Big 12 Power Rankings: K-State Re-Establishing Themselves in Conference
By Ben Nielsen
Nov 2, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns kick returner Daje Johnson (4) runs the ball against the Kansas Jayhawks during the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas beat Kansas 35-13. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
2. Texas Longhorns
Record: 6-2 (5-0)
Last Week: Texas 35, KU 13
This Week: at West Virginia
Next Week: vs Oklahoma State
It appeared Texas and the rest of Austin didn’t feel the need to get too worked up for this game and the play on the field showed why. Kansas kept it relatively close for two and half quarters, trailing only 14-6 with 6:25 remaining in the third before Chris Whaley recovered a Jake Heaps fumble and returned it 40 yards for the touchdown. KU imploded from there.
Texas cannot take that same kind of attitude with them to West Virginia because they will get beat. In some ways, this game screams trap game. A long road trip to Morgantown, facing a team who needs a couple more wins for bowl eligibility and is playing well of late, and a team that can force a lot of turnovers and has the experience of upsetting Oklahoma State early in the season.
Case McCoy threw two interceptions against Kansas and couldn’t break 200 yards of passing. If WVU can remotely stop the run, they have the ability to take advantage of McCoy’s poor decision-making ability. WVU is a better coached team than people give them credit for and can easily beat the Longhorns if Texas doesn’t show up with more energy than they had against KU.