ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- It wasn’t the kind of resounding conquest that would give Texas any claim to being the nation’s best team -- even as other contenders around them either struggled or lost earlier in the day.

Heck, it wasn’t even the payback that most of the record crowd of 101,297 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium were hoping for after last year's nightmarish last-second loss on the High Plains.

	Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
	Colt McCoy was limited in practice this week due to the flu, and the rustiness showed at times.

But Mack Brown won’t complain too much about his team’s gritty 34-24 victory over Texas Tech.

“If everybody’s bragging on one team, you better look out,” Brown said. “It’s survival. It’s not playoffs or anything else. It’s just survival.”

And on a day when USC and BYU stumbled and Tim Tebow and Florida didn't look unbeatable, Texas players were happy with merely escaping their conference opener with a closer-than-expected triumph.

“We don’t take these games for granted,” Texas wide receiver John Chiles said. “We don’t take Wyoming or Texas Tech for granted when you see stuff like that happening. We saw it.”

The Longhorns sputtered through another rough early performance as Colt McCoy looked mortal for the second-straight week.

Despite the struggles, Brown was happy to see his team slog through the first half before erupting after the break again.

“I thought it was good that things weren’t easy for us,” Brown said. “Sometimes we were mad about some things about last week and we still scored 41 points. We’re not happy tonight and we scored 34. That’s good.

“We’re a work in progress, but I’m proud of the way they grew up and worked.”

Some of McCoy’s early struggles were understandable. He was waylaid earlier this week with a bout of the flu that caused him to miss practice on Tuesday and limited his participation later in the week.

The rustiness showed early as the Longhorns produced only 10 points in the first half and none of those came from the offense. McCoy appeared winded as he was limited to only five yards rushing on eight carries.

His passing numbers were pedestrian -- 205 passing yards, two interceptions on tipped passes, one touchdown pass -- but still good enough to beat Tech coach Mike Leach in Austin again.

Credit the Texas victory to perseverance. Or maybe just a healthy dose of chicken soup.

“We were winning at halftime,” said McCoy, who misfired on seven of his 16 passes in the first half. “Sometimes, everything is not going to go our way. And to give us credit, we came out and played a completely different game in the second half.”

Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis opted to go with a no-huddle offense to change the pace after halftime. The Longhorns responded by scoring touchdowns on their first two drives to snap out of their funk and take control of the game.

Brown said McCoy’s mood brightened as the Longhorns experienced more success after the break.

“In the second half he had a blast,” Brown said. “He was laughing. They would score and he would say, ‘Look out, we’re going to score, too.’”

For most of the second half, that was true. And then the Longhorns’ defense answered the challenge by exacting their own form of revenge on Tech quarterback Taylor Potts.

Tech’s junior quarterback blistered the Longhorns for 420 yards and three touchdowns. But Texas came up with two big fourth-quarter turnovers that sealed the victory.

There were other positives in the game. Tre’ Newton is emerging as Texas’ feature running back after rushing for 81 of his career-high 88 yards in the second half.

Dan Buckner appears to be filling the hole at tight end after producing six receptions for 75 yards -- matching his career high for receptions for the second-straight week.

And while Texas' players tried to discount the retribution angle in their public statements earlier in the week, it still was sweet for them to beat the Red Raiders after what happened last year in Lubbock.

“It wasn’t a revenge win, but we had all had what happened last year on our minds,” Texas defensive end Sