3 takeaways from Texas football’s exhaustive road win over Kansas State

Texas football got a much-needed win on Nov. 5 which came on the road over head coach Chris Klieman and the No. 13 ranked Kansas State Wildcats. Head coach Steve Sarkisian finally got a win on the road while holding a double-digit second-half lead.

But this was yet another win for the Longhorns that didn’t come easy in the Big 12.

Despite holding a commanding 31-10 lead over Kansas State heading into the locker room at halftime, Texas still managed to keep this game close in the end. This game came down to the final offensive possession in the final two minutes for Kansas State.

It was a fumble that was forced by senior nose tackle Keondre Coburn and recovered by junior linebacker Jaylan Ford, that ultimately sealed the win for Texas.

The fact that Texas was able to finally land on a fumble was a huge relief. And it was something that puts Texas back in contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game while finally getting the road monkey off its back.

Jaylan Ford’s fumble recovery and Bijan Robinson’s brilliance lifts Texas football to a win over Kansas State

Here’s a look at three takeaways from the Longhorns’ massive 34-27 road win over Kansas State in Week 10.

Jaylan Ford continues to make momentum-changing plays as he comes into his own

One of the most positive surprises of the season so far for the Longhorns is the play of Ford. The third-year linebacker is having a really solid run in Big 12 play this season as he’s performing at the level of a top-tier middle linebacker in the conference.

And this game really proved why Ford is such a valuable commodity for this defense. He made two game-changing plays that both resulted in turnovers for Texas.

The first was Ford intercepting senior Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez late in the first half. Texas would later score, putting more pressure on the Wildcats ahead of halftime.

And the second big-time play for Ford in this game was obviously the massive fumble that he was able to recover to put this game on ice for the Longhorns.

In total, Ford finished up with 10 combined tackles, a couple of run stuffs, at least one quarterback pressure (from what I tallied up), one interception, and one fumble recovery. He was, without a doubt, the defensive MVP in this game for Texas.

And it’s worth noting that Ford continues to get better while making some real momentum-changing plays at key points in games this season. If you need proof of that, look back at the interception he made in the red zone to flip the momentum against the Iowa State Cyclones on Oct. 15, in a game that resulted in a three-point win for Texas.