Texas Football: 3 takeaways from survival win over Kansas

Even if you are not a Big 12 power, losing to Kansas is unforgettable. But Texas football faced that scary idea for the second time in four years.

Even if you are not a Big 12 power, losing to Kansas is unforgettable.

But if not for a final-minute drive engineered by Sam Ehlinger, and a game-winning field goal by Cameron Dicker, that is exactly what Texas would have been faced with.

The Longhorns survived, in Austin no less, 50-48 in a wild affair that almost gave Les Miles the signature win he was seeking in his first season as the Jayhawks’ head coach.

Remember, it was just three years ago that Texas under Charlie Strong lost to Kansas for the first time since 1938. Yes, you read that right. The Longhorns almost went 1938-to-2016-to-2019 with losses to Kansas as a program.

So while all might be good for now in Tom Herman’s world, he knows this was not a night to celebrate. Here are three takeaways from Texas’ last-second victory over the Jayhawks.

3. Thankfully it was just Kansas

Imagine for a moment if Texas played like this against Oklahoma. Or even Baylor or Iowa State. The Longhorns would have been completely embarrassed and laughed off the field.

Sure, it is quite obvious that the pain of losing to the Sooners last week still was on the mind of many Texas players. But they should have known better than to let Kansas hang around and make it a game.

For the Longhorns to truly prove they are back and among the elite in the country, they simply cannot have last-second, game-winning victories over the Jayhawks. These are games they need to flex their muscle and put away before halftime.