Top-ranked Oklahoma fell to arch-rival Texas, 45-35, Saturday in Dallas.
| |
|
 |
| |
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
F
|
|
UT
|
3
|
17
|
10
|
15
|
45
|
|
OU
|
7
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
35
|
|
| Quick
Stats |
OU
|
UT
|
| First Downs |
20
|
23
|
| Total Yards |
435 |
438 |
| Passing Yards |
387 |
277 |
| Rushing Yards |
48 |
161 |
| Number of Plays |
67 |
70 |
| Penalties/Yards |
10-73 |
6-55 |
| Third Down Conversions |
7-15 |
6-13 |
| Fourth Down Conversions |
0-3 |
0-0 |
| Kick Return Yards |
7-174 |
5-167 |
| Punt Return Yards |
2-36 |
1-(-2) |
| Punts/Yards |
3-103 |
4-186 |
| Turnovers |
2 |
0 |
| Time of Possession |
22:50 |
37:10 |
|
| Passing |
C/Att
|
Yds
|
TD
|
Int
|
| OU - Bradford |
28/39
|
387
|
5
|
2
|
| UT - McCoy |
28/35
|
277
|
1
|
0
|
| Rushing |
Car
|
Yds
|
TD
|
Long
|
| OU - Brown |
7
|
29
|
0
|
13
|
| UT - Ogbonnaya |
15
|
127
|
0
|
62
|
| Receiving |
Rec
|
Yds
|
TD
|
Long
|
| OU - Iglesias |
7
|
92
|
0
|
28
|
| UT - Shipley |
11
|
112
|
1
|
37
|
|
|
|
|
DALLAS (AP) -- The Texas Longhorns came
into their annual showdown against the Oklahoma Sooners
with a quarterback they could trust and a defense playing
great under an aggressive new coordinator. Yet even
after five solid wins, coach Mack Brown still wondered
how good they were.
Now, everyone knows.
Trailing the No. 1 Sooners nearly all game, Colt
McCoy and the No. 5 Longhorns grabbed control in the
fourth quarter and refused to let go, pulling away
for a 45-35 victory Saturday in one of the greatest
games in the storied series between these Red River
rivals.
Texas trailed by 11 twice in the first half and
by eight in the third quarter before spoiling a fake
punt and turning it into a go-ahead field goal. It
was the first time all season the mighty Sooners were
behind, and they answered by regaining the lead.
Then McCoy came right back with another go-ahead
score - and his defense kept Oklahoma's Sam Bradford
from finding an answer. When Chris Ogbonnaya turned
a play seemingly headed nowhere into a 62-yard gain,
the Longhorns were headed to their biggest victory
since knocking off Southern California in the January
2006 Rose Bowl, much to the delight of their half of
the record crowd of 92,182 at the Cotton Bowl.
''It was a game when every time somebody made a
play, the other team would get more excited,'' Brown
said. ''It was one of the greatest football games I've
ever seen.''
McCoy's stewardship was terrific, the kind that
will be remembered by Heisman Trophy voters. His numbers
were good, too: 28-of-35 for 277 yards with a touchdown
and no turnovers; he was sacked four times, but turned
14 rushes into 31 yards.
''We were able to attack, able to throw the ball,''
he said. ''That was awesome.''
Where Texas (6-0, 2-0 Big 12) vaults in the poll
doesn't matter because if the Longhorns survive their
upcoming schedule they will probably make it to the
top eventually. They'll play host to No. 3 Missouri
on Saturday, then to No. 17 Oklahoma State, followed
by a road game against No. 7 Texas Tech.
Of course, they'll go into that stretch with the
confidence of knowing they're on the inside track to
a Big 12 title and perhaps the national championship.
All from a team that, Brown said, ''everyone has questioned
... including me. I sat around and said, 'I don't know
how good we are.'''
History is on their side.
The last time Texas came out of this game undefeated
was 2005, the season that ended with the Rose Bowl
win and national title. And the last time the Longhorns
knocked off the Sooners when they were No. 1 was 1963,
the year Darrell Royal won his first national championship.
The '08 club lacks a star like Vince Young . It's
just a bunch of guys like McCoy - tough, talented and
eager to keep surprising folks who thought they weren't
ready to win games like this, against a team like Oklahoma
(5-1, 1-1). After all, they'd played only one team
with a winning record.
''Right now, this team would be known for heart
and character and toughness and playing together,''
Brown said. ''There are not individuals on the team,
not guys who talk about themselves. It's been about
'this team' from Day 1.''
Bradford came in as the triggerman of an offense
that seemingly scored at will. They were 5-for-5 in
scoring on their game-opening drive and made it 6-for-6
Saturday, after Brown won the coin toss and surprisingly
let Oklahoma have the ball first.
But new coordinator Will Muschamp's defense limited
the Sooners to 48 yards rushing, which meant Bradford
had to come through more than ever. He was still good
(28-of-39 for 387 yards and five touchdowns), just
not good enough to also overcome some breakdowns on
defense and special teams.
''This is only one game and it's over now,'' Bradford
said. ''We can learn from our mistakes and refocus
our efforts on the rest of our games from here on out.
We still have a lot of football left to play.''
Only two years ago, Oklahoma lost to Texas and still
won the Big 12. And the Longhorns do have that troublesome
schedule.
''It's not over by far,'' said OU receiver Manny
Johnson, who caught three touchdowns.
The Sooners led 28-20 when McCoy marched the Longhorns
for a TD that got them within a point. When Oklahoma's
next drive stalled just shy of midfield, coach Bob
Stoops called for a fake punt, only to see his punter
get caught from behind, inches shy of a first down.
Texas got a field goal and was lucky to get that,
as a third-down pass into the end zone was caught by
Oklahoma's Lamont Robinson but popped out when he hit
the ground.
The Sooners went ahead 35-30 with a touchdown on
their next drive, benefiting from a running-into-the-punter
penalty and converting a third-and-14. But Bradford
was out of comebacks, and McCoy was just getting started.
He took Texas 74 yards on the next drive, overcoming
a third-and-9 by finding Jordan Shipley free across
the middle. The defense closed in at the 5 and he dove
for the end zone but his knees landed inside the 1.
Cody Johnson rumbled in from there for the lead. Texas
went for 2 and Quan Cosby caught it after batting the
ball over his head.
After the UT defense forced a three-and-out, the
Longhorns went 80 yards for a lead-stretching touchdown,
set up by Ogbonnaya's long run.
''We started getting off the field when we needed
to and that's when the big plays started happening,''
said Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo , who had two
sacks.
Ogbonnaya, a senior making his second career start,
ran 15 times for 127 yards.
Shipley caught 11 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown,
and had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in
the first half. Cosby caught nine passes for 122 yards.
Bradford threw two interceptions, a meaningless
one on the final play and another late in the second
quarter that led to a Texas field goal. He also broke
the major-college record for touchdowns as a freshman
and sophomore. He's up to 59, breaking Rex Grossman's
mark of 55, and has at least six games left.
Oklahoma middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds tore a
ligament in his right knee early in the third quarter
and is out for the season.