Longhorns survive scare at Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- 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.