Kansas State holds on for 24-21 victory over Texas

The only thing consistent about Kansas State this season has been Bill Snyder's postgame message.

One that laments the Wildcats' inconsistency.

Their yin-and-yang was on display once more on Saturday in a 24-21 victory over Texas. Kansas State was dominant on both sides of the ball in the first half, then committed a series of mistakes in the second half that provided the Longhorns an opportunity to make it a game.

"We played fine in the first half," Snyder said grimly, "and laid eggs in the second half."

Indeed, the Wildcats (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) raced to a 21-7 lead at the break, and added a field goal in the third quarter to take control. But three turnovers, including one by Charles Jonesat the goal line, allowed the Longhorns (3-4, 1-3) to get within 24-14 later in the quarter.

The Longhorns couldn't overcome their own multitude of mistakes, though. Among them was a badly missed 35-yard field-goal attempt with just over four minutes remaining that would have made it 24-17.

The Longhorns eventually got the ball back, but then squandered precious time with running plays beforeShane Buechele hit Dorian Leonard from 6 yards out with 46 seconds left. Then they knocked the ensuing onside kick out of bounds, preventing them from having a chance to kick a tying field goal.

"It's tough when you lose a game and we had the opportunity to go win it," said Texas coach Charlie Strong, whose hot seat only got hotter with his third loss in four games. "We needed big stops in the first half and we didn't make them. We were able to bounce back there in the second half - it's just that we've got to learn from it, got to move on. ... We've just got to get ourselves back together."

Jesse Ertz led the Wildcats with 171 yards passing and a touchdown and 78 yards rushing and two more scores. He also teamed with running backs Charles Jones, Justin Silmon and Alex Barnes to pile up 240 yards on the ground against a Texas defense that began loading up the box to stop them.

The result was the Wildcats' fifth straight home win over Texas.

"I was kind of upset after last week," Kansas State linebacker Elijah Lee said of a lopsided loss to Oklahoma. "That's something you have to carry with you: The season isn't over. You have to take it game by game."

Buechele finished with 222 yards and two scores passing, but a big chunk of that came on an 80-yard pass toDevin Duvernay in the second quarter. Otherwise, Buechele was sacked twice and corralled most of the day.

D'Onta Foreman, the nation's second-leading rusher, carried 24 times for 124 yards. But he was repeatedly stuffed in key situations, a big reason why Texas was 3 of 11 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth.

"Beats the tar out of a loss," Snyder said in summary, "but it's not so much the win as how. If we play and prepare well start to finish, we'd be better. That's why I'm not jumping up and down right now."

THE TAKEAWAY

TEXAS: After eclipsing 500 yards total offense for the fourth time this season a week ago against Iowa State, the Longhorns struggled to move the ball. They managed a season-low 344 yards on Saturday.

KANSAS STATE: The fumble by Jones at the goal line summed up the Wildcats' inconsistency issues. The senior running back otherwise had a solid day but, as Snyder pointed out, "We're all taught when we're 5 years old to put two hands on the football."

PENALTY PROBLEMS

Texas was penalized 10 times for 72 yards, drawing four flags on the Wildcats' scoring march to open the game. Kansas State countered with eight penalties for 75 yards. It made for a busy game for an officiating crew that also spent a whole lot of time reviewing plays.

SEEING RED

The Wildcats had scored on 56 straight trips inside the red zone before Jones fumbled in the third quarter. The last time they failed to score was Oct. 17, 2015, in a shutout loss to the Sooners.

UP NEXT

TEXAS: Ninth-ranked Baylor visits Austin on Saturday.

KANSAS STATE: A trip to Iowa State awaits Saturday.

Buechele's TD passes send Texas over Iowa State 27-6

 After a month of losing on the road, Texas desperately needed something good to happen at home. For the players, and for head coach Charlie Strong.

They got it in a rough-around-the-edges 27-6 win over Iowa State on Saturday night behind a big third quarter and a defense that finally showed some life.

Shane Buechele passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns as the Longhorns snapped a three-game losing streak. Buechele threw scoring strikes of 37 yards to Jerrod Heardand 75 yards and Devin Duvernay in the third after the Longhorns' high-powered offense managed just a single field goal in the first half and trailed 6-3.

Three straight road losses and a defense that ranks among the worst in the country had fueled intense speculation that Strong's job is on the line in his third season. He has two years left on a guaranteed five-year contract that pays him more than $5 million per season.

