Instant analysis: Texas 41, Oklahoma St. 36
Texas survived a back-and-forth 41-36 thriller in Stillwater, Okla., to move to 4-0 on the season.
It was over when: Oklahoma State wide receiver Charlie Moore was knocked out of bounds on the final whistle. The Cowboys took a 36-34 lead with 2:34 left in the game, but Texas came right back with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to secure its biggest victory of the season yet.
Game ball goes to: David Ash delivered his signature moment as quarterback of the Longhorns, leading Texas on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to win the game. During the final drive, Ash coolly hit D.J. Grant on fourth-and-6 for a 29-yard first down, and lofted a pass to Mike Davis 32 yards to the Oklahoma State 5-yard line.
Stat of the game: Texas was lethal on third and fourth downs. The Longhorns converted 9 of 17 third downs, and all three of their fourth-down attempts, including Ash’s crucial completion to Grant. Texas has been tremendous on third down all season and Saturday night was no different.
Unsung hero of the game: Ash’s favorite target, Jaxon Shipley, had only five receptions. But three of them went for touchdowns. Shipley burned the Cowboys secondary twice for scores in the first quarter, then went up and snagged his third touchdown on a jump ball to give the Longhorns a 28-20 lead in the third quarter.
What it means: Texas’ victory sets up a showdown with undefeated West Virginia in Austin next weekend. The winner could be in the driver’s seat in what’s becoming a wide-open Big 12 race.
Jake Trotter | email
SoonerNationESPN.com- Oklahoma Sooners football beat writer
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Author of "I Love Oklahoma/I Hate Texas"
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Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
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Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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