ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

	AP Photo/LM Otero
	Texas quarterback Colt McCoy finished with 294 passing yards and two touchdown passes in a wild 39-33 loss to Texas Tech.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- A persistent pass rush kept him scrambling all night. One hit left him with a nasty gash on his lip that had him spitting blood through most of the second half.

Despite the struggles, Colt McCoy persevered and remained unbowed Saturday, almost leading his team to a dramatic comeback victory that would have cemented his Heisman Trophy hopes and put his team in the driver's seat for the South Division title.

A late drive by Graham Harrell capped by an incredible last-second touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree trumped all that in Texas Tech's wild 39-33 victory.

But McCoy, with his lip stitched up as he spoke with reporters after the game, was proud of the effort his team made in almost escaping the South Plains with a dramatic victory.

"We didn't play good, but we fought to the end," McCoy said. "You can't argue with that."

And you can't. McCoy, who had been completing a nation-leading 81.8 percent for the season, struggled through his worst half of the season. He completed only 7 of 15 first-half passes and was sacked three times. Texas trailed 22-6 and was lucky to be in the game at the half after their early struggles.

"Yeah, I got busted in my face a couple of times," McCoy said. "They did a good job putting pressure on me. My mouth started bleeding."

With receivers Quan Cosby injured and Jordan Shipley struggling to hold onto passes, McCoy had to find another receiver. He found one in redshirt freshman Malcolm Williams.

The duo hooked up on a 44-yard pass shortly before halftime to start the air show. They later connected on a 91-yard touchdown pass that gave McCoy the school's career passing yardage record. Before it was over, Williams produced a career game with 182 yards on four receptions for two touchdowns.

"We had to find something," said McCoy, who finished with 294 passing yards and two touchdown passes. "We know their offense can score a lot of points and they're a good football team. We missed out on a lot of opportunities in the first half and that hurt us."

McCoy's dramatic performance found an admirer in Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, who had been burned when McCoy directed a Texas comeback in Lubbock two years ago.

"I have a lot of respect for Colt, like I do for Graham," McNeill said. "Those kids are both coaches' sons and they've been through a lot. They've been in a lot of field houses growing up and you know they've got a lot of heart. They are both really good players."

McCoy said his team's first loss detracted from his record-setting event. It pushed Texas into a three-way tie for second in the South Division, a game behind Texas Tech.

"All that matters is the win," McCoy said. "We were disappointed, but we're going to keep our heads up. We still have got a lot of football to play."