LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Sam Ehlinger and No. 11 Texas made enough plays to put away Kansas.

Next up is a much bigger challenge.

Ehlinger threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score, and the Longhorns beat the Jayhawks 24-17 on Friday to clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game.

Texas (9-3, 7-2, No. 15 CFP) opened a 24-7 lead on Cameron Dicker’s 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but Kansas responded with Peyton Bender’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Daylon Charlot and recovered the ensuing onside kick.

After Gabriel Rui made it a one-score game with a 45-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining, the Jayhawks (3-9, 1-8) were unable to recover another onside kick and the Longhorns closed it out from there.

“We treated this game like a semifinal, if you will, win and advance,” coach Tom Herman said. “And our guys found a way to win and advance.”

Tre Watson finished with 79 yards on 14 carries as Texas earned its third consecutive victory. The Longhorns will face the winner of Friday night’s showdown between No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 12 West Virginia in the Big 12 championship.

“We put a little cushion out for us there towards the end, but we knew they weren’t going away,” Herman said.

“They made some really good plays down the stretch, but we made just enough to seal the deal.”

Kansas dropped its last four games in David Beaty’s final season as Jayhawks coach. Les Miles takes over the downtrodden program after he was hired on Sunday.

Beaty leaves Kansas with a 6-42 record. But the final of his four seasons in charge included three wins, a conference victory over TCU and the end of the Jayhawks’ 46-game road losing streak.

“I want to thank our team and I want to thank all the Jayhawks out there for having a chance to represent you,” Beaty said. “It’s been fun.”

Ehlinger threw two interceptions, one in the second quarter to Najee Stevens-McKenzie and one late to Shak Taylor. He had gone 10 straight games without an interception after throwing two in the season opener against Maryland.

Ehlinger played through a shoulder injury he aggravated last week after originally coming down with the issue back in October. But he downplayed the significance.