCS Richmond. They weren’t just on a nineteen game conference losing streak. Since the 2010 season, Kansas had been a putrid 13-73 (3-57) and had easily established themselves as the worst power conference program in the country. The 21-point line the Longhorns were favored by almost seemed low.
On the first play from scrimmage, Longhorn quarterback Shane Buechele found Jacorey Warrick on a curl route. Warrick turned out of the way as the Kansas safety charged at him, completely missing, and was instantly gone, going 75 yards for the game’s opening touchdown. While the games pace never slowed, the offenses absolutely did, and the next nineteen minutes saw eleven total drives- every single one ending in a punt. Finally, Texas was able to break the streak- by fumbling on their own 39. Kansas tried to capitalize, but on fourth and inches Carter Stanley tried to sneak it and was ruled just short by less than an inch. Texas took back over, but Buechele underthrew a receiver, and was picked off. But Kansas punted it back and Buechele, this time, got jumped on a slant by Brandon Stewart, who was gone before anyone in white could react. The game was tied.
Texas got the ball back and, with Buechele struggling, turned to running back D’Onta Foreman to carry the load. But on his second carry of the drive, the ball popped right out of his hands, and was picked up by Kansas for their fourth turnover of the half. On the next play, Stanley lobbed a beauty down field to Steven Sims for 33 yards, to set up a Kansas field goal. Texas punted it back to Kansas, but stopped the Jayhawks deep. However, instead of using his timeouts for one last shot, Texas coach Charlie Strong elected to simply let time run out, letting Kansas go to the half up 10-7. As the teams walked out the field, announcer Allen Bestwick made a dire announcement- under Charlie Strong, Texas had been just 1-16 when trailing at halftime.
As the teams returned to the field, Booth Memorial Stadium, which had been maybe half full when the game started, seemed to have quite a few more people in it as the word of the potential upset got around. Kansas immediately rewarded that newfound optimism with an interception, and Texas finally got a decent drive together, scoring to take a 14-10 lead. After a trio of punts, Texas drove again, but missed a field goal that would have put them up 7. Kansas responded with another beautiful pass from Stanley to LaQuivionte Gonzalez, but as Gonzalez ran upfield, the ball was punched out from behind, with DeShon Elliott picking the ball up before it bounced out of bounds for another turnover. The gaffe led to another Texas touchdown, and two minuts into the fourth quarter, the Longhorns led 21-10. It looked like Kansas’ dream of an upset was over, especially when they had to go three and out on their next drive.
Despite a 15 yard Foreman run to start things off, Texas quickly stalled, and punted the ball back to Kansas. This time, it was Kansas’ turn to finally put together a solid scoring drive, and after netting a two point conversion, the gap had been narrowed to 21-18 with just 7:48 remaining. Texas went on another solid drive, hoping to put the game away, but again Foreman fumbled at the KU 13, keeping the Jayhawks alive. With time getting critical as the clock dipped below 4:00, Kansas dried to get something going, but on 4th and 6 from their 38, Stanley overthrew Shakiem Barbel, killing the drive. Texas took over with 2:36 remaining and Kansas with just one timeout- one first down, and it would be over.
The Kansas D held up on the first three plays, allowing the Longhorns just 5 yards. On 4th and 5, instead of pinning the Jayhawks deep, Strong made the call to go for it and end the game on the spot. Foreman burst through the line- but was tripped up two yards short. Kansas had 58 seconds from their own 29 to get into field goal range. Two plays later, KU crossed into Texas territory. Two more plays later, after a short completion, Stanley was nailed in the head by a charging Jeffrey McCulloch, giving the Jayhawks an extra fifteen yards to the Texas 19, with McCulloch being ejected for targeting. Matthew Wyman came on with seven seconds remaining, and made the 36 yarder to send the game into overtime.
Texas went first in the extra period, and after a Foreman run went nowhere, Beuchele dropped back, scrambled to avoid pressure, and threw on the run- way over intended receiver Dorian Leonard’s head and straight into the arms of Jayhawk safety Mike Lee- the Longhorns sixth turnover of the game. Booth Memorial erupted as a certain tank job expert might have posted the “ITS HAPPENING” meme somewhere on a message board.
Ahem.
With pretty much the entire college football world at their backs, Kansas pushed forward as much as the needed, then brought on Wyman to boot the 25-yard winner. While the popular narrative was that it was Kansas’ first win over the Longhorns since 1938, the truth is the two teams hadn’t played between ‘38 and 1996. Nonetheless, it was KU’s first win in the 14 meetings since the Big 12 was formed. And for all intents and purposes, it was Charlie Strong’s death sentence at Texas, although the proper execution wouldn’t come for a week, after the Longhorns had been pasted 31-9 by TCU in the finale to cement their first consecutive losing seasons since 1988-89.
So why did I go with 2016, and not 2021? If not for my “one instance of a team beating another team” rule, that 2021 game would have likely been Top 20, maybe even Top 15. But despite 2021 actually happening in DKR, I went with 2016 for the simple reason that… Kansas actually kinda looked good in that 2021 game. Sure, the Jayhawks were 1-8 heading in with sole win over FCS South Dakota, but there were already signs that things were starting to turn around in Lawrence under Lance Leipold. In fact, since the 2021 meeting, the Jayhawks have been a much more respectable 15-13 (8-12). By comparison, 2016 Kansas was a bad team that didn’t even particularly play very well in this game- the Jayhawks struggled to move the ball, and it took consistent Texas faceplants and mismanagement to even keep them in the game, much less to have a chance to come back and win. And the aftermath bears that out- between Kansas’ 2016 and 2021 wins over Texas, the Jayhawks were a miserable 8-47 (2-40).