Texas vs. Kansas: Game Grades, Analysis for the Longhorns and Jayhawks

The Longhorns blanked the Kansas Jayhawks 23-0 on Saturday behind a three-touchdown effort from Tyrone Swoopes and four interceptions by the defense.

Charlie Strong's team will take the win, but the final result looks much more important than the overall effort.

Texas looked flat once again in the second half, outgaining the Jayhawks by a mere 16 yards. Against a team that's just 6-22 under head coach Charlie Weis, that performance inspires little confidence with the meat of the Horns' Big 12 schedule still ahead.

As their grades will show, both teams have significant room for improvement.

Position Unit	1st Half	2nd Half
Passing Offense	F	D-
Rushing Offense	C	B+
Passing Defense	D+	C
Rushing Defense	B	A
Special Teams	C	B
Coaching	D	C

Kansas Jayhawks Game Grades

Passing Offense: Montell Cozart's four interceptions killed his team's chances of ever making a run, especially with the three he threw in Texas territory. He's a good athlete with extremely raw quarterbacking skills, so none of this should be a surprise. He probably should have redshirted last season.

Rushing Offense: The Jayhawks only averaged 3.4 yards per carry, but they started to wear down the Longhorns front in the second half. De'Andre Mann and Corey Avery were consistent throughout the game, combining for 122 yards on 25 totes.

Passing Defense: Swoopes threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns despite missing a lot of big plays. He had one touchdown called back and missed on a second-quarter bomb to Jaxon Shipley. He was still able to find open receivers when he needed to while never facing a ton of pressure. 

Rushing Defense: Aside from the 30-yard reverse by Armanti Foreman and Swoopes' touchdown run, the Jayhawks were tough up front. Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown gained just 73 yards on their 25 carries. Keon Stowers required two blockers throughout the game, and Ben Heeney was absolutely everywhere.

Special Teams: Shipley's 41-yard punt return set up Texas' first touchdown of the day. Other than that, Trevor Pardula averaged 41.2 yards per punt, including one that bounced backward mere inches from the goal line. The Jayhawks blocked a kick to close the first half.

Coaching: You have to wonder why Weis kept asking Cozart to make plays with his arm, especially on the fade into the end zone on 4th-and-goal. Kansas had eight drives end in Texas territory with no points to show for it, which is just inexcusable.

Position Unit	1st Half	2nd Half
Passing Offense	B	C+
Rushing Offense	C	D-
Passing Defense	A+	A
Rushing Defense	B	C-
Special Teams	C	C
Coaching	B	C

Texas Longhorns Game Grades

Passing Offense: Swoopes was less efficient in this game as he took more shots downfield, but he also notched a career-high 218 yards. He continues to make plays when he gets outside the pocket, which Texas should continue to incorporate into the game plan. He did leave some plays on the field that he will have to make in order for this team to put up more points.

Rushing Offense: Without the double-reverse to Foreman, the Longhorns averaged a paltry 2.3 yards per carry. The offensive line still can't create holes, making it difficult for the running backs to wear down opposing defenses. It should worry Longhorns fans that there wasn't much visible improvement over the bye week.

Passing Defense: It's tough to complain about a unit that had four interceptions and should have had a fifth. Quandre Diggs got the party started in the end zone, and then Duke Thomas had the three biggest plays of the game with two of his own and a pass breakup on 4th-and-goal. Texas has already intercepted nine passes this season through four games, which is just one shy of last year's total.

Rushing Defense: Tackling was much better in this game, though the front seven got pushed around to start the second half. This group looked much better once Vance Bedford went back to a 4-3 look. Malcom Brown, Jordan Hicks and Jason Hall all had big games.

Special Teams: This unit is still one of the most frustrating on the team, offsetting each solid play with one that makes you want to yank your hair out. Shipley ripped off a 41-yard punt return in the first quarter and then had another big one called back on a penalty. Punter William Russ is still spotty at best, while Nick Rose shanked an extra point and had a field goal blocked before drilling one from 45 yards out. 

Coaching: Once again, the Longhorns looked like they were sleepwalking to start the second half. Both sides of the ball picked it up in the fourth quarter, but it's been the same movie each of the past three games. Though he let Swoopes take more shots downfield, Shawn Watson still puts a lot on the defense with his conservative play-calling. All three of Texas' scoring drives covered 28 yards or less.