DALLAS -- In a season of high expectations and constant disappointments for Texas, this one may top them all.
In front of a sold-out crowd of 75,587 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Longhorns, who were 22-point favorites, fell 30-27 to Oklahoma Saturday afternoon. It was Texas' first loss to the Sooners since 1993 and OU's first win of the season.
"We've just got to find out who wants to play," Texas receiver Mike Scarborough said. "You've got to come out ready to play. I'm getting tired of watching people not come out here and give 110 percent."
In just three weeks, the Horns have dropped from a No. 6 ranking and talk of a possible national championship to a quickly collapsing team desperate for a win.
After losing three of its last four, Texas finds itself staring at an arduous Big 12 schedule and the reality of a losing record.
Led by the rushing of senior running back James Allen, the Sooners gouged the Texas defense for 276 rushing yards and 441 total yards.
And when it counted most, the Texas offense once again went stagnant, failing to move the ball in the game's final minutes and in overtime, where the Horns lost a yard before Phil Dawson's 43-yard field goal.
"We had our chances in the fourth quarter to take control and couldn't move it," Texas head coach John Mackovic said. "We did not do what we needed to do to win."
Texas (3-3, 2-1 in Big 12) held a 24-13 lead with under seven minutes remaining in the game, but a returned punt for a touchdown by Oklahoma's Jarrail Jackson and a two-point conversion closed the score to 24-21. When Oklahoma's Jeremy Alexander booted a field goal with 2:26 left, it tied the scored and forced the game into overtime.
From there, Allen took over. The senior touched the ball in all five of OU's plays in overtime, diving into the end zone from the two-yard line for the game's winning points. His touchdown capped an improbable comeback for the hapless Sooners and raised serious questions about the Horns' ability to win a big game.
Texas is 3-4 in its last four games going back to the 1995 Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. The three wins came against Missouri, New Mexico State and Oklahoma State, schools not known for their football prowess.
The four losses, however, all came in nationally-televised games. During Mackovic's tenure as head coach, the Longhorns are 6-13-2 in games against top 25 teams. In 1996, though, the losses have been more glaring.
With the preseason hype that surrounded the team, fans and media expected Texas to be a lock for an appearance in the Big 12 title. But after the early-season drought, the Longhorns are just hoping to turn around a once-promising season that has been full of nothing but frustration.
"If we could put our finger on [the problem], we would have done it after the Notre Dame game," Texas linebacker Tyson King said. "The season's not over."
DALLAS -- You can't blame it on Oklahoma.
For more than three quarters, the Sooners tried their hardest to lose on Saturday. The problem, however, was that Texas refused to let them.
For the second year in a row, the Longhorns squandered a double-digit lead against OU, letting the previously winless Sooners claw back into the game before winning 30-27 in overtime. It was the Longhorns third loss in four games, evening their record to a mediocre 3-3; and it forces a crumbling Texas team to confront three areas of concern: its offense, defense and special teams.
"I don't think people are responding at all," Texas receiver Mike Scarborough said. "It's like getting in a fight and someone jacks you in your face. Are you going to jack them back, or are you going to let them keep on hitting you? You've got to have the attitude that you're not going to lie down for anybody. I just want to see everybody come out and beat the guy in front of him every time. It's not that hard."
A raucous crowd of 75,587 watched the Sooners roll up 441 yards on their way to perhaps the biggest upset in the rivalry's 91-year history. And Texas fans once again were forced to watch as the flimsy Texas defense gave up 276 rushing yards.
Led by the relentless running of senior tailback James Allen, the Sooners smashed the ball into the Longhorns' gut, coming back from deficits of 10-0 and 24-13. And for the second time this season, Texas failed to put away a win that had seemed so firmly in its grasp.
"In the fourth quarter we just didn't put it away," Texas offensive lineman Dan Neil said. "It was the same thing against Notre Dame. We had a chance and didn't do it."
Allen, who was the victim of former Longhorn Stonie Clark's heroics in Texas' 1994 victory, became the hero of the rivalry's 1996 version by rushing for 159 yards, 112 of which came after the first half.
Allen touched the ball on all five of Oklahoma's plays in overtime, his final touch coming on a two-yard touchdown run to win the game. The touchdown sparked a rowdy end zone celebration by the OU players, who had lost a school record seven straight games.
"Everybody was jumping on me," Allen said. "I was saying, 'Just let me up. We won the game, now let's go celebrate."
