Despite Kansas Win, Texas Faces Uphill Climb the Rest of the Season

The Texas Longhorns took care of business on Saturday, blowing out the Kansas Jayhawks by a 59-20 margin.

At least, that's what it will look like on the surface.

Tyrone Swoopes led the way for the Longhorns, running for four touchdowns and a throwing for another in mop-up duty. Running back D'Onta Foreman provided a spark as well, keying a 35-7 second half with two third-quarter touchdowns, including a 93-yarder up the left sideline. The Big 12 Conference provided highlights:

Starting quarterback Jerrod Heard even broke out of his passing funk, clearing 200 yards after failing to crack 100 in three straight games. At the end of the night, the Longhorns did what had to be done. ESPN.com provided highlights of the Longhorns' 84-yard TD (h/t Remember The Summit):

But before the Horns started pouring it on, there was plenty of cause for concern. Even after the convincing win, it's pretty obvious that they face an uphill battle to lock down a bowl appearance.

For postseason play to be a part of Texas' 2015 season, the Longhorns must win two of their final three against West Virginia, Texas Tech and Baylor. Based on what we saw in the win over Kansas, it's hard to imagine them pulling that off.

Before the Longhorns ripped off 35 straight in the second half, Charlie Strong's team was as frustrating as ever. The Horns jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but then they let the Jayhawks get back into it with sloppiness both on and off the field.

Missed tackles were a problem, Joe Wickline continuously tinkered with the offensive line and star freshman Malik Jefferson was treated as an "emergency option." Ryan Autullo of the Austin American-Statesman and Anwar Richardson of Rivals.com discussed the Longhorns' notable concerns:

Most of all, the Horns quit playing to win in the second quarter, and David Beaty's team took advantage. By the time halftime rolled around, the Longhorns were an odd-fumble-rule and a missed-field-goal away from being down 27-24.

For reference, this Kansas team lost a home game to South Dakota State and only has 67 scholarship players. Texas has no legitimate excuse for this being close, and it was lucky to have a lead at halftime. ESPN.com's Max Olson pointed out a "crazy turn of events" on one Kansas play that resulted in Texas getting the ball:

The Horns can't expect to be so lucky in these last three games. 

Next week, Strong's team travels to West Virginia. Prior to Saturday's win over Texas Tech, the Mountaineers ranked No. 13 in Football Outsiders' S&P+ ratings, which is ahead of undefeated Iowa. In three road games this season, Texas has been outscored by a 112-10 margin.

Almost two weeks after that, the Longhorns get Texas Tech. Heading into Week 10, the Red Raiders were averaging 47.3 points per game and the Big 12's best third-down offense, per CFBStats.com. According to that same source, the Longhorns were the conference's second-worst third-down defense.

Then Texas closes its season at Baylor, which is an offensive juggernaut even with freshman Jarrett Stidham running the show.

Lose two of those games and the Longhorns' season ends during the first weekend of December. They knew that coming into Saturday's matchup with Kansas, and still they let the Jayhawks hang around. That's inexcusable coming off a 24-0 loss to Iowa State.

The Horns should be proud of their 35-point second-half showing. They found a passing game and, hopefully, accepted Foreman as the featured runner. 

But this team is still doing too much to undermine itself. Until that changes, the Longhorns can't be expected to beat two quality teams in three tries.