Texas-sized disappointment for Cats

Football

The headline notwithstanding, I am not particularly disappointed that Kansas State lost 27-24 to Texas yesterday. Some of that was because I just couldn’t get off the Minnesota-sized cloud I was riding on. But, in all honestly, it’s hard to feel too bad when the Wildcats lose a close game against an opponent who simply played better in the key moments than Kansas State. Is it disappointing? Yes. Has the sky fallen? Nah. We got this.

I have little to say about the game that has not been said by others, including our own BotC recap courtesy of Jon Morse: What Could Have Been.

Here’s the rest of the post-game coverage....

Kansas State area beat writers:

— The Wildcats had all the momentum in the first quarter, squandered it over the next two stanzas, and lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds (Ryan Black, Manhattan Mercury)

— In the absence of AJ Parker, Walter Neil and Kevion McGee stepped up, mostly shutting down the Texas passing game (Black, Mercury)

— The players are disappointed, but not discouraged. They’re treating the game as a much-needed learning experience (D Scott Fritchen, GoPowercat (free))

— Just some dude in a K-State hat hanging out with the team on the sidelines yesterday

Texas area beat writers (incl. our SB Nation cousins):

— “Texas needed that one.” (Scipio Tex, Barking Carnival)

— Relying on Dicker the Kicker to win games is a familiar strategy for the Longhorns (Wescott Eberts, Burnt Orange Nation)

— Personally, I think Dicker should have drawn a flag for his slovenly pre-game attire:

— Keaontay Ingram’s “angry” running might have been a difference maker for Texas against Kansas State (Chris Dukes, SI Longhorn Maven)

— Tom Herman was relieved to pull off the win, and then went off on a rant about “all the misinformation” around his team and rumors of dissension in the locker room (Brian Davis, Austin American-Statesman)

National outlets:

— Texas might not be back just yet, but they’re not done with the season either (Kaelen Jones, The Athletic (subscription))

— Dicker field goal seals victory for Texas over Kansas State (Associated Press, via ESPN)

And that’s all she wrote.

Basketball

The men’s basketball team put on a defensive clinic in their first road game of the season, beating UNLV 60-56 in Las Vegas. This was the first overtime game for the Wildcats in more than a year, and it took a late jumper from Xavier Sneed in the final seconds to seal the deal.

The best analogy for this game is a rock fight, as Luke Sobba notes in his recap.

Sneed ended the game with 19 points, including four of the last six. He was joined in double digits by Cartier Diarra who had 12 points on the day. Mike McGuirl sank two free throws to end the game, and newcomers Montavious Murphy, DaJuan Gordon, and Antonio Gordon.

Up next, Kansas State is back home on Wednesday to take on Monmouth in a 7 pm contest airing on ESPN+.

Have a great weekend, purple fam. This too shall pass.