Tweet
QB Vince Young starts slow before amassing more than 500 all-purpose yards and four scores
With Texas in a 19-point hole, Vince Young responded with a record-breaking performance to save the day - and the season - for the Longhorns.
Young rushed for a career-high 267 yards and passed for 239 yards, setting a school record for total offense in a game, as No. 2 Texas scorched Oklahoma State in the second half for a third straight season in a 47-28 win Saturday night.
"The guy's a character," Texas tight end Neale Tweedie said of Young. "He's so confident and he just knows he's going to make something happen. It's just a matter of time."
Only a week after Missouri's Brad Smith became the first player in Division I-A history to have at least 230 yards rushing and passing in one game, Young matched the feat and accounted for four touchdowns, two on the ground and two through the air.
In the past three meetings with Oklahoma State, the Longhorns have outscored the Cowboys 118-0 in the second half and trailed at halftime in each game.
Texas came back from a 35-7 deficit last season, scoring 42 unanswered points in the second half of a 56-35 win in Austin. A year earlier, the Cowboys led 16-14 in Stillwater before the Longhorns reeled off 41 consecutive points.
This time, the Longhorns (8-0, 5-0) trailed by nearly three touchdowns before rallying to stay on track to earn a spot in the Rose Bowl and play for a national title.
"We did not even start off flat," Young said. "If you watch film, we were playing our game. It was because they were pumped and they were excited, especially being at home in front of their fans. Who's not going to be excited playing the No. 1 team in the nation?
"As a team, we decided that we had to shut these guys up and that is what we did."
The Longhorns passed defending national champion Southern California by .0007 this week for the top spot in the Bowl Championsip Series standings.
After struggling against the last-place Cowboys (3-5, 0-5) - the only Big 12 team without a conference win - the Longhorns might have opened the door for third-place Virginia Tech to close the gap in the BCS standings, but the late rally could limit the damage.
Young ignited the comeback with an 80-yard touchdown scramble on the third play of the second half and added an 8-yard TD run late in the third quarter to bring the Longhorns within 28-26. He then found Tweedie open for his first career touchdown on a 21-yard post pattern to give Texas a 34-28 lead.
"We were into the wind, we were backed up, we were third-and-10 and what a great play, what a great run," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "Talk about Heisman Trophy winners. That's a highlight reel for a Heisman Trophy right there."
Ramonce Taylor, who entered after Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young cramped up, added touchdown runs from 57 and 12 yards in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Earlier, Young threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to David Thomas to give him the most touchdown catches for a tight end in Texas history with 13. Young was 15-for-30 passing and also set a school records for the longest touchdown run by a quarterback.
"Everything Vince does is great for our team," Texas safety Michael Griffin said. "He turned this game around. Vince does things that I think not too many people can do."
Young ran for 133 yards on 12 first-half carries, but that was overshadowed by his two turnovers and two unique connections between Al Pena and D'Juan Woods for Oklahoma State scores.
The Cowboys caught the Longhorns off-guard on a fourth-and-1 on their second possession when they broke the huddle quickly with three backs, snapped the ball immediately and Pena faked a handoff to Julius Crosslin up the middle before tossing a 49-yard touchdown pass to Woods, who was 15 yards beyond the nearest defender.
After a Young fumble late in the first half, Pena zipped a pass to Luke Frazier, but it deflected into the air and Woods snagged it with his right hand and zoomed into the end zone for a 30-yard score and a 28-9 Cowboys lead.
"They had nothing to lose," Brown said. "They had played fairly poorly the last couple of weeks. Everybody said they've got no chance, and they've got good players.
Pena also capitalized on a Young interception in the first quarter by scoring on a 17-yard option run one play later. Pena, who had thrown eight interceptions and lost two fumbles in his first two starts since replacing the injured Bobby Reid, finished with 152 yards on 12-for-27 passing.
Mike Hamilton ran for a career-high 194 yards on 31 carries for Oklahoma State.
"We don't accept losing, but the way our team fought tonight against what I think is the best team in college football, I was very proud of it," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. "I thought we had excellent game plans on both sides of the ball. They worked for us in the first half, and early in the fourth quarter we got worn down a little bit."
David Pino kicked a 21-yarder at the end of the half to pull the Longhorns within 28-12 and start Texas' run of 38 straight points.
Source: AP