Game 603: Texas Longhorn FG defeats No. 20 Kansas State as time expires, 27-24
Austin, Texas – Cameron Dicker launched a successful 26-yard FG as time expired and the Texas Longhorns (6-3,4-2) upended No. 20 Big 12 rival Kansas State (6-3,3-3) for 27-24 victory to keep their slim hopes alive for a Big 12 championship showdown. For the third week in a row, Collegefootballfan.com attended a game where the final play of the game resulted in the winning score. We also attended a tailgate party for the first time put on by Tailgate Connect which allowed us to meet a lot of other college fans from around the country for an energetic, festive pregame experience.
Like Lightning
Kansas State struck quickly before many of us watching Minnesota defeat Penn State together until the bitter end at the Tailgate Connect pregame party made it into our seats in Darrel K. Royal- Texas Memorial Stadium. On the Wildcats first possession, QB Skylar Thompson connected with Malik Knowles for a 70-yard touchdown pass to take the very quick lead. By the time most sat down in our seats, the Longhorns’ failed 55-yard field goal attempt started the next KSU drive from their 37. Thompson (17 of 27, 253 yards, two TDs) struck again on a pass to Wyken Gill covering 19 yards for the Cats’ second score for a 14-0 lead that lasted until the end of the first.
Texas round-up
After an exchange of punts, Texas started a drive 80 yards from the end zone heading into the second. Their possession culminated with Collin Johnson grabbing a 21-yard TD pass from Sam Ehrlinger (22 of 29, 263 yards, one TD/one INT). KSU tried to respond, but a pass reception was fumbled away to end the opportunity. Neither team neared the end zones for the balance of the half. The Texas defense started to tighten up on the K-State receivers.
Back in the saddle
UT rolled to start the third. RB Keaontay Ingram (16 rushes, 139 yards, two TDs) took the ball and ran 34 yards to tie the score at 14 for each. Ehrlinger and Ingram keyed most of the yardage on the next Longhorn drive to set Dicker up for a 36-yard FG to finally put the home team ahead, 17-14. Now dominating the Cat offense that only tallied 52 rushing yards by the end of the game, the Horns put together another drive down to the KSU 28. However, Ehrlinger’s pass near the end zone got swiped by DB Walter Neil, Jr. to give K-State the ball at their 13.
Hold your horses!
Once again to force State to punt early in the final period, the Texas defense smothered. Punt returner Brandon Jones raced back 53 yards with the ball to K-State’s 21. Ingram finished off the short drive with a 12-yard TD run to boost UT’s margin, 24-14. However, a few seconds later, the Wildcats closed the gap with Joshua Youngblood’s 98-yard kickoff return down the right side for a sudden score.
State’s defense held the Longhorns to a three-and-out to regain possession from their 28. With his 45-yard FG for the Wildcats, Blake Lynch knotted the score at 24-all. The Longhorns started from their 25 after the ensuing touchback with 6:45 left to play. With key passes to Devin Duvernay (nine receptions for 110 yards) and runs by Ingram and Ehrlinger, they used up time moving downfield.
Final showdown
On third and goal at the KSU three, Longhorn fans celebrated as Ehrlinger carried it over the right side for a supposed score, but officials called the play back for an illegal formation. Ehrlinger centered the ball on the eight on the next play and let the clock run down until HC Tim Herman called for a time-out with three seconds left. Dicker converted to give UT the 27-24 victory with his 26-yard FG to win and put the Horns in third place in the Big 12 trailing Oklahoma by a game and undefeated Baylor by two games. Texas celebrated!
More than just Bedlam
Next week OU visits Baylor. A Baylor win could be beneficial to UT. However, the Horns would have to run the table at Iowa State, at Baylor, and at home against Texas Tech if they want to do some more celebrating at the end of the regular season. Baylor would have only Kansas remaining while OU has challenges left in TCU and “Bedlam” against Oklahoma State in their season finale. Things will be exciting among Big 12 opponents these next few weeks to determine the regular season champion.
For championships, our time is now!
As for collegefootballfan.com, a great opportunity fell into our laps. We initially scheduled Princeton vs Yale this upcoming weekend with the notion that PU could be undefeated and facing 7-1 Yale to play to clinch the Ivy League against a traditional rival. However, Dartmouth put a damper on that scenario with a 27-10 win over the Tigers last Saturday at Yankee Stadium. That game commemorated the 150th anniversary of the first official college football game between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869. One hundred-fifty years later, Princeton repeated history. They lost that game, too – six goals to four.
We wanted a game with some fight as we near the end of our regular season and we came up with one. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in D-2 determines its top two teams among the 16-team conference on the final week of the season. They change the format of the final weekend’s schedule pitting the two top teams to play in a championship game. Their respective opponents originally scheduled for the final week will play one another to play up their final game of the season as well (Edinboro State vs. Bloomsburg this year).
At 12:05 on Saturday in Kutztown we will see two top D-2 teams square off for a championship and a for a better seed in the D-2 playoffs when the Golden Bears host Slippery Rock for all the conference marbles. While teams in the FBS and FCS will still by vying for positions to get into a bowl game or a playoff over the next few weeks, here’s a game already that determines a conference championship. We’ve always wanted to attend this game. For us, it’s conveniently located less than two hours away at Andre Reed Stadium, and both teams are undefeated. We’ll take this any time. You may think, “But it’s only D-2!” We don’t care. This is what college football is all about – winning!
Back at the ranch
Our friend and fellow football college football reveler and traveler, Dan Donnelly, came up with a great idea for fellow passionate college football fans. Like us, you may have a hankering to get out to some game and you may not want to do all the planning and packing or have the time for all your tailgating needs or plans. Or, you may want to get out of town and see a game where you may not have any connections, and like his brother Brian ( and sometimes yours truly) you may decide to go and maybe catch up with some local friendlies to party with, or maybe you won’t, and like Brian, sit by yourself and pout in a red pick-up truck with six Navy Goat flags sticking our your windows until the game is about ready to start.
Dan came up with his idea called Tailgate Connect. Heading out to Austin for the first time to see a game and take my daughter Alex who recently moved into that area, Dan had told me about his “Hornball Tailgate” arrangement he set up out there. We took him up on it rather than wing it on our own. Both of us have to say that it is a pretty damn, good deal.
Alex and I met up with other fans from all over coming to this game. There were a few bachelor parties (one from the Philly area) among the estimated 250-300 or so people under canopies with us enjoying alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, and BBQ all covered by a reasonable fee. She and I both preferred the blonde ales provided by the Firestone Walker Brewing Company there from Paso Robles, California.
Appropriately-clad women known as “Twin Peaks” dee-jayed from the big speakers. Hornball set up big screens spread out with other featured games on prior to the one we were attending. We met fans from around the country with various affiliations including Georgia, Michigan State, Tennessee, and even The Alma Mater Juniata’s big rival, Susquehanna! A few Kansas State fans joined, and of course more Longhorn fans. Everybody just had a good time together. Check out Dan’s website here for more information and to keep this option in mind when you want to plan your next out of town tailgate adventure! It was worth it.
