Stillwater, OK (My Sportsbook) - Texas' defense took center stage with four interceptions of Zac Robinson, two of those returned for touchdowns, as the third-ranked Longhorns posted an impressive and well-rounded 41-14 win against No. 13 Oklahoma State.
Colt McCoy was 16-of-21 for 171 yards and a touchdown and Cody Johnson scored twice on the ground for the Longhorns (8-0, 5-0 Big 12), who were coming off an equally impressive 41-7 dismantling of Missouri in Columbia last weekend.
Jordan Shipley had six catches for 64 yards and Macolm Williams made two grabs for 55 yards and a TD as Texas moved closer to wrapping up the Big 12 South title fresh off two consecutive conference road wins.
It was Texas' 12th straight win over Oklahoma State with coach Mack Brown having guided the team in each of those victories. The defense, which came into Saturday ranked second in the nation, forced five turnovers in all.
"The interceptions for touchdowns are something that our defense is priding themselves in...and Colt [McCoy] is playing as good as anybody in the country. He moved the ball with his feet. He played with a great head. He was very accurate, and we just felt like it was a complete team win," said Brown.
Robinson, who had three interceptions all season entering Saturday, had easily the most disappointing game of his collegiate tenure. He ended 15-of-28 for 143 yards and a late touchdown pass to Justin Blackmon.
Keith Totson rushed 19 times for 70 yards and Beau Johnson had a rushing score for the Cowboys (6-2, 3-1), who came in with an unblemished conference record thanks to last weekend's 34-7 rout of Baylor, OSU's fifth straight win.
Hubert Anyiam, Robinson's main target since the loss of Dez Bryant to a season-ending suspension, totaled 62 yards on five receptions in the loss. It was announced on Tuesday that Bryant's current suspension will run through the 2009 season as ruled on by the NCAA.
"That's a tough one. I don't know any other way to put it. I hate that we didn't give Texas our best effort," said Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. "When you turn the ball over and make that many mistakes against a team that has got that much ability, it's very difficult to win the game. Getting behind by more than two scores makes it very difficult to execute on offense and defense."
Texas built up a 24-7 lead at halftime and started right where it left off in the opening minutes of the second half. Hunter Lawrence started things off with a 40-yard boot and Earl Thomas' 31-yard interception return for a touchdown on OSU's second play of the quarter ran the Texas lead to 34-7.
Robinson's third pick of the game later in the quarter was returned 31 yards by Blake Gideon to the OSU 15 and three plays later Johnson found the end zone from two yards out for a 41-7 margin after three quarters.
Robinson connected with Blackmon for a six-yard score which left a little less than 10 minutes to play in the game, but the Cowboys would never make it back to Texas' side of the field.
"As a quarterback when you fall behind, you feel like you have to start making big plays by forcing it. That is when the interceptions come. That is what happened tonight," Robinson said.
OSU put together a promising opening drive, moving 54 yards down to the Texas 27 in 14 plays, but Dan Bailey missed a 45-yard field goal.
Texas opened up with an 11-play drive that went for 65 yards and Lawrence made good on his kick, a 25-yarder that gave the visitors an early lead.
The Cowboys missed another opportunity for points on their next turn as Gundy elected to go for it on 4th-and-8 from the Texas 32 and Anyiam dropped a sure touchdown, unable to haul in the pigskin from over his right shoulder.
Anyiam fumbled on the second play of OSU's next series and Texas turned it into points as Cody Johnson capped a 53-yard march by breaking the plane of the goal line on a surge from the one.
Mistakes continued to plague the Cowboys. The normally reliable Robinson threw his first interception of the game and it proved costly as Curtis Brown returned it up the right sideline for a 77-yard touchdown and a 17-0 Longhorn advantage with 6:21 left until halftime.
"Zac Robinson is our quarterback, and we're going to stick with him. It just didn't work out very well for him tonight It's important that he keeps his head high and keeps playing. He's a good quarterback and a good player. He just had a tough night," Gundy said.
Oklahoma State finally turned a drive into points on its next possession as Beau Johnson's one-yard TD finished off an efficient eight-play, 84-yard romp.
Momentum appeared to be swinging the Cowboys' way on a fumble recovery deep on the Texas side of the field. However, the officials ruled the runner down and the Longhorns continued on a demoralizing 80-yard drive inside the final two minutes with McCoy hitting Williams at the back of the end zone for an 11-yard TD and a 24-7 lead at the break.
Game Notes
This series has gone Texas' way almost exclusively, with OSU winning just two of the 24 all-time meetings (in 1944 and 1997). ...Cowboys All-American tailback Kendall Hunter returned to action after missing the last five games with an ankle sprain. He rushed just one time for one yard, though...McCoy also rushed for 34 yards while Cody Johnson gained 31 yards on nine rushes...Beau Johnson had just 12 rushing yards on seven carries for the Cowboys, who despite the crushing loss, outgained Texas by two yards (277-275)...Blackmon made four grabs for 38 yards in the loss.
