Texas Longhorns Take One Step Closer to Miami with Win Over 'Pokes

Longhorn Nation, you may now breathe a collective sigh of relief.  Your Horns will remain No. 1 for another week.

Barely.

Leading 28-21 and deep in OSU territory, Colt McCoy threw his first interception in 101 throws, giving OSU the chance to drive down the field and tie the game. The Texas defense rose to the challenge, only allowing a field goal, which made it a 28-24 game.

The Texas offense responded and drove the length of the field, eating up as much clock as possible.

Deep in OSU territory again, McCoy made another bad mistake.  Trying to spin away from a tackler, he fumbled the ball, giving OSU life once again.

The defense held.

A fourth down screen pass to stud receiver Dez Bryant went awry, giving Texas the ball inside the OSU 20 yard line. 

The drama would continue.

The Longhorns were not able to punch the ball into the end zone on the first three downs, and on fourth down, Mack Brown opted to go for it rather than risk having a field goal blocked.

McCoy faked the hand off to Cody Johnson and rolled right.  He fired into the end zone only to have his pass land incomplete.

OSU, after all the chaos, was still very much alive, but low on time.

Quarterback Zach Robinson completed a pass down the middle to Dez Bryant, which picked up a huge 30 yard gain.  Another long completion put the Cowboys on the edge of Texas territory. With only seven seconds remaining, Zach Robinson launched a Hail Mary into the end zone, but had it knocked down by a host of Texas defenders.

It was over.  Texas had held on.

Following two decisive victories in consecutive weeks over OU and Missouri, the Longhorns had not yet faced real adversity.

The Texas-OK State series has provided more drama over the years than Shakespeare.  The last few games between these schools involved the Cowboys jumping out to a huge lead in the first three quarters, only to watch it disappear in the final 15 minutes.

While Texas never gave up the lead in this game, they were pushed to the brink by another fiery OSU squad.

Colt McCoy, outside of the two huge turnovers, had another fabulous day hitting 38 of 45 passes for a career-high 390 yards and two touchdowns.  He also rushed for 40 yards and added a score on the ground.

Oh and by the way America, Colt McCoy is semi-human!  His lone interception was his first in the last three games.

Receiver Jordan Shipley also had a career day, catching 15 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown.  He added 17 yards on a receiver end around.

Outside of a few big gains on the ground by McCoy and running back Vondrell McGee, the Texas rushing offense was bogged down by an aggressive Cowboy front seven.

The Horns only managed 113 total yards on the ground.

For the first time all season, the Longhorn offense was held under 38 points, despite racking up 504 yards of total offense.

Texas' stiff run defense was torched by OSU running back Kendall Hunter, who rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries.

The Texas defensive line disrupted Zach Robinson, sacking him five times and only allowing 199 yards through the air.  They also limited the damage he was able to do with his feet.

Time of possession also played a huge part in Texas' victory as the Horns held onto the ball for 33 minutes. 

Three of Texas' touchdown drives went 80 yards or more, keeping the explosive Cowboy offense on the sideline.

That may very well be the strategy Texas employs next week when they face the new No. 6, Texas Tech in Lubbock.

It seems to be the new trend for these Longhorns to play in a huge game every week.  First No. 1 OU, then No. 11 Missouri, followed by No. 6 OK State, capped off with a trip to see the No. 6 Red Raiders.

The Longhorns are one game away from completing perhaps the toughest stretch of games in Texas football history.

Miami is in sight, but the Horns will have to take the long way there, through west Texas.

Points of Interest:

• Texas has won 16 of the last 18 games versus ranked opponents.
• Colt McCoy announced this week that he will be returning for his senior season.  That's bad news for Big 12 defenses...