But at one point, winning the game seemed almost impossible for the Sooners. Down 24-13 with 6:44 remaining, Oklahoma's Jarrail Jackson caught a 37-yard punt from Mark Shultis and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown. OU quarterback Justin Fuente then connected with tight end Stephen Alexander for the two-point conversion, making the score 24-21. It was a quick turnaround for the Oklahoma special teams unit, which had allowed two punts to be blocked in the game.
"On the sideline, everyone said we needed a big play, we needed a big play," Jackson said. "I just happened to be the one to make it. Nobody was going to get me. I wasn't going to let anybody try to catch me after I got behind the wall."
On the next series, Texas moved the ball to the Oklahoma 40-yard line, but failed to move from there. After a 40-yard punt, the Sooners took over from their own 20-yard line, needing a field goal to tie the score.
It took the Sooners only six plays to set up Oklahoma kicker Jeremy Alexander's tying field goal. Keyed by a 36-yard run by Allen, the Sooners cruised to Texas' 27-yard line. The Oklahoma offense stalled there, forcing Alexander to boot a wind-aided 44-yard field goal with 2:26 remaining in regulation.
Though both teams had a chance, neither could score in the game's final seconds, setting up the first overtime in the series' history. The momentum, however, had clearly changed. The middle of the Texas defense became as soft as pudding in the second half, and OU's pounding rush attack had the Horns on its heels.
"I don't think we were in good enough condition for the game," Mackovic said. "We've only played one afternoon game. It was hot [Saturday] afternoon."
Asked if the Horns tired against the Sooner attack in the fourth quarter, OU linebacker Broderick Simpson said, "To be honest, I thought that in the second quarter."
Entering the second quarter, the Longhorns had built a strong 10-0 lead. On the first drive of the game, Texas marched 39 yards on nine plays, mixing the run and pass to set up a 47-yard field goal by Dawson.
After both teams failed to score for over eight minutes, UT's Dustin Armstrong took advantage of a weak Oklahoma punting unit, blocking a punt and falling on it in the end zone. After Dawson's extra-point, Texas had grabbed a 10-0 lead.
But the Sooners came roaring back, finding their running game and scoring 13 straight points. Jeremy Alexander nailed a 31-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 10-3, then OU's De'Mond Parker, who finished with 107 yards, and Allen took control of the game. Starting at their own 26-yard line, the Sooners completed two straight passes, then went to the ground, running the ball on six consecutive plays, moving to the Texas 8. Fuente then found Jackson in the corner of the end zone to knot the score at 10.
Texas, which accumulated 344 total yards, went three-and-out on its next series and Alexander kicked a 35-yard field goal on OU's next drive. The 22-point favorite Longhorns suddenly found themselves down 13-10 with 1:54 left in the first half.
But UT hurriedly reclaimed the lead. Quarterback James Brown led the Horns on an impressive drive, capping an 82-yard march with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Texas receiver Mike Adams. The touchdown gave the Horns a 17-13 lead halftime, but their second-quarter success gave the underdog Sooners momentum as it headed to the locker room.
"I want this team to always believe in itself in the third and fourth quarter," Oklahoma coach John Blake said. "We'll always be in the game if we believe in each other. And that's where you build a team."
Neither team scored in the third quarter, despite a blocked punt by UT cornerback Bryant Westbrook that put the Horns at the Oklahoma 19-yard line. On the next play, though, UT receiver Curtis Jackson fumbled, keeping the game close.
"The fumble after the blocked punt was a big swing," Mackovic said. "I thought we had a great chance to score again."
Both teams then went scoreless until Texas fullback Ricky Williams (21 carries, 99 yards) bulled up the middle for a seven-yard touchdown run, giving the Horns an 11-point lead with 9:42 remaining.
The Longhorns had their hands clamped around the Sooners' neck. But as has happened in the past, Texas just couldn't squeeze hard enough.
"If you think that you can do it, you can do it," Scarborough said. "I weigh only 180 pounds, and I'll take on anybody. I'm not scared of them. I wish everybody had that killer instinct. That's what we need."
But with the season on the brink of disaster, the Horns may now be struggling to just stay alive.
DALLAS -- In Oklahoma's first four games, the "special" teams had looked rather unimpressive. To not put quite a fine point on it, the special teams were especially horrible.
Opponents were averaging 27.2 yards on kickoff returns, 16.5 yards on punt returns and the Sooners had one punt blocked against Kansas that went for a touchdown. Through the first three quarters of Saturday's game against Texas, it was simply more of the same.
