Then Graham Harrell and the Red Raiders’ offense would come back on the field, run two or three plays and score again. The clock finally worked in Texas’ favor.
McCoy passed for four touchdowns and rushed for two, and the No. 15-ranked Longhorns scored 24 points in the fourth quarter Saturday to pull out a wild 59-43 win.
The Longhorns and Red Raiders scored 47 points in the final 12 minutes.
“You can’t ever think the game is in hand against those guys,” McCoy said. “They never give up.”
The Longhorns (9-2 overall, 5-2 Big 12 Conference) needed a 24-point fourth-quarter rally a week earlier to win at Oklahoma State. This time, the late scoring burst kept the Red Raiders (7-4, 3-4) from staging a comeback.
Texas had to recover two onside kicks and keep scoring to relieve a pass defense that was riddled by Harrell for 466 yards and five TDs. Freshman Michael Crabtree, the nation’s leading receiver, caught nine passes for 195 yards.
Tech twice cut the lead to 10 in the fourth on Harrell’s TD passes before McCoy hit Nate Jones for a 34-yard TD during which Jones tiptoed down the sideline and sneaked into the end zone.
Earlier in the fourth, McCoy’s second scoring run covered 22 yards and looked like something from Vince Young’s old highlight reel.
Dashing through the middle of the line, McCoy twice spun around defenders and broke three tackles to get to the end zone and give the Longhorns a 45-28 lead. McCoy ran for 51 yards rushing and passed for 269.
“I couldn’t believe the points scored,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “Both offenses just ran up and down the field.”
Each team punted only once and Texas converted three fourth downs on scoring drives, including one on a fake field goal.
Down 28-20 at halftime, Tech might have stayed closer if not for one third-quarter drive that ended after a touchdown catch was overturned on video replay and another was wiped out because of a holding penalty.
“That was an unfortunate drive,” Harrell said. “That would have been big. It would have swung the momentum.”
Tech coach Mike Leach ripped the game officials with comments that likely will draw a fine from the Big 12.
“The officiating of this game was a complete travesty,” he said.
Texas chewed up most of the game clock before the late fireworks. The Horns rushed for 283 yards and held the ball for 40 minutes. Jamaal Charles ran for 174 yards and a touchdown for the Longhorns despite sitting most of the second half with a sore left ankle.
The teams combined for 48 points in the first half but the game didn’t really get crazy until the fourth.
After McCoy’s long TD run, Harrell hit freshman Crabtree for a 26-yard score. McCoy then answered with his touchdown pass to Jones. After Harrell threw an interception, McCoy threw to Quan Cosby for Texas’ last TD to make it 59-35.
Crabtree then took a short pass and weaved 69 yards through an exhausted defense, but Tech’s rally ended when Texas recovered its second onside kick.
The Longhorns have won five in a row and Saturday’s victory keeps them in the picture for a possible Bowl Championship Series bid as one of the at-large selections. Texas’ regular-season finale is Nov. 23 at Texas A&M.
