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Texas erupts late, rallies for crucial win over TCU

Sep 9, 2007 - 5:40 AM AUSTIN, Texas (Ticker) -- After sleepwalking through their first six quarters of the 2007 season, Jamaal Charles and Texas finally woke up.

Charles rushed for 134 yards as the seventh-ranked Longhorns rallied for a 34-13 victory over No. 19 Texas Christian on Saturday night.

Texas (2-0) improved to 61-20-1 all-time against TCU (1-1) and won its 15th straight home game vs. the Horned Frogs.

But the Longhorns entered this contest reeling from a close-call 21-13 triumph vs. Arkansas State in their season opener and continued their sloppy play early, as the Horned Frogs built a 10-0 halftime lead.

But quarterback Colt McCoy and Texas stormed out of the break, scoring 27 consecutive points over a 20-minute span bridging the third and fourth quarters.

"It was a great win for us because of the way it happened," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "You've got to give Gary Patterson and TCU so much credit. I thought they were a very good football team and I think leaving here they're better than I thought they were. The differences in the game were some turnovers and the kicking game that flipped the field and flipped the momentum."

McCoy, who looked sluggish throughout the first half, drew the Longhorns within 10-7 on the opening drive of the second half when he hooked up with Nate Jones for a 33-yard touchdown to cap a seven-play, 65-yard drive.

"(McCoy) scrambling with a protection breakdown and then a great pass to Nate, I thought that changed the crowd, the momentum, and sent a message that we did do some good things offensively at halftime, and that we were going to have a better second half offensively," Brown said.

Texas forged a 10-10 tie on Ryan Bailey's 28-yard field goal with 42 seconds left in the third quarter, and the Longhorns found themselves in prime position after recovering Quinton Cunigan's fumble on the ensuing kickoff.

Texas did not waste the opportunity, as Vondrell McGee plunged into the end zone from a yard out to make it 17-10 with 14:35 remaining, giving the Longhorns the lead for good.

"I really felt like we were sitting there at halftime trying to figure out what we were doing and we all kind of felt that way," Brown said. "We'll just really have to watch the film and figure out who we are going to be and progress from there. And thank goodness we're 2-0 while we're figuring that out because most people wouldn't be."

Charles carried the load on Texas' next drive, rushing for 34 yards on just three carries. That set the stage for Bailey's 20-yard field goal, which made it 20-10 with 9:47 left.

The Longhorns pulled away less than three minutes later when TCU punter Derek Wash fumbled a snap at the Horned Frogs' 21-yard line. Cornerback Brandon Foster scooped up the loose ball and rumbled into the end zone, giving Texas a commanding 27-10 lead with 7:01 remaining.

Charles delivered the decisive blow with 2:42 to play, racing up the middle for a 39-yard TD run to make it 34-13.

McCoy finished 25-of-38 for 239 yards, one TD and two interceptions while Jones hauled in eight receptions for 91 yards.

Andy Dalton completed 23-of-37 passes for 208 yards and an interception for TCU, which managed just 251 yards of total offense.