The Sooners had two punts blocked, one recovered for a Texas touchdown, and poor coverage on kickoffs which led to a 17.2-yard kickoff return average for the Longhorns.
Then came the fourth quarter.
"On the sideline, everyone said we needed a big play, that we really needed a real big play," Oklahoma freshman Jarrail Jackson said. "I just happened to be the one to make it. I didn't think that nobody was going to get me. I wasn't going to let anybody try to catch me after I got behind the wall."
While trailing by 11 points with 7:00 to play, everything seemingly came together for the Sooners in the kicking game. They used Jackson's 51-yard punt return and Jeremy Alexander's 44-yard field goal as an 11-point slingshot to tie the game before winning it in overtime.
"[Special teams] hurt us, then it came back and saved us with the punt return," Oklahoma quarterback Justin Fuente said. "It's just an area that we have to get more consistent in. It's obviously a tough phase of the game, so we must get more consistent in it."
Jackson, who had an eight-yard touchdown catch earlier in the game, had been rotating with split end Brandon Daniels all season long on punt returns. After his 51-yard sprint that boosted his confidence along with the Sooners', Oklahoma head coach John Blake might be ready to reduce the return-by-committee to one.
"Jarrail just came through for us," Blake said. "Now that he's identified himself, there is no excuse for him not to run one back every game."
On Texas' ensuing possession, the offense that had been moving well all day seemed to bog down in the quagmire when it could least afford to. Texas began on its own 20-yard line and moved the ball only 40 yards. The only highlight in the five-play drive was a 37-yard run by Texas fullback Ricky Williams.
Oklahoma took over and began a drive that was keyed by a 36-yard run by OU tailback James Allen. The Sooners, who were only trailing by three with 2:26 to play, had moved the ball to Texas' 27-yard line before being stopped four yards short of a first down.
With the game on the line and the weight of the entire Sooner fandom on his shoulders, Alexander calmly trotted out on the field and nailed the game-tying field goal. It was his third and longest field goal of the day.
"Actually, that was one of the easiest field goals I've ever made, pressure-wise," Alexander said. "I wasn't feeling any pressure. After I made the first and second ones, my confidence was boosted."
While those two plays may have helped boost Oklahoma's confidence for the eventual game-winning overtime, the confidence of OU special teams coach Merv Johnson must be at an all-time low.
In the first quarter as OU faced fourth-and-seven, Texas' Derek Lewis broke through the line to block a Brian Lewis punt which Texas recovered for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Texas cornerback Bryant Westbrook broke free and blocked another Lewis punt to give Texas the ball on its own 19-yard line.
"The wideout came down, so I thought that I was going to block it," Westbrook said. "It was just a play I had to make. I try to make a big plays in the game."
Lewis and Westbrook are both two players that have added their names to a list of special-teams killers for the Sooners in 1996. While missed tackles on coverage are sometimes unavoidable, missed blocking assignments on punts are unexcusable.
"We are struggling a little bit on special teams right now, but I think that we got a lot better on kickoff coverage," Blake admitted. "Our punt team broke down again today, and there are things that we have to correct. But, we'll get better. That's a part of getting better."
Redemption is sweet for Oklahoma tailback James Allen.
Two years ago, Texas noseguard Stonie Clark hit Allen at the goal line, preserving a Longhorn victory and sending Allen on a two-year decline that left college football fans wondering why Allen was ever considered so talented.
On Saturday, Allen hit back. His game winning touchdown Saturday against the Longhorns reduced Texas, once No. 6 with national title dreams, to just another unranked team. Now, college football fans are left wondering why Texas was ever ranked so high.
"It is kind of like 'Take that' but I'm not one to boast or brag," Allen said. "But I can't wait to talk to my friends in high school about this. Just say, 'Did you see that?'"
Allen's touchdown was the culmination of a 159-yard rushing performance. He destroyed the Texas defense in the second half, gaining 112 yards on the ground.
Since Clark hit Allen in 1994, the tailback's numbers have dramatically decreased. In high school, Allen was one of the most-heavily recruited running backs in the country before becoming a freshman sensation at OU. But he has struggled to regain that form, averaging just 33.8 yards per game in 1995 and only 2.3 yards per carry since that hit.
"The critics were talking about him and the play against Texas when that guy stopped him," said Oklahoma coach John Blake, who recruited Allen out of high school. "They were telling him that he couldn't do this, couldn't do that. He worked hard. He was committed. I'm so happy for him because I know what he went through."