The win snapped a 14-game losing streak when Texas (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) trailed at halftime.

"Coach Strong would tell you right now don't go play for him, but we do," Heard said.

Texas played its best defensive game of the season. Strong took over defensive play-calling two weeks ago and the Longhorns responded with eight sacks against Iowa State, containing a Cyclones offense that was averaging 39 points over the previous three games.

"The difference was we believed in ourselves and made plays. Had fun," defensive end Breckyn Hager said.

D'Onta Foreman rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown for Texas, his seventh game in a row with at least 100 yards.

Joel Lanning passed for 140 yards for Iowa State (1-6, 0-4).

TAKEAWAYS

Iowa State: The Cyclones' collapse came early this week. Iowa State lost upset bids with fourth-quarter meltdowns the previous two weeks, but were undone this week by the Longhorns big-strike touchdowns in the third.

"They wore us out," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. "We did a really good job against the run in the first half. Their adjustment was to go to the passing game."

Texas: A big sigh of relief for Strong. It's arguably his biggest win because he simply couldn't afford to lose. Now he has to string together some more. Texas has yet to win more than three straight games under Strong and the Longhorns go back on the road for two of their next three games.

`We want to be undefeated at home. Now we have to play better on the road," Strong said. "Our defense, they finally stepped up. The whole team. I said, `Challenge yourself. If you think you are a good football team, go perform.'"

FOREMAN ROLLING

The Texas running back is pounding his way through the Longhorns record book. His seven consecutive 100 yard games ranks second in school history, trailing only former Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell's 11.

DEEP STRIKE

Buechele, a freshman, has eight touchdown passes for 29 yards or longer this season.

"I was nervous myself when it was being 6-3," Strong said. "But I know this our offense is so explosive we're going to go score ... It takes a little time and we'll hit a home run, then boom, we'll hit another one."

UP NEXT

Iowa State: The Cyclones are off next week, then host Kansas State on Oct. 29.

Texas: The Longhorns play at Kansas State next Saturday.

Sooners hold on for 45-40 win over Texas

 Dede Westbrook had three touchdown catches longer than 40 yards while setting an Oklahoma single-game record with 232 yards receiving, and the No. 20 Sooners held on for a 45-40 victory over Texas in the Red River rivalry on Saturday.

Samaje Perine added 214 yards and two touchdowns rushing on 35 carries for the Sooners (3-2, 2-0 Big 12), who rolled up 672 total yards against Longhorn coach Charlie Strong's beleaguered defense.

Texas (2-3, 0-2) led after two long TD passes by freshman quarterback Shane Buechele in the first 4 1/2 minutes after halftime. But Oklahoma went ahead for good when Baker Mayfield's 4-yard TD run, right after his 51-yard completion toDahu Green, made it 28-27.

"It's special to me, very special," said Mayfield, who grew up in the Austin area. "I've been waiting a long time to actually come away with a win against these guys."

Mayfield was 22-of-31 passing for 390 yards and easily made up for two early interceptions with the three TDs to Westbrook .

"He's got track-type speed, so that's why I going to throw to him," Mayfield said of Westbrook, who had TDs of 71, 42 and 47 yards.

After D'onta Foreman's 22-yard TD run with 1:45 left, Texas almost got a huge break when Mayfield fumbled the ball while being sacked on third down with a minute to go. But big right tackle Bobby Evans recovered, and the Sooners then punted.

The game ended after a wild play, with the Longhorns completing several laterals and going forward at least 20 yards before eventually losing 9 - after a final declined penalty for an illegal forward pass.

Strong's message to his defense is to make opposing teams have to drive the ball. Oklahoma had four long TD drives of no more than four plays.

"You just look at the plays we gave up," Strong said. "You can't give up home runs thrown over your head."

Foreman finished with 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

TAKEAWAYS

Oklahoma: While far from perfect (four turnovers that Texas turned into only 3 points), the Sooners are off to a good start in their pursuit of a 10th Big 12 title. The Sooners are also on the way to overcoming the disappointment of those two early non-conference losses that quickly eliminated any realistic chance of returning to the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row. Mayfield and Westbrook have developed quite a connection (five touchdowns, all of at least 40 yards, in two Big 12 games).

