10/4/03
No. 13 Texas 24, No. 16 Kansas State 20
» Box
Score
» Postgame
notes
» Postgame
quotes
Photo
gallery
| |
 |
| |
Vince
Young ran for 80 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. |
AUSTIN, Texas -- In front of the
sixth-largest crowd in UT history (83,643), the No. 13 Longhorns opened
Big 12 play with a 24-20 win over No. 16 Kansas State on Saturday
at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game came down to the
final minutes as Texas QB Vince Young pushed in a one-yard touchdown
run for the game-winning score with just over five minutes remaining.
"This was a great game for college football," head coach
Mack Brown said. "You had two great football teams in the top
20, and you have to give Kansas State credit. We had them down and
on the ropes at halftime, but they came back out and dominated the
third quarter. Our players and coaches deserve credit as well for
taking the momentum back in the fourth quarter. We had some players
step up in the end."
In a game that opened with strong defense from both teams, Texas got
on the board first with Tony Jeffery's second career blocked punt
recovery for a touchdown. Michael Huff broke through the line for
the block in the end zone with 4:05 remaining in the first quarter
and Jeffery fell on it for a 7-0 lead as Kansas State was attempting
to punt from its own eight-yard line.
Texas began its next possession on Kansas State's 44-yard line after
Nathan Vasher returned a Wildcat punt 15 yards, setting a new UT record
for career punt return yards with 1,082, passing Eric Metcalf (1,076).
Vasher finished with 30 yards for the game and a total of 1,097. That
return set up an 11-play, 40-yard scoring drive on the strength of
20 rushing yards by RB Cedric Benson that ended in a Dusty Mangum
field goal for a 10-0 lead with 12:55 remaining in the half. It was
the first field goal the Longhorns had attempted in 15 quarters going
back to the second quarter of the New Mexico State game.
Benson tallied 54 yards rushing in the game, giving him 2,683 for
his career and moving him to sixth on Texas' career rushing list,
passing Metcalf and Hodges Mitchell.
Later in the quarter, Kansas State drove to the Texas 12-yard line
and attempted to convert on fourth and one, but the Longhorn defense
held QB Ell Roberson to no gain for the turnover on downs. However,
the Wildcats' next drive would result in points in the form of a 41-yard
field goal by Joe Rheem with 2:10 to go in the half, cutting the Texas
lead to 10-3.
Texas was not done for the half, though. The Longhorns mounted a 72-yard
drive in six plays that was capped by a 51-yard touchdown reception
from QB Chance Mock to WR Sloan Thomas down the right side with 1:01
left for the 17-3 halftime margin. For the game, Mock completed 7-of-16
passes for 88 yards and extended his streak of consecutive passes
without an interception to 104, third longest in UT history.
Kansas State scored on its first possession of the third quarter as
Roberson finished a 39-yard drive with a 27-yard run down the right
sideline. The Wildcats quickly added two more points on a safety that
resulted from a blocked punt that traveled 22 yards out of Texas'
end zone to make the score 17-12.
The Longhorns moved on their next possession from their own 30 down
to the Kansas State 15 in eight plays when Benson lost the ball fighting
for extra yards on a run to the left side, giving the Wildcats the
ball at the 11. The Longhorn defense held Kansas State to three and
out, but on their next possession, the Wildcats started at the Texas
49-yard line.
On the third play, a 42-yard screen pass from Roberson to WR James
Terry set KSU up on the Longhorn one-yard line. Roberson scored on
a quarterback sneak from there with 14:02 to go in the game, and also
ran in a three-yard, two-point conversion attempt to give Kansas State
a 20-17 lead.
Despite an exchange of fumbles in Texas territory, the Wildcat lead
held until Young found WR Tony Jeffery on a 52-yard reception, putting
the Longhorns at the Kansas State 13-yard line. Six plays later, on
fourth down from the one, Young pushed through the pile for the game-winning
score at 24-20 with 5:19 to go. Young set career highs in both passing
and rushing yards, recording 69 yards in the air and 80 on the ground.
Roy Williams led the team in receptions with three for 22 yards.
"Tony Jeffery made a great catch toward the end that turned the
game around, and Richmond McGee had a good kicking day, with the exception
of the safety," Brown said. "That was a team mistake. He
punted well, and I think that our kickoffs are also improving. The
fumble on the 15-yard line hurt us, and we were disappointed in our
pass protection, but it was a great win for our guys. We needed a
tough, come-from-behind win, and I am proud that our guys did what
they needed to do in order to win it."
Over Kansas State's final two series, the Texas defense held the Wildcats
to eight yards and no first downs to seal the game, taking over on
downs on the last series with 50 seconds remaining at the KSU 20-yard
line and running out the clock. |
|