"The only time I really think about that play is when people bring it up," said Allen, who compared recovering from that play to coming out of a coma. "The people that know me don't bring it up because they know that's football."
That's how his career has been marked. The Oklahoma media guide that states Allen "Collected 88 yards against Texas in the Cotton Bowl, but it was the 18 inches he didn't gain that Sooner fans remember most." But Saturday he was the hero, mobbed in the end zone by his teammates and one of the main reasons Texas' season has gone from big goals to midseason disappointment.
"Every Saturday, I go out there with the mentality that today's going to be my day," Allen said. "When you have your mind set like that, one of these days things are going to break. You're going to make the runs, going to make the catches, and I thank God for this day. Now I'll never have to hear about that play again."
In addition to Allen's performance, freshman Sooner back De'Mond Parker piled on 114 yards of his own. The two backs also caught a combined seven catches for 82 yards, running for most of those yards after catching short flat passes.
The Texas defense never forced the Sooners to diversify their offensive attack. In the overtime, which gives a team the ball at the 25-yard line with a first down, Allen was given the ball on five plays in a row -- two passes and three runs.
"They had run successfully in the fourth quarter," Texas head coach John Mackovic said. "We were anticipating a little bit of everything. I don't think the run was a surprise. They just did a good job of running."
When the Sooners faced a third down and six, OU quarterback Justin Fuente completed another pass to Allen, who gained eight yards and the critical first down. The next play, a two-yard run around end that couldn't be stopped by Clark, will be forever etched in Oklahoma lore.
"Everybody was jumping on me," Allen said. "I was saying 'Just let me up. We won the game, now let's go celebrate.'"
Allen would have been the hero earlier. With under two minutes to play, Allen took a handoff and ran 46 yards before being tackled at the goal line. The play was nullified by a holding penalty that had no bearing on the play and Allen's moment was briefly delayed to overtime.
"I told the linemen to just give me a crease," Allen said. "I just made up my mind that I was going in."
A lot of running backs have had creases against the Horns this year. Six running backs have had 100-yard games against Texas this year. Parker was the starter against Texas and almost eclipsed that mark in just the first half. Allen's previous season high was 52 yards on 13 carries against San Diego State.
"We knew how good a player James Allen was," Mackovic said. "He showed it today. They used him to run and catch the ball. They used him on a lot of screens. He showed today what kind of football player he has been for Oklahoma through the years."
And he also turned the tables on the same team that sent him reeling into a two-year funk in 1994.
"I think he's a great player, a great running back," Texas cornerback Bryant Westbrook said. "I think that play two years ago took a lot out of him. But I think he'll bounce back now."
It took Allen two years to do that and live up to expectations. For Texas, however, it may be too late.
Texas 10 7 0 7 3 -- 27
Oklahoma 0 13 0 11 6 -- 30
Texas FG Dawson 47, 4:14
Texas Armstrong recovered blocked punt in end zone (Dawson kick), 13:00
Okla FG Alexander 31, 2:37
Okla J.Jackson 8 pass from Fuente (Alexander kick), 6:50
Okla FG Alexander 35, 13:16
Texas Adams 6 pass from Brown, 14:37
Texas Williams 7 run (Dawson kick), 8:45
Okla Jackson 51 punt return, (Alexander pass from Fuente), 8:16
Okla FG Alexander 44, 12:34
Texas FG Dawson 43, OT
Okla Allen 2 run, OT
A--75,587.
Texas Oklahoma
First Downs 17 23
Rushes-Yards 33-117 51-276
Passing 227 165
Comp-Att-Int 21-37-0 15-34-0
Return Yards 0 17
Punts-Avg 8-40.3 9-31.6
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 4-35 7-67
Time of Possession 27:20 32:40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
Texas - Williams 21-99, Mitchell 6-11, Holmes 3-9, Brown 3-(minus 2).
Oklahoma - Allen 23-159, Parker 24-107, Chandler 3-7, Fuente 1-3.
PASSING
Texas - Brown 21-37-0-227.
Oklahoma - Fuente 15-34-0-165.
RECEIVING
Texas - Williams 4-59, Adams 4-50, Holmes 4-44, Scarborough 2-31,
Fitzgerald 3-19, Davis 2-15, Jackson 2-9.
Oklahoma - Allen 5-51, Parker 2-31, Alexander 2-21, G. Williams 2-18,
McDanile 1-17, Freeman 1-10, Blocker 1-9, J. Jackson, 1-8.