DALLAS (FWAA) The Kansas Jayhawks rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter, and senior kicker Matthew Wyman nailed two clutch field goals · one in the final minute of regulation and another in overtime · that gave the Jayhawks a 24-21 win over Texas. The victory was Kansas' first in Big 12 play since 2014, snapping a 19-game conference losing streak, and earned the Jayhawks the Football Writers Association of America National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 19.
The announcement was made on "Playbook," hosted by Chris Carlin and Gino Torretta on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Nation." Each Monday during the season, the FWAA National Team of the Week will be unveiled during the program, which airs from 1-4 p.m. ET.
It was Kansas' defense that sparked the school's first win over Texas since 1938, snapping a 13-game losing streak in the series that pre-dated the Big 12 Conference's formation in 1996. The Jayhawks forced six Texas turnovers, including an interception on the Longhorns' second play of overtime that led to Wyman's winning kick. The Jayhawks' first score came on cornerback Brandon Stewart's 55-yard interception return. Kansas came up with four takeaways in the second quarter alone, and five Jayhawk defenders recorded 11 or more tackles in the game.
"I want to just take my hat off to our kids. What resilient dudes those guys are," Kansas coach David Beaty said. "They have continued to work through some really, really difficult situations. And I've said it before, I feel like we got the right type of kids in our program. They kept fighting, they got us a chance to win the game, and they were able to steal it there at the end."
Trailing 21-18, the defense made a 4th-and-5 stop with 58 seconds left to give Kansas' offense a window of opportunity. Redshirt freshman quarterback Carter Stanley drove Kansas 52 yards to get into field goal range, and Wyman nailed a 36-yarder to tie the game. Wyman's game-winner in overtime came from 25 yards out.
This is Kansas' third time to be selected as the FWAA National Team of the Week and its first since 2008.
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Nov. 19 were:
Colorado (9-2): The Buffaloes ran for 258 yards against the Pac-12's top rushing defense, and quarterback Sefo Liufau had a spectacular day, with 108 rushing yards and 345 through the air as Colorado stayed in control of the Pac-12 Conference's South Division with a 38-24 win over Washington State. Liufau was only the second Colorado player to achieve the 100-300 rushing-passing mark. It was Colorado's first win over a ranked opponent since 2009.
Florida (8-2): The Gators stuffed LSU tailback Derrius Guice on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line as time expired to seal Florida's 16-10 road win at Tiger Stadium, a victory that also earned the Southeastern Conference's East Division title. Florida tailback Jordan Scarlett rushed for 108 yards, quarterback Austin Appleby threw a highlight 98-yard touchdown pass to freshman wideout Tyrie Cleveland, and kicker Eddy Pineiro kicked three field goals to lead Florida in a game originally scheduled for Oct. 8 but postponed by Hurricane Matthew.
Houston (9-2): The Cougars stormed to a 31-0 halftime lead and crushed Louisville · ranked fifth in last week's College Football Playoff rankings · 36-10. Houston scored on its first play after Louisville fumbled the opening kickoff away, and running back Duke Catalon led the way with three touchdowns. Houston held Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson to a season-low 33 rushing yards, mostly a product of 11 sacks against the Heisman Trophy contender, and only 211 through the air.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. Members of the 12-person FWAA All-America Committee – plus one fan vote from Twitter – decide the weekly honor.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.