Texas: A loss increases the heat on Strong, who is now calling the defensive plays. The Longhorns have given up more than 40 points in four games this season, and now have allowed more than 500 yards in three consecutive games. But the Longhorns need to keep taking shots down the field with Buechele, who had TD passes of 63 yards (to Devin Duvernay) and 45 yards (to Dorian Leonard) in the second half.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

A more lopsided score for Oklahoma probably would have caught the attention of more voters, especially those who might not have tuned into for the less than must-see Red River game matching 2-2 teams. If not for all the miscues, the Sooners likely would have had a bigger margin. They may jump a spot or two, but are still a long way from the No. 3 spot they had to start the season.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma: The Sooners are home next Saturday for another 11 a.m. kickoff, against Kansas State.

Texas: The Longhorns are home for the first time since Sept. 10 when they host Iowa State next Saturday.

Rudolph has 3 TD passes, Oklahoma St tops No. 22 Texas 49-31

 Mason Rudolph passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns to help Oklahoma State defeat No. 22 Texas 49-31 on Saturday.

Justice Hill rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown and Jalen McCleskey added 109 yards and two touchdowns receiving for the Cowboys (3-2, 1-1 Big 12), who had lost their previous eight home games against the Longhorns (2-2, 0-1).

Oklahoma State blocked three extra points in the first half, matching a school record for blocked kicks in a game. On the first one, defensive tackle Vincent Taylor came up the middle for the block, picked up the ball and ran with it before delivering a perfect option-style pitch to Tre Flowers in stride. Flowers took it into the end zone for two points and, instead of a 14-all tie, Oklahoma State led 16-13.

Rudolph passed for 310 yards and three scores and ran for a touchdown in the first half to help the Cowboys take a 37-25 lead.

Oklahoma State receiver James Washington was knocked out of the game in the third quarter after taking a hit to the head from Texas linebacker Malcolm Roach. Washington had three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys.

Texas' running backs took a beating. Chris Warren III missed the second half with a knee injury. He ran for 106 yards on 10 carries in the first half. D'Onta Foreman left the game in the third quarter with an abdominal injury after rumbling for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

THE TAKEAWAY

TEXAS: The Longhorns, who gave up 47 points to Notre Dame and 50 to California, had an extra week to prepare for the Cowboys. It didn't matter, as the Cowboys rolled up 555 yards.

OKLAHOMA STATE: The Cowboys bounced back from their loss to Baylor and now are in position to be a factor in the Big 12 race.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Texas likely will drop out of the Top 25. Oklahoma State has an outside chance of getting back in, but the controversial loss to Central Michigan could prove costly here.

UP NEXT

TEXAS: The Longhorns play Oklahoma in Dallas next Saturday.

OKLAHOMA STATE: The Cowboys will host Iowa State on Saturday.

Webb throws 4 TD passes to lead Cal past No. 11 Texas 50-43

Davis Webb has been waiting for a chance to beat Texas for almost as long as California waited for a big win against a ranked opponent.

A big performance by Webb made both come true on a night when the Golden Bears once again struggled defensively and running back Vic Enweremade a bonehead play that nearly cost Cal a chance to win.

Webb threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game to break a tie with 3:41 to play and California got its first win over a Top 25 team in nearly four years, beating No. 11 Texas 50-43 on Saturday night.

"I had a lot of motivation for this game," Webb said. "We out-toughed them, we out-physicaled them."

Webb, who grew up outside Dallas cheering for the Longhorns, made the most of his first meeting against his home-state team after watching from the sidelines the past three years when he was at Texas Tech.

He threw for 396 yards, ran for a score and connected on a 12-yard pass to Chad Hansen that broke a 43-all tie and gave coach Sonny Dykes his biggest win in four seasons at Cal (2-1).

"I know this game meant a lot to him," Dykes said. "I know he talked about this week as just another ballgame. But if you grow up in Texas and have a chance to play Texas and win the ballgame, it's something special to you."

D'Onta Foreman ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while Chris Warren added 119 yards on the ground and two scores for the Longhorns (2-1), who were looking for their first 3-0 start since 2012.

But their inability to slow down Webb and the Bears did them in, especially on the go-ahead drive.

"I wouldn't say there was necessarily confusion, we just didn't execute," cornerback Sheroid Evans said. "We knew what they were going to run, they ran what they were going to run and we just didn't execute."

Texas had a shot to match Cal's last TD, but Shane Buechele was sacked on third down deep in his own territory late. Texas punted and never got the ball back.

"We had the ball and had two timeouts left and hoped that we would get a stop before then but Cal busted out on third down," coach Charlie Strong said.

