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Robinson, Bryant lead No. 22 Oklahoma State past Texas A&M

Oct 5, 2008 - 4:37 AM STILLWATER, Oklahoma (Ticker) -- Texas A&M's favorable history against Oklahoma State couldn't knock the Cowboys off their horses this time.

Zac Robinson rushed for two touchdowns and connected with Dez Bryant on three scoring passes as the 22nd-ranked Cowboys used their high-octane offense to wrangle the Aggies, 56-28, in a Big 12 Conference game on Saturday.

"They were finally giving us some of the looks we were looking for on the inside zone," Robinson said. "The guys blocked well. The tight ends did a great job. There were some holes open, and we just ran hard."

Robinson completed 10-of-13 attempts for 186 yards, while Bryant recorded five catches for 106 yards as the Cowboys (5-0, 1-0 Big 12 South) avoided a fifth straight loss to the Aggies (2-3, 0-1 South).

"It was a great win for Oklahoma State," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. "We are very excited about where we are. We're trying to do the best we can to keep everything on an even note and continue to work hard and go back to work tomorrow morning and get ready for Mizzou."

Oklahoma State jumped to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter en route to continuing its success as a ranked program for the first time in four years.

Ugo Chinasa opened the floodgates when he picked off Jerrod Johnson's pass at the Texas A&M 6-yard line and returned it for a touchdown with 8:26 left in the first quarter.

"It was a good win for us," Gundy said. "I was really, really proud of the defense. One of the things I talked about in the locker room was that there has been so much talk go on outside of our building about the offense outscoring everybody. They wonder if the defense can hold up."

Robinson completed his first TD pass to Bryant just over four minutes later, a 29-yarder that preceded a 54-yard punt return by Justin Brantly with 1:59 remaining in the first.

The Aggies temporarily stopped the bleeding when Mike Goodson burst for an 80-yard rushing score 12 seconds later. Goodson finished with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

"We just made a ton of mistakes," Goodson said. "We didn't really deserve to win in my eyes. We just turned the ball over and over again, something we are going to have to work on."

Johnson was picked off again with 1:51 left in the second at the Texas A&M 22-yard line, and Patrick Lavine scampered into the end zone to send Oklahoma State into halftime with a 28-7 edge.

"Turnovers are what win the game," Lavine said. "They make up for a lot of mistakes on defense. It's just another way to get our offense the ball. It is especially helpful for the kind of offense we have."

Robinson ran for a score and threw a TD pass to Bryant in each the third and fourth to secure the victory.

"The offense is going to have days like that," Lavine said. "It's just a good feeling that we are going to be able to make it up on special teams and defense. We are also going to have our days, and the offense will pick up the slack. It just tells you how good of a team we can be."

The Cowboys entered the game having outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points.

Oklahoma State has scored more than 50 points in each of the past three contests. It marks the first time the Cowboys have accomplished that feat since the first three games of Barry Sanders' Heisman Trophy season in 1988.

"We didn't play very well," Aggies coach Mike Sherman said. "I think that's pretty obvious to everybody in the stadium and to our opponent. We turned the ball over five times in the first half, which is something that we have been very negligent with this year. We've turned the ball over way too many times.

"We're losing that battle. When you turn the ball over that many times, two for touchdowns, it makes life hard, particularly when you've got a young football team."