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How to self-destruct vs. K-State in 4 easy steps: A Texas production

Peter G. Aiken / Getty Images Sport / Getty

It's official: Texas stinks.

The Longhorns managed to lose to Kansas State 24-21 on Saturday, even though they had no business doing so. It took four brutal gaffes in the second half for Charlie Strong's team to doom itself, but Texas made it look easy.

Here's how it happened:

The 4th-down drop

Down 21-7 in the third frame, Texas drove to the K-State 26-yard line. Instead of attempting a field goal on fourth-and-3, the Longhorns kept their offense on the field.

Quarterback Shane Buechele threw a safe, quick slant to Dorian Leonard that should've given Texas an easy first down, and he hit the receiver in stride ... except Leonard forgot to catch it. He took his eyes off the prize early, allowing the ball to hit off his fingertips and drop to the ground, giving it back to the opposition.

The other 4th-down drop

Now in the fourth quarter, a K-State interception gave Texas the ball at the Wildcats' 36-yard line. Fortune looked to be smiling down on the Longhorns for the first time all day when they recovered a Buechele fumble on third down, despite several purple shirts surrounding it.

Out of field goal range and facing a fourth-and-16, Texas again left its offense out there. Buechele, under pressure, threw an absolute dime into the corner of the end zone for Armanti Foreman, but the ball hit off his fingertips and again fell to the ground. What should've been a touchdown was a turnover on downs, keeping the K-State lead at 10 midway through the fourth.

The missed chip shot

A K-State fumble moments later gave the ball back to Texas near midfield. However, Buechele was sacked on third down during the ensuing possession after getting close to the red zone.

The Longhorns settled for a 35-yard field goal that would've cut the deficit to seven, but Trent Domingue missed it wide left.

The out-of-bounds onside kick

Texas eventually scored a touchdown late, but needed to recover an onside kick and hit a field goal with only seconds left on the clock and no timeouts left on the board.

What's the first rule about onside kicks? Don't kick it out of bounds. Naturally, Texas kicked the ball out of bounds, thereby forfeiting a chance to come up with a last-second miracle.

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