Texas Longhorns look to recover from 1-2 start as conference play begins

For the second consecutive year, Texas is 1-2 after three games.

But the Longhorns still see themselves as contenders in the Big 12 as conference play begins Saturday at Kansas.

Last season, Texas bounced back from its slow start to end up playing Baylor for the conference title.

“I think anybody in this league is always a contender going into the first [conference] game,” senior receiver John Harris said. “We are excited to go back out there and get going in our season. This is a big step for us in conference play.”

The Longhorns now rely on sophomore Tyrone Swoopes at quarterback after David Ash ended his career because of concussion symptoms. Swoopes has 372 yards passing and two touchdowns in two games.

“He’s realized it’s his offense, and his confidence is just building each and every day,” Texas coach Charlie Strong said. “And that’s what you like out of him. The thing he’s doing now is he’s become a student of the game, which he never did before. He never put his time in. Usually if you don’t think you’re going to play you’re not going to put your time in.”

Kansas is coming off a 24-10 victory against Central Michigan. The Jayhawks are looking for their second conference victory since 2010.

The last time Texas traveled to Lawrence, in 2012, the Longhorns needed a last-minute touchdown drive from Case McCoy to avoid losing to the Jayhawks for the first time in 74 years.

“We just have to focus,” senior cornerback Quandre Diggs said. “This isn’t going to be two years ago where we went out with the attitude that we are going to beat them pretty bad, and they almost beat us. We can look back to those experiences, but like I say, it’s a new year, and you’ve just got to get guys to focus — myself included.”

Texas (1-2, 0-0)

at Kansas (2-1, 0-0)

3 p.m. Saturday, TV: FS1

This story was originally published September 26, 2014 at 11:09 AM.