Enwere appeared to ice it when he ran 55 yards for a touchdown. But he dropped the ball at the 1 and the TD was overturned by replay. Because there was no immediate recovery, Cal kept the ball and ran out the clock for a second straight win over the Longhorns. The Bears won 45-44 last year when Nick Rose missed an extra point with 1:11 to play.

"I was just trying to make the game just as exciting as last year's ending," Enwere said. "Tried to give the people what they wanted. Couldn't go home that easy."

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas: The Longhorns scored on their first four possessions and led by 10 points midway through the second quarter before the offense started to stall a bit. Buechele left the game briefly with a chest injury, and he and backup Tyrone Swoopes each threw costly interceptions in the first half that helped Cal get back into the game.

California: Despite losing No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff to the NFL, the Bears' offense hasn't missed a beat under graduate transfer Webb. The defense still needs work if Cal wants to contend in the Pac-12. The Bears entered the game allowing an FBS-worst 6.8 yards per carry and wasn't much better against the Longhorns, allowing 307 yards on 51 runs.

CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENT

Webb and Hansen have developed an immediate chemistry. Hansen caught 14 passes in each of the first two games and then had 12 receptions for 196 yards and two TDs against Texas.

"It's funny, Chad had a quiet 12 catches for 196 yards tonight," Dykes joked. "Kind of a disappointing game. He's been used to catching 14 a game."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

After shooting up the rankings following a season-opening win, Texas should drop in the poll this week after losing to unranked Cal.

UP NEXT

Texas: The Longhorns have a week off before opening Big 12 play with a trip to Oklahoma State.

California: The Bears open Pac-12 play with a trip to Arizona State.

Buechele shines again, No. 11 Texas beats UTEP 41-7

 In meetings, in practice and when he was just thinking to himself, Charlie Strong pleaded with his team not to be a one-game wonder after a big season-opening win.

That turned out to not be a problem at all.

Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns and No. 11 Texas backed up its first national ranking since 2013 with a 41-7 victory over UTEP on Saturday night.

"I was nervous," said Strong, who entered the season under tremendous pressure after two losing seasons. "Everyone was telling them how good they are and I wondered how would they respond? I kept telling them, `Just focus. We haven't done anything yet.'"

Sophomore linebacker Malik Jefferson said the message came through. But Jefferson suggested the players didn't really need the reminder because they knew how to handle the week after beating Notre Dame.

"We were 5-7 last year," Jefferson said. "We can't be satisfied with anything."

Buechele wasn't there for the previous two years of losing, but there was no letup from the freshman as he put together another splendid game with his arm and feet. He was 22 of 27 passing and his 34 yards rushing in the zone read option showed the Longhorns (2-0) have even another wrinkle in their new offense.

Buechele threw touchdown passes of 29 and 7 yards to Jerrod Heard, who started at quarterback most of 2015 but moved to wide receiver this season. He also connected with Dorian Leonard for a 46-yard score in the third quarter that made it 34-7.

"I felt good out there," Buechele said. "We started slow but I feel like we finished strong ... I like throwing the ball to all these guys."

Aaron Jones ran for 123 yards and a 51-yard touchdown for UTEP (1-1).

THE TAKEAWAY

UTEP: The Miners missed the passing of injured starting quarterback Zack Greenlee, who was held out to rest a strained knee before the start of the Conference USA schedule. Kavika Johnson was 9 of 15 for 42 yards, and Jones gave the Miners their only punch on offense. The Longhorns knew Jones was the primary option on nearly every UTEP possession until the score got out of hand.

"We're not making excuses for anything. They whipped us handily," Kugler said.

Texas: Buechele continues to impress. His second start came behind an offensive line that was missing two starters with injuries. Buechele was sacked three times and withstood several more hits, but his first two touchdown passes were precision throws into coverage on the sideline in the end zone. His third was a deep throw that hit Leonard in stride.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Longhorns should stand pat. They easily handled a team they were supposed to and Buechele proved he's no fluke. No one in front of Texas lost so there's no real room to move up unless AP voters punish No. 9 Georgia for its close win over Nicholls. Staying where they are they are would still be another big step for a program that has been on the skids the last two years.

HEARD'S BIRTHDAY BREAKOUT

Heard's first two career touchdown passes came on his 21st birthday. He'd been letting everyone know his big day was coming up by announcing it for days on Twitter. He finished with six catches for 46 yards.

"It says he's a ball player," said Texas running back Chris Warren III. "He's an athlete who can play."

Strong praised Heard's quick adjustment to catching passes instead of throwing them. Last season, it was Heard who everyone thought was the quarterback of the future when he broke Vince Young's single-game school record for total offense.

"He's always vibrant, always has a smile on his face. That first touchdown was a good catch," Strong said.

UP NEXT

UTEP: The Miners host Army next Saturday in their last game before starting Conference USA play.

Texas: The Longhorns get their first road test next Saturday at California, which beat Texas 45-44 last season when the Longhorns missed an extra point in the final seconds.

LAST WORD

"He's very talented," Kugler said about Buechele. "Probably Texas fans are really excited of having him for four years."

Texas beats No. 10 Notre Dame 50-47 in 2OT thriller

After two losing seasons and with the pressure of an entire program bearing down, Charlie Strong turned his team over to a freshman quarterback for Texas' opener, something no Longhorns coach had done in more than 70 years.

He even called Shane Buechele's mom the night before to say her son would start against No. 10 Notre Dame. She started crying.

"I told him don't let her down," Strong said.

Buechele didn't, and instead delivered big time with 280 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns before Tyrone Swoopes, the senior he beat out for the job, punched in a lunging 6-yard touchdown in the second overtime for a thrilling 50-47 win Sunday night.

"I said a year ago we probably would have lost that football game because we didn't know how to finish," Strong said.

Buechele was the first freshman quarterback to start a season-opener at Texas since Bobby Layne in 1944.

"You knew (Buechele) could handle it. You knew the stage wouldn't be too big," Strong said.

Yet it was Swoopes who won it in the end. Disappointed not to start, Swoopes still played a huge role in the offense with three touchdowns and big runs that punished Notre Dame tacklers who struggled to bring him down.

On the winning score, Swoopes broke a tackle, burst up the middle and stretched the ball across the line. Swoopes has been booed by Texas fans the last two seasons and was treated to a chorus of "Swooooooopes" from the Texas-record crowd of 102,315.

"With that chant and booing, I can't really tell the difference," Swoopes said.

Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer rallied the Irish from a 31-14 deficit in the third quarter and finished with 215 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Texas went ahead 37-35 on D'Onte Foreman's 18-yard touchdown run before Notre Dame blocked the extra point and Shaun Crawford returned it for a 2-point score that tied it at 37 with just under four minutes left.

Strong, and Longhorn fans, had seen Texas collapse and lose games late the previous two seasons.

"This is a great start for us," Strong said. "Our fans really needed that. We've been down for so long. ... It was a night for us to just make it right."

THE TAKEAWAY

Notre Dame: Coach Brian Kelly will have to consider scrapping the quarterback rotation between Kizer and Malik Zairethat sapped momentum and helped dig the Irish into a big hole.

"No final decision has been made," Kelly said. "It's never easy playing two quarterbacks."

Texas: A huge win for Strong, who is trying to avoid being the first Texas coach with three consecutive losing seasons since the 1930s. It's been said time and again in recent years, but the Longhorns sure look as if they've got their quarterback, despite some sputters in the second half.

"We needed tonight to get this program back in the spotlight," Strong said. "I know one game does not make a season. We have many more to go. But it's a great start."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Notre Dame: A loss means a drop, but how far? The Irish sure didn't look like a top-10 team when the Longhorns were pushing them around early.

Texas: Texas hasn't been ranked since late 2013 when Mack Brown was coach. Beating a top-10 opponent with big plays, tough running and late moxie probably earns a return to the Top 25.

18-WHEELER

Swoopes ran the "18-wheeler" package - so-named because he wears No. 18 - to near perfection, moving the chains and punishing Notre Dame tacklers in the process. He finished with 53 yards on 13 carries and was a dynamic change of pace when he came on for Buechele.

"He's 260 pounds and runs big," said Notre Dame defensive lineman Isaac Rochell.

INJURY REPORT

Notre Dame: Wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. was knocked out of the game in the third quarter on a ferocious hit fromDeShon Elliott in the end zone that broke up an Irish touchdown.

Kelly said he had "heated" discussions with game officials asking why the play wasn't reviewed for a possible penalty.

TEXAS: Safety Dylan Haines left the game in the second quarter with a head injury.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: The Irish play their home opener against Nevada on Saturday. The Wolf Pack beat Cal-Poly 30-27 in overtime in their first game.

Texas: Texas hosts Texas-El Paso, which beat New Mexico State 38-22.