1994 Texas - Oklahoma

Longhorns improve to 4-1 with win

Johnny Ludden
Daily Texan Staff

   DALLAS -- In large part, the Longhorns can credit their 17-10 victory
over Oklahoma Saturday to a linebacker who stayed put and a rookie
quarterback that didn't.
   With 43 seconds left in the final quarter, Longhorn junior linebacker
Robert Reed foiled a potential tying or game-winning Sooner touchdown when
he held his ground on a reverse by Oklahoma tailback James Allen on fourth
and goal from Texas' 3-yard line. Reed forced Allen back inside and nose
guard Stonie Clark stuffed him on the 1-yard line, preserving a Horns' win
that catapulted them to ninth in the nation in the USA Today/CNN coaches'
poll and a No. 12 ranking by the Associated Press.
   "Something just said, 'Robert, take a seat where you are,'" Reed said.
"'The play is coming back to you.'
   "My heart stopped. I was on an island by myself. But I owned the
island."
   Redshirt freshman James Brown, making his first career start in front of
a frenzied sold-out Cotton Bowl crowd of 75,587, rallied Texas from a 7-3
deficit late in the third quarter with a 9-yard touchdown scamper and a
2-yard scoring toss to tight end Pat Fitzgerald in a span of two minutes,
12 seconds. Brown frustrated the Sooner defense all day with quarterback
draws and bootleg passes, finishing the game 17 of 22 for 148 yards and 51
yards rushing.
   "I think he beat us more with his legs than his arm," Oklahoma defensive
end Cedric Jones said.
   Texas pounded out 198 yards on the ground, led by senior tailback
Rodrick Walker's 77 yards on 23 carries. Texas' offense, which totaled 346
yards for the game, dominated the third quarter with two scoring drives
that took up 12:40.
   "We moved the ball on them effectively all day," Texas offensive tackle
Blake Brockermeyer said. "They never figured out the naked bootleg. James
Brown gave us a type of offense that most people don't expect the new Texas
teams to have."
   Brown rebounded from a first-quarter interception to finish the half 11
of 13 for 85 yards. His only other incompletion bounced off the hands of
receiver Eric Jackson in the end zone.
   Despite Brown's effort, the Horns, who had four drives stall in Oklahoma
territory, trailed 7-0 at halftime.
   The Sooners got their only touchdown early in the second quarter on a
23-yard run by Jerald Moore.
   Oklahoma began its scoring drive after a punt by Duane Vacek pinned the
Sooners at their 12-yard line. Allen picked up 47 yards on the march,
including a 35-yard run around the right side that set up first and 10 at
Texas' 31. Three plays later, Moore rumbled up the middle, breaking three
tackles to put Oklahoma up 7-0 with 11:43 left in the first half.
   The Sooners threatened to increase the lead later in the second quarter
when they drove 72 yards to Texas' 26 with under a minute left. But
Longhorn cornerback Bryant Westbrook picked off a second-down pass from
McGee to kill the drive.
   "I felt the pass interception just before the half was the turning
point," Texas head coach John Mackovic said. "We had them bottled up at
their own 2 and they came charging at us. We took that and built on it at
halftime.
"If they scored it could have been a different ball game."
   Texas opened the second half with an 80-yard drive that ended in a
19-yard field goal by Phil Dawson, trimming the margin to 7-3 with 9:45
left in the third quarter.
game.
   After the Sooners' ensuing drive stalled at Texas' 5, Oklahoma kicker
Scott Blanton booted a 22-yard field goal to cut the gap to 17-10 with 6:40
left.
   The Horns had an opportunity to put the game away after a 40-yard
kickoff return by Curtis Jackson, but Dawson missed wide right on a 48-yard
attempt, setting up Texas' final goal-line stand.
   "That's a big play for the whole season," Brockermeyer said of Clark's
tackle. "If we don't make that, we have two losses and we're out of it as
far as the national picture goes.
"But we did and we're looking good."
   * Mackovic said wide receiver Mike Adams will be tested Monday to
determine whether he can work out and possibly play against Rice Sunday.
Adams sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee against TCU.
   "It depends on whether he can tolerate the work outs and all the moves
he needs to make," Mackovic said.
   * Mackovic said Morenz is still listed as questionable for Sunday's
game. "It depends on how he practices, if he can practice," Mackovic said.
"I think a quarterback needs to be on the field and get some reps."
   Offensive lineman Dominic Bustamante (knee), fullback Juan Kemp
(shoulder) and linebacker Tyson King (shoulder) are all expected to
overcome their injuries in time for Sunday's game, Mackovic said.


Texas 17, Oklahoma 10

TEXAS      0  0 10  7  -- 17
OKLAHOMA   0  7  0  3  -- 10

Okl -- J. Moore 23 run (Blanton kick)
Tex -- FG P. Dawson 19
Tex -- J. Brown 9 run (Dawson kick)
Tex -- P. Fitzgerald 2 pass from Brown(Dawson kick)
Okl -- FG S. Blanton 22

A -- 75, 500.

                      Tex     Okl
First downs            21      23
Rushes-yards       45-198  50-244
Passing               148     196
Return Yards           91     113
Comp-Att-Int      17-22-1 13-21-2
Punts                3-32    4-41
Fumbles-Lost          1-0     5-1
Penalties-Yards      7-40    9-69
Time of Possession  37:27   22:33

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

   Rushing -- Texas: R. Walker 23-77, J. Brown 9-51, C. Jackson 1-34, P.
Holmes 7-26, J. Kemp 5-10. Oklahoma: J. Allen 19-88, J. Moore 14-77, G.
McGee 14-57, J. Frazier 2-18, T. Brown 1-4.
   Passing -- Texas: J. Brown 17-22-148. Oklahoma: G. McGee 12-19-192, T.
Brown 1-1-4, J. Allen 0-1-0.
   Receiving -- Texas: E. Jackson 2-30, L. Pinkney 3-28, S. Bradley 2-27,
J. Kemp 3-16, M. Davis 1-11, R. Walker 1-9, P. Fitzgerald 2-8, K. Harrison
1-7, P. Holmes 1-6, C. Lucas 1-6. Oklahoma: A. Hall 4-69, P. Mills 3-52, S.
Alexander 4-50, J. Frazier 1-13, J. Moore 1-12.