Seniors handle loss with maturity

AUSTIN - For a senior class who has seen a national championship game and a season without a bowl game, perhaps it's fitting that a hard-fought loss was handled with maturity.

"We would have loved to have that win, especially on the seniors' last home game of the season, but things don't always happen your way," senior linebacker Keenan Robinson said.

Senior tight end Blaine Irby said he thought the game was emotional.

"It's a disappointing loss but everyone fought their butts off the entire game," he said. "And when it comes down to that last drive, everybody was out of their seats in the stands and it was great. That's the reason you play football."

The four-point loss to Kansas State was handled with similar perspective by underclassmen and coaches, showing respect to what the group of 27 players meant to Texas.

"We tried to give them our all," sophomore defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat said. "Those are our seniors. They've been there for us since day one, and they've been an example for us, and we love them so much. It's sad we couldn't win the last one at home for them."

Head coach Mack Brown said he talked to the seniors after the game.

"I'm really sad for them that they lost their last home game and that's something you'll remember for the rest of your life," he said. "But what they can remember is how hard they fought."

As hard as this one is to take, the Longhorns have just five days between games. As the focus shifts to Texas A&M, Brown said that should be motivation enough to move on.

"We don't have time to sit and feel sorry for ourselves," he said. "We have to keep getting better on offense and play the way we did on defense."

They'll have to do it away from home from here on out.