Texas 40, Kansas State 34: key moments, players and grades

K-State player of the game: Dalton Schoen. Raise your hand if you had Schoen, a walk-on sophomore, as Kansas State’s most productive receiver through five games. His play has been nothing short of remarkable this season, and he added five catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns against Texas. As defensive back D.J. Reed said Saturday night: “He deserves a scholarship -- ASAP.”

Texas player of the game: Sam Ehlinger. K-State had no answers for the young Texas quarterback. He torched the Wildcats for 380 yards and two touchdowns through the air and 107 yards on the ground. His scrambling ability was a key factor.

Key moment of the game: K-State held firm on a goal-line stand against Texas in the first half, forcing the Longhorns to turn the ball over on downs after driving 77 yards. Had they found the end zone, this game could have gone much differently.

Grades

Offense: B-. K-State scored 27 points in regulation and finished with 394 yards against a Texas defense that had allowed an average of 11.3 points in its past three games. The offense did enough to win. Alex Delton provided a lift with his fresh legs and Jesse Ertz threw for 224 yards. K-State receivers also eliminated most of the drops that have plagued them of late.

Defense: D. Ehlinger may go on to have a stellar career with the Longhorns, but K-State made him look a lot better than he should have been in his third college start. He consistently had big holes to run through on draw plays, and K-State defenders admitted they weren’t prepared to defend 20 quarterback runs. Texas finished with 546 yards, 237.5 more than K-State had been giving up.

Special Teams: B. Matthew McCrane drilled two field goals, including a career-long from 54 yards. K-State also pinned Texas at its own one with a punt. But the return unit didn’t do much of anything. Reed has made errors as a returner in back-to-back games.

Coaching: C-. The offense took a step forward. The defense took a step back. The result was another close road loss. Bill Snyder and his assistants will need to figure out how to finish close games as the season continues.

This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 12:31 AM with the headline "Texas 40, Kansas State 34: key moments, players and grades."