With CFP rankings soon to be released, Texas and Kansas State playing well on defense

Texas and Kansas State have met 23 times since 1913, and those games have not lacked offense.

There have been 50.6 points scored in an average Texas-Kansas State game, and UT has twice topped 60 by itself. Sam Ehlinger became just the third Texas quarterback to throw for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in the same game when UT hosted Kansas State in 2017. Kansas State's Tyler Lockett set a school record when he recorded 237 receiving yards during a 2013 trip to Austin. Running backs Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Deuce Vaughn, all of whom were all selected in the 2023 NFL draft, combined for 436 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on just 33 carries during the 2020 meeting.

This season, Kansas State is scoring 37.4 points per game. That's 13th-best nationally. Texas is averaging 34.5. That ranks 24th.

But when Texas (7-1, 4-1) hosts Kansas State (6-2, 4-1) on Saturday, a shootout should not be presumed. Both teams have defenses that have played well recently.

Last weekend, Texas held BYU to two short field goals in a 35-6 win at Royal-Memorial Stadium. Kansas State hasn't allowed a touchdown in its last nine quarters, and it is coming off 41-3 and 41-0 wins over TCU and Houston. That's a streak of 25 offensive drives.

"We're playing at an elite level, which is what we've been trying to achieve the whole year," Wildcats defensive end Nate Matlack told reporters. "It feels good to be playing at this level, shutting guys out or holding them to one score. That's the goal."

Kansas State is allowing 15.9 points per game. That means it boasts the best scoring defense in the Big 12. In terms of total defense, the 343.8 yards being allowed each game by Kansas State is the conference's third-best effort.

At his weekly press conference on Monday, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said it was paramount that Texas wins its battles on first and second downs. He added that the Longhorns will need to play their brand of physical football.

"I think they play well together. I think they play as a team. I think they've got a good scheme," Sarkisian said of the Wildcats. "They're very aggressive. It's hard to stay on double teams, they get you off double teams at the line of scrimmage. The linebackers are downhill players. They're good tacklers, good tacklers in the secondary. And then they force third-and-longs, and when the majority of your third downs are third-and-9-plus, then they're able to play coverage and rush the passer and get off the field."

If Kansas State doesn't have the best defense in the Big 12, Texas might be able to make that claim. The Longhorns rank second in the league in both scoring defense (16.0 points) and total defense (328.0 yards).

Texas surrendered 58 points in back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Houston earlier this month, but both Baylor and BYU failed to get into the end zone when they played the Longhorns. Texas held a conference opponent without a touchdown just once over Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski's first two years in town.

"We're playing really well," safety Michael Taaffe said. "Obviously there's room for improvement like it is every week, but we're playing really well. We're really bonded right now. Just having fun out there."

Saturday's showdown between two of the five teams tied for first in the Big 12 will be a matchup between the No. 7 and No. 25 teams in the Associated Press poll. In the most-recent coaches poll, Texas was sixth while Kansas State was the unranked team that received the most votes.

Texas and Kansas State also will find out this week where they stand in the College Football Playoff rankings. Those rankings will be revealed for the first time on Tuesday night.

On Monday, Sarkisian was asked if he will be paying attention to what the CFP committee is saying with the release of its inaugural rankings. He replied that "it just seems pretty early to me."

He did, however, take a moment to campaign for his team. Sarkisian pointed out that the Longhorns are winning with backup quarterback Maalik Murphy in the huddle and he reminded the local press corps that Texas earned a 34-24 win at Alabama earlier this season.

"I think we've got a pretty good football team, and I think that we're a very versatile team," Sarkisian said. "I'd argue we have the best win in the country right now. The fact that we go into Tuscaloosa, Ala. and beat a team that was 52-1 in the previous 53 games of us going in there, and I hear about how tough the SEC is, but I haven't seen any of those teams go in Alabama and win either. I feel pretty good about our team. I think over time this whole thing will play itself out, so we've got to focus on what we need to do on Saturday and play our best football."

Saturday's game

No. 25 Kansas State at No. 7 Texas, 11 a.m., Fox, 1300

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas, Kansas State defenses performing well ahead of football battle