College football: Texas survives scare from Oklahoma State
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Erich Schlegel/The Associated Press
Photo: Texas quarterback Colt McCoy scores a touchdown on a 3-yard run against Oklahoma State on Saturday. Texas won 28-24.
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10/25/2008 - 10/26/08
AUSTIN, Texas — Colt McCoy made rare mistakes. The Texas defense got pushed around and the Longhorns watched their big lead and momentum gradually disappear.Suddenly, the No. 1 team in the country looked vulnerable.
Yet here they are, still unbeaten, and with still more tough games to play.
McCoy passed for 391 yards and two touchdowns Saturday but the Longhorns defense needed to come up with two huge stands in a 28-24 win over No. 7 Oklahoma State after he threw a third-quarter interception and fumbled late in the fourth.
"We're not going to beat everybody by 50 or 60," Texas cornerback Ryan Palmer said. "We showed we can dig down and fight."
Texas led 28-21 when McCoy threw the interception — his first in 101 pass attempts over the last four games — and the Cowboys seemed to have stolen all the momentum with the ball near midfield.
Instead of allowing a touchdown, Texas held OSU to a field goal that cut the lead to four. And when McCoy fumbled as he was swarmed by three defenders at the Cowboys 10 late in the fourth, Texas didn't allow the them to get past their own 30.
Texas fans have watched McCoy play with near-perfect precision — especially while beating Oklahoma and Missouri the previous two weeks — and the turnovers seemed to stun the crowd of 98,515.
"No one plays this game perfect," said wide receiver Jordan Shipley, McCoy's roommate who was also his favorite target with 15 catches for 168 yards.
Texas (8-0, 4-0 Big 12) had a chance for a final touchdown after getting the ball back at the 30, driving to the 1 before a busted call on fourth down gave OSU one last chance to cover 99 yards in about 30 seconds. The Cowboys got to midfield before a desperation pass fell just short of the end zone on the final play.
"I'm very relieved to be out of that game," Texas defensive tackle Roy Miller said.
Texas got its third straight win over a ranked opponent and it was the toughest by far. Texas beat Oklahoma 45-35 in Dallas with a big rally and used a 35-point first half to swamp Missouri in a rout at home.
Saturday's slugfest with Oklahoma State sets up yet another big game next Saturday night at No. 8 Texas Tech.
