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Texas pulls away from Baylor in second half

Oct 20, 2007 - 11:32 PM WACO, Texas (Ticker) -- Opportunistic Texas shook off a lackluster first half to continue its domination of Baylor.

The 19th-ranked Longhorns turned a pair of turnovers into two touchdowns just over two minutes apart in the fourth quarter to pull away from the pesky Bears, 31-10, on Saturday in a Big 12 South matchup.

Safety Marcus Griffin returned an interception 91 yards to break it open, as Texas posted its 10th consecutive victory over Baylor, including five straight in Waco.

"With 12 minutes in the game and it's 17-10, we thought we had a shot at them and we just didn't come up with a play," Bears coach Guy Morriss said. "It was tough football for the kids; they played hard and got themselves ready to play like you would like to see them play every week.

"We just didn't make enough plays offensively to get over the hump."

It was one of three fourth-quarter interceptions for the Longhorns (6-2, 2-2 Big 12 South), who improved to 71-22-4 all-time against the Bears.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy overcame two interceptions of his own and finished 25-of-34 for 293 yards and a 23-yard scoring pass to Nate Jones in the second quarter.

"We are bowl-eligible," Longhorns coach Mack Brown said. "I am not sure we would have won this game the first week of the season. This football team has continuously improved."

Leading, 10-7, at halftime, the Longhorns finally seemed to get untracked offensively on their second possession of the second half.

Texas marched 88 yards in 15 plays, eating up over seven minutes on the clock, to take a 17-7 lead on Chris Ogbonnaya's three-yard run with 3:01 left in the third quarter.

Baylor did not go away, answering with a field goal on its opening drive of the fourth quarter.

Completely eschewing their ineffective running game, Michael Machen was 4-of-7 for 42 yards, setting up Caleb Allen's 35-yard field goal that sliced the deficit to 17-10 with 12:21 to play.

"It was a battle. Baylor came in the game pumped and excited to play on their home field and they made some great plays," Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo said. "The first half it was neck-and-neck. Second half going into it was still neck-and-neck, and finally we started making some big plays on both sides of the ball."

Machen, a senior, was a surprise starter after not even making the trip in last week's 58-10 thrashing at Kansas.

"He really stepped up to the plate," Bears wide receiver Justin Akers said. "Going into the game he told us that we can do this, we can pull this game out, and during halftime he said a few things to get us pumped up.

"He did a great job, especially considering that he'd only had one snap that wasn't even as a quarterback, but as a punter."

Baylor then held Texas three-and-out and seemingly had all the momentum, but cornerback Deon Beasley picked off Machen on the third play of the Bears' next possession, giving the Longhorns the ball at their own 43.

Texas needed just five plays to convert. McCoy hit running back Jamaal Charles with a 31-yard pass to the 4-yard line, and freshman Vondrell McGee plowed into the end zone on the next play to extend the advantage to 24-10 with 7:34 remaining.

Vondrell ran for 57 yards on nine carries to help the Longhorns to an overwhelming 177-8 advantage in rushing yards.

"We gained 177 yards rushing and we are excited about it," Brown said. "I am never surprised by anything anymore. Look at the scores across the country.

"Anybody who acts surprised anymore is not following other teams. I am just happy to win and happy to be bowl-eligible."

Griffin sealed it by picking off Machen on the next possession and took it back 91 yards as the lead ballooned to 31-10 with 5:47 to go.

Machen completed 25-of-43 passes for 231 yards, one TD and three interceptions for Baylor (3-5, 0-4 South), which lost its fourth straight game.

"I'm not a quitter. I don't give up, and I think that might affect the team," Machen said. "I just said I was tired of losing, and that it's time to stop."

A stunning turn of events gave the Bears an early lead over their nemesis, which had won the previous four meetings here by an overwhelming 229-10 margin.

With Texas driving and about to take a double-digit lead, Brandon Stiggers recovered a fumble by Charles at the 2-yard line and returned it for 66 yards.

After a 15-yard penalty on the Longhorns, Baylor scored on its first play as Machen connected with Thomas White on a 17-yard scoring strike for a 7-3 lead midway through the second half.

It was Baylor's first touchdown at home in 12 quarters against Texas, which won for the second straight week following a two-game losing streak.