LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Texas was playing for a spot in the Big 12 championship game, but Kansas also had some motivational factors on its side on Friday.
The Jayhawks were playing their final game for head coach David Beaty, fired earlier in the month but retained to finish the season even after Kansas introduced Les Miles as his successor. Plus, the final game meant bidding farewell to KU's seniors.
The Jayhawks didn't have enough. Texas prevailed, 24-17, and will meet the winner of Friday night's Oklahoma at West Virginia contest in the Big 12 championship game next Saturday at Arlington, Tex.
Kansas made Texas sweat it out.
The Jayhawks, trailing 24-7 in the fourth quarter, scored 10 unanswered points. A 31-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Bender to Daylon Charlot cut the deficit to 10 with 3:27 remaining.
Kansas recovered an onside kick and added a 45-yard field goal by Gabriel Rui. But the Jayhawks couldn't recover a second one, and the Longhorns ran out the clock.
The Jayhawks blew an opportunity earlier in the quarter. They had closed to 21-7 on Pooka Williams' 57-yard touchdown run when cornerback Shak Taylor intercepted a Sam Ehlinger pass to set up KU at the Texas 22.
But the Jayhawks gave it right back. Texas linebacker Jeff McCulloch tipped Bender's pass to himself and returned the interception 58 yards. The drive ended with a field goal to make it 24-7.
Beaty, who arrived from the Texas A&M staff after the 2014 season, finished his first head coaching job with a four-year record of 6-42. Half of those victories came this season, including the Jayhawks' only other Big 12 triumph in the last four years, over TCU.
The game couldn't have started better for the Longhorns. They went 98 yards on 11 plays on their first possession with Ehlinger hitting Collin Johnson over his shoulder for a 26-yard touchdown.
When Texas again started near its end zone and picked up a couple of first downs, there appeared to be no stopping the Longhorns.
But the drive stalled, and so did the Texas offense. Kansas toughened up and choked off the Longhorns' next best scoring opportunity.
A short punt and penalty set up the Longhorns at the KU 40. But the possession ended when end Najee Stevens-McKenzie stepped in front of an Ehlinger pass for the pick.
Ehlinger hadn't thrown an interception since the opening game loss against Maryland, a streak of 308 attempts between picks.
