The Kansas State Wildcats were defeated by the University of Texas Longhorns 40-34 on Saturday night in double overtime. The Wildcat football team is now 3-2 this season.
It was the battle of the backups in Austin, Texas, after Texas’ sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele was removed from the starting lineup and K-State’s senior quarterback Jesse Ertz went down with an apparent knee injury in the third quarter.
This was the first overtime game for K-State since 2015, and Texas’ second overtime contest of the season. Texas lost in double overtime to the University of Southern California in the third week of the season.
Junior cornerback D.J. Reed intercepted Texas freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger on the first play of the game.
K-State seemed out of it when Ertz tripped and then left the game in the third quarter, but sophomore backup quarterback Alex Delton came in and had successful runs, gaining 79 yards and scoring two touchdowns. As the game continued, Delton was less effective in the run game.
Sophomore wide receiver Dalton Schoen caught two touchdowns for 128 yards, including an 82-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the second quarter. He led the Wildcats in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Texas’ junior kicker Joshua Rowland pushed a late field goal to the left that would have tied the game at 27. K-State went three-and-out on the next possession. Texas then made a game-tying field goal thanks to Rowland.
Ertz returned to the game in the fourth quarter. He threw a long interception with 32 seconds left.
Ertz completed 12 of 18 passes for 224 yards and a long touchdown.
The Longhorns then drove down for a field goal attempt. Rowland missed it from 45 yards out with two seconds left. But it would be a miss by K-State’s senior kicker Matthew McCrane that would decide the game for K-State in the second overtime.
Texas scored a touchdown on the very first play of overtime on a 25-yard touchdown pass. Delton responded with a touchdown run from eight yards out.
In the second overtime, a series of penalties doomed K-State to attempting a 53-yard field goal. McCrane knocked the kick into the upright. Texas junior running back Chris Warren III was pushed into the end zone from two yards out to end it.
For Texas, Ehlinger went 30 of 50 in passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing for 107 yards on 20 carries. His favorite target was freshman wide receiver Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, who had 12 catches for 121 yards.
The Wildcats will return to Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Oct. 14 to face Texas Christian University at 11 a.m.
