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Oregon routs Texas in Mack Brown's last game

Dec 31, 2013 - 6:32 AM San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Texas did not give Mack Brown the sendoff he deserved in his final game as head coach.

Marcus Mariota accounted for 386 yards of offense and threw a touchdown pass as the No. 10 Oregon Ducks shut down the Longhorns, 30-7, in the Alamo Bowl.

Brown stepped down earlier this month after 16 successful years at the helm, a period in which the Longhorns totaled 158 wins, reached a BCS bowl four times and won the national championship in 2005.

But a mediocre four-year run continued Monday as Texas (8-5) was held to 236 yards and had no answer for Mariota, who threw for 253 yards and added 133 more on the ground.

Brown noted the need for improvement going forward.

"We need to win more than eight games," Brown said before reflecting on his career in Austin. "It's been a wonderful 16 years. It's been a great ride."

Unlike Brown, the Ducks' retiring defensive coordinator, Nick Aliotti, was gifted with a proper farewell, while Mark Helfrich became the first head coach at Oregon (11-2) to reach 11 wins in his first campaign.

Aliotti's bunch returned two Case McCoy interceptions for touchdowns and allowed the Longhorns to cross midfield just once in the second half.

Oregon was relegated to the Alamo Bowl after November losses to Stanford and Arizona dashed any chance of playing for the national title.

Facing a Texas program playing less than 80 yards from campus, the Ducks started slow, as their potent offense nearly went the entire first half without scoring a touchdown.

Mariota changed that with a textbook two-minute drill that sent the Ducks into the break with a 20-7 cushion. The dual-threat quarterback, who has already announced he will return to Oregon next season, ran for 33 yards on the first play of the 88-yard march and capped it with a 16-yard scoring strike to Josh Huff.

The second half was a defensive struggle, in part because Mariota appeared to be struggling with cramps.

Oregon increased its lead early in the third quarter on a 39-yard field goal by Matt Wogan, who hit the right upright on a 32-yard try later in the frame.

Regardless, Texas couldn't get anything going on offense. The Longhorns went three-and-out on all three of their possessions in the third, and midway through the fourth McCoy threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Derrick Malone to essentially seal the outcome.

"It was a total team win," Helfrich said. "We're very happy to send (Aliotti) out on a high note."

The pass wound up being the last for McCoy, whose second attempt of the game sailed over his intended receiver and into the arms of defensive back Avery Patterson, who weaved his way for a 37-yard TD just 68 seconds in.

The Ducks moved deep into Texas territory their first two times with the ball but settled for a pair of Wogan field goals.

Texas' only sustained drive in the first half came in the opening quarter and lasted over seven minutes. Malcolm Brown, who totaled 130 yards on 25 touches for the game, carried most of the load, and McCoy called his own number for a 1-yard sneak across the goal line for Texas' only score.

Game Notes

Aliotti spent 17 years as the Ducks' defensive coordinator ... Oregon had its four-year BCS bowl streak snapped this year ... The Ducks set a new school record for total offense, passing the 7,319 yards they gained in 2011 by 26 yards ... The Longhorns came in averaging 423.1 yards this season ... McCoy finished with 48 yards on 8-of-17 passing ... Texas had won nine of its previous 11 bowl games ... This was the second meeting between the programs in the past 42 yards, the other coming in the 2000 Holiday Bowl won by Oregon ... The last time Oregon allowed seven or fewer points in a bowl game was the 1920 Rose Bowl -- a 7-6 loss to Harvard.