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Texas upsets top-ranked Oklahoma

Oct 11, 2008 - 9:46 PM DALLAS (Ticker) -- Texas had taken somewhat of a back seat to Oklahoma and Missouri in the Big 12 Conference. That is no longer the case.

Cody Johnson rushed for two touchdowns in the final 7 1/2 minutes Saturday as the fifth-ranked Longhorns upset top-ranked Oklahoma, 45-35, to emerge as legitimate national championship contenders.

"It's a shame that these two teams are in the same league, much less the same division, because we have to play this game early in the season," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "Those are two of the best football teams in the country.

"It was (the top-ranked team against the fifth-ranked team), and it's a shame either one of these teams had to lose."

The combined 80 points was the most ever in the 103-year history of the Red River Rivalry.

Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1 Big 12 South) became the second No. 1 team to lose this season, joining Southern California.

"Give Texas' defense credit," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "When you play a game that's four quarters, you're going to have times when it's going well and times when it isn't. They did a better job down the stretch when they had to."

While Texas (6-0, 2-0 Big 12 South) figures to move up in the rankings, second-ranked Missouri likely will emerge as the new No. 1 if its beat Oklahoma State on Saturday night.

Sam Bradford tied a career high with five touchdown passes for Oklahoma. But the Sooners were hurt when linebacker Ryan Reynolds, their leading tackler, left in the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return.

"I don't know how it affected us out there on the field," Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "Obviously, you feel terrible for him having to go through that. He is a part of what we do."

The Longhorns, who battled back from deficits of 14-3, 21-10 and 28-20, had more success moving the ball after Reynolds was injured.

Texas took the lead for good at 38-35 on Johnson's 1-yard TD run with 7:37 remaining. Johnson then provided insurance with a 2-yard score 3 1/2 minutes later.

Colt McCoy completed 28-of-35 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown as Texas defeated Oklahoma for the third time in the last four meetings.

"The most important thing for me to do was to get a win," McCoy said. "That was the main goal. We were able to attack and throw the ball."

"(McCoy) is one of the better quarterbacks in the country right now," Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley added. "He is playing at a extremely high level right now and has a lot of confidence."

In a game that featured a little bit of everything, it appeared that the acting of Oklahoma punter Mike Knell could turn out to be the difference.

After Texas took its first lead, 30-28, on Hunter Lawrence's 28-yard field goal with 64 seconds left in the third quarter, the Longhorns forced the Sooners into a punt on the following possession.

But in a performance worthy of an Academy award, Knell's acting drew a roughing-the-kicker penalty, even though replays showed that he was not touched. Knell suffered an apparent hamstring injury on the play without any contact being made, although he later returned.

Oklahoma took advantage of the questionable call, grabbing a 35-30 lead on Bradford's 14-yard TD pass to Manuel Johnson with 11:42 remaining.

But the Longhorns answered with an eight-play, 74-yard scoring drive that consumed just over four minutes.

Bradford had another spectacular game, completing 28-of-39 passes for 387 yards, the sixth straight time he has surpassed 300 yards this season.

Bradford now has thrown 59 touchdowns, breaking Rex Grossman's previous mark of 55 by a freshman and sophomore in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

However, the Longhorns were able to get more pressure on Bradford in the fourth quarter. After Johnson's 1-yard score put Texas back ahead, the Longhorns forced a three-and-out.

The Longhorns then put away the contest as Chris Ogbonnaya's 62-yard burst down to the 2-yard line set up Johnson's second touchdown two plays later.

"We still have half of a season left to play," Bradford said. "This is only one game and it's over now, we can't change the outcome of this one. We can learn from our mistakes and refocus our efforts on the rest of our games from here on out."

Oklahoma appeared to be in control early, going up 14-3 on Bradford's 8-yard TD to Ryan Broyles with 13:14 left in the first half.

But the Sooners' momentum was short-lived, as Shipley returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to keep the Longhorns close.

"We needed a big play and I have to give all the credit to the guys blocking," Shipley said. "They opened up the holes and they made it happen. It was a lot of fun to be able to make a big play."

Shipley caught 11 passes for 112 yards, including a 2-yard TD that pulled Texas within 28-27, with 5:33 left in the third quarter, and finished with 167 return yards.

Lawrence kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, cutting Oklahoma's lead to 21-20.