The Longhorn Republic

Winning is hard unless you're playing Kansas State! Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns picked up their first road win of the season and held on to a double-digit lead at halftime to clinch bowl eligibility.

Wescott Eberts and Cameron Parker are back for a Monday recap but start off with the big recruiting news from the day with 5-star LB Anthony Hill de-committing from Texas A&M and rumors of 4-star DE Colton Vasak flipping from Oklahoma to Texas.

Plus, the impressive play of Pete Kwiatkowski's run defense this season, limiting Deuce Vaughn and Adrian Martinez, and if Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy will ever complete a deep pass.

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Coming off of the bye week, the Texas Longhorns are facing what feels like a make-or-break moment for this season.

Heading out on the road to take on the Kansas State Wildcats, their chances to make the Big 12 title game are somehow still alive, but they likely would have to win all of their remaining games to do so. To win them all, you have to win the first one, and so comes the challenge of a resurgent Kansas State program, coming off of a 48-0 dismantling of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Led by Deuce Vaughn, the other unanimous preseason All-Conference running back, the Wildcats' offense eats up the ground game, even with quarterback Adrian Martinez injured.

Defensively, Kansas State is stout wherever they go, but especially in Manhattan, where they're allowing just 12 points per game. Texas has had no trouble scoring early in contests but has fallen back into the predictable pattern of second-half struggles leading to losses. Can Sark and Co. overcome their tendency to struggle late or will Texas come away from Manhattan with its season goals all but lost?

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Intro and Outro: Earth, Wind, Fire (Ryan Little / CC BY-SA 4.0)

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While the Texas Longhorns are returning from a bye week, the Wildcats are fresh off a blowout win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys but have uncertainty at the quarterback position.

Wescott and Cameron open with the health of Adrian Martinez and the vast improvement of junior QB Will Howard (8:00). They look at the similarity in this Kansas State offense compared to years past under Bill Snyder and their dynamic running back in Deuce Vaughn (8:00).

Plus, the KSU defense (16:00) and what’s next for Steve Sarkisian and the Horns if they suffer another blown lead on the road this Saturday (20:00). Wescott gives his prediction (30:00) and we’ll warn you now: Vegas hasn’t suckered him.

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For the last two seasons under Vic Schaefer, the Texas Longhorns women's basketball team has been ahead of expectations.

Two runs to the Elite 8 were well ahead of where they should have been under a new coach, with young playmakers trying to figure it out. This year, after adding some key pieces from the transfer portal to an already explosive roster, the Longhorns sit at No. 3 in the country. They are ready to move past the ahead of schedule and break through the ceiling of the Elite 8 they've bumped up against in the previous two seasons.

So after one dominant exhibition game, how did the new-look Longhorns fare and how did the new talent gel with the existing pieces? What is a fair set of expectations for what is one of the most talented rosters in the country?

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Intro and Outro: Earth, Wind, Fire (Ryan Little / CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Wescott Eberts and Cameron Parker begin with a discussion around the Kansas State Wildcats' big win over Oklahoma State along with the victories for TCU and Baylor.

Plus, Wescott’s takeaways from Steve Sarkisian’s press conference on Monday and other thoughts from the Longhorns’ loss to Oklahoma State (5:00). Also, injury updates and the freshman that will be stepping up in the closing stretch.

They conclude the podcast with their thoughts on the Horns’ wins in their exhibition matches over the weekend (21:00), the new Moody Center, and the Arterio Morris situation that hangs a black cloud over the program.

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Basketball season is right around the corner and the Texas Longhorns are hoping to take a big step forward in Year 2 under Chris Beard.

Some familiar names are no longer roaming the Forty Acres, with Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey moving on to their next destination, but that doesn’t mean it's a total rebuild for Texas. The Longhorns bring back Marcus Carr, who will likely see his role change in the backcourt with the addition of Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter joining him at guard. The frontcourt will look familiar to Texas fans, with Timmy Allen, Dylan Disu, Christian Bishop, and Brock Cunningham returning, joined by highly-touted freshman Dillon Mitchell.

So what are fair expectations for the Longhorns, once again playing in a Big 12 conference that seems to be head-and-shoulders above the rest of the conference?

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Intro and Outro: Earth, Wind, Fire (Ryan Little / CC BY-SA 4.0)

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The Texas Longhorns went into the second half with a lead against the Oklahoma State Cowboys and again came away with a frustrating loss.

On the road in Stillwater, Texas struggled to maintain its discipline and composure in a hostile environment, while the offensive playmakers couldn't seem to get on the same page. Quinn Ewers played his worst game in Burnt Orange, which put a damper on a career day from running back Bijan Robinson.

Defensively, Texas managed to get off the field on third downs, but quick turnarounds and a lack of second-half production from the offense put them in a hole they couldn't get out of. So now, as they head in to the bye week, Texas has a lot of questions to answer in the hopes of putting together a strong back quarter of the year and finishing on a high note.

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Intro and Outro: Earth, Wind, Fire (Ryan Little / CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Wescott Eberts and Cameron Parker put a bow on the Longhorns’ latest loss to Oklahoma State in the latest Winning is Hard podcast.

They spend the first two hours of the podcast discussing Steve Sarkisian and the Horns not staying on the field to sing the Eyes of Texas after the loss. Just kidding.

Wescott and Cam start off with the play of Quinn Ewers, the fingernail injury, and if Sark should have pulled Quinn at any point for Hudson Card (4:00).

Plus, the penalty discrepancy and what that says about both coaching staffs (11:00), the injury to Anthony Cook, and how concerning the depth level is in the secondary heading into the bye week (17:00).

Finally, they conclude with the overall trajectory of the team and the program (24:00).

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The Texas Longhorns are going on the road for the first time since the debacle in Lubbock, taking on the Oklahoma State Cowboys to keep themselves in the upper tier of the Big 12 standings.

A year ago, Texas held a lead against the Cowboys but things began to unravel thanks to an interception that turned into a score that sparked the Cowboys' comeback. Both teams look quite different than they did a year ago, thanks to graduations, transfers, and young contributors on both sidelines.

Can the Longhorns rebound from a tough offensive performance from last week and will Spencer Sanders continue to struggle or will he have another career day against the Longhorns? Those storylines will not only define the game, but could define the outcome of the Big 12 race.

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Intro and Outro: Earth, Wind, Fire ( Ryan Little / CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Wescott Eberts and Cameron Parker start with the go-ahead touchdown drive for the Horns and the performance from the offensive line (7:30) as well as the gameplan from Steve Sarkisian and the play of Bijan Robinson. They focus on the Texas defense (15:00) and the issues in the secondary following the injury to Ryan Watts (21:00).

They turn their attention to the Cowboys and the health of quarterback Spencer Sanders following their loss to TCU in double overtime. Plus, a preview of their offense (30:00) and their defense (34:00) followed by Wescott’s prediction.

Finally, “Buy or Sell” featuring Bijan Robinson, Texas’s 3rd down defense, and more (36:00).

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