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Oklahoma State at Texas

No. 12 Cowboys romp, extend Longhorns' home skid

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AUSTIN, Texas -- The losing streak is over. The ghosts of all those excruciating Texas comebacks are banished.

Maybe not forever, but for one big season at least, Oklahoma State has blown them all away.

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Brandon Weeden passed for 409 yards and Kendall Hunter had two rushing touchdowns as No. 12 Oklahoma State ended a 12-year losing streak to Texas with an emphatic 33-16 victory Saturday night.

And just like UCLA, Iowa State and Baylor players before them, the Cowboys were the latest visiting team to end the game singing with their fans in the corner of Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium before dancing off the field with their big victory.

"We were due. Oklahoma State was due for this win," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. "There was a lot of talk about not winning here ... and they've had our number for a while."

The win kept surging Oklahoma State (9-1, 5-1) in first place in the Big 12 South with two games against Kansas and Oklahoma to play. The Cowboys have never won the division.

"We can accomplish anything this year," Oklahoma State receiver Bo Bowling said. "It's been a while since we've been in this kind of position."

Hunter ran for 116 yards. Justin Blackmon had 145 yards receiving for the Cowboys, including a 67-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, his 16th of the season, the most in the nation.

The loss is only the latest home defeat for the reeling Longhorns (4-6, 2-5) who have lost six of their past seven games -- four straight at home -- only one season after playing for the national championship.

Texas must win its last two games to avoid its first losing season since 1997 and qualify for a bowl game.

"Each loss," Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert said, "they all hurt."

Oklahoma State's losing streak to Texas included some painful collapses in 2004, 2005 and 2007. But the Cowboys -- more than 50 are from the state of Texas -- quickly buried the bad memories of those games and delivered some serious payback.

Weeden didn't have much personal experience with all that losing. The 27-year-old junior played a few years of minor-league baseball in the New York Yankees organization before returning to football, and he carved up the Longhorns with ease when given the chance.

"It's amazing. It feels awesome. We kept stressing at halftime this isn't over," Weeden said.

The Cowboys rolled up 308 yards in taking a 26-3 lead into halftime. Jeremy Smith ran for a touchdown and Weeden connected with Blackmon with a perfect throw for the touchdown that beat good coverage by Texas' best cover cornerback, Aaron Williams.

Blackmon, who caught only two touchdown passes in 2009, now has at least one in every game he has played this season. He would have had another against Texas but dropped an easy score in the first quarter.

"Us being able to make plays in one-on-one situations was the difference in the game," Weeden said.

Hunter scored the final touchdown of the half on a powerful 9-yard run when he started to his left, beat two defenders with a sharp cutback and beat two more at the goal line.

Texas had 1 minute, 15 seconds to try to make something happen, but Gilbert suffered his 15th interception of the season, which set up Dan Bailey's second field goal of the half.

Gilbert finished with 202 yards passing and kept his mistakes to a minimum. But he was constantly pressured behind a line with three freshmen starters and was missing key wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who was at a family funeral.

Texas was held without a first-half touchdown for the fourth consecutive game.

In the third quarter, Hunter scampered 37 yards to the Texas 1 on a screen pass. He put the game away on the next play with his second touchdown that made it 33-3.

Texas scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns on runs by Cody Johnson and Ryan Roberson to cut the final margin.

Texas had no chance of a big rally this year, not in a season that has been nothing short of a shocking collapse by the Longhorns.

The Longhorns didn't cross midfield from late in the first quarter until late in the third against a Cowboys defense that came in giving up an average of 28 points.

Texas hadn't lost four in a row at home in the same season since 1956, the year before Darrell Royal arrived to turn the program into a national power. Mack Brown did the same thing since his first season at Texas in 1998.

Now Texas must beat Florida Atlantic next week and No. 23 Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night just to get to 6-6 and qualify for a bowl. Both games are at home, where Texas is 1-4.

Brown said he doesn't think his team will quit on the season.

"If you ever get used to quitting, you'll quit the rest of your life," Brown said.

Texas began the season ranked No. 5 and a favorite to win the Big 12. The Cowboys were supposed to finish near the bottom of the league.

That was before Weeden, Blackmon and Hunter started slicing up defenses and the Cowboys started romping through the division. The Cowboys are the only one-loss team in the South.

"Weeden was unbelievable," Brown said. "He made some throws tonight very few college quarterbacks can make."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
 
 
Kendall Hunter's 9-yard touchdown burst in the second quarter is part of a 30-0 run for Oklahoma State.  (AP)
Kendall Hunter's 9-yard touchdown burst in the second quarter is part of a 30-0 run for Oklahoma State. (AP)

 
 

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Scoring Summary
OKSTDan Bailey 23 yd FG
TXJustin Tucker 37 yd FG
OKSTJeremy Smith 6 yd run (blocked XP)
OKSTJustin Blackmon 67 yd pass from Brandon Weeden (Dan Bailey kick)
OKSTKendall Hunter 9 yd run (Dan Bailey kick)
OKSTDan Bailey 45 yd FG
OKSTKendall Hunter 1 yd run (Dan Bailey kick)
TXCody Johnson 5 yd run (Justin Tucker kick)
TXRyan Roberson 1 yd run (failed 2pt rush)
 
Team Stats
 OKSTTX
First Downs2518
Third Down Efficiency10-167-16
Fourth Down Efficiency0-01-1
Plays-Net Yards75-53270-358
Rushes-Yds32-12337-142
Passing Yds409216
Kick Return Yds4783
Punt Return Yds20
Passes29-43-120-33-1
Punts3-1266-259
Fumbles-Lost3-11-1
Penalties-Yds4-412-10
Time of Poss.30:229:58
 
Individual Stats
RUSHING
OKST: Kendall Hunter 23-116, Jeremy Smith 5-18, Joseph Randle 2-6, Brandon Weeden 2--17
TX: Cody Johnson 16-68, Garrett Gilbert 12-55, Foswhitt Whittaker 6-17, Malcolm Williams 1-1, Ryan Roberson 1-1, Mike Davis 1-0
PASSING
OKST: Brandon Weeden 29-43-409-1
TX: Garrett Gilbert 19-32-202-1, Foswhitt Whittaker 1-1-14-0
RECEIVING
OKST: Justin Blackmon 9-145, Joseph Randle 7-57, Bo Bowling 4-63, Josh Cooper 3-39, Isaiah Anderson 2-30, Michael Harrison 2-9, Kendall Hunter 1-37, Tracy Moore 1-29
TX: Mike Davis 5-70, James Kirkendoll 4-71, Foswhitt Whittaker 3-16, John Chiles 2-19, Malcolm Williams 2-18, Cody Johnson 2-14, Barrett Matthews 1-6, DeSean Hales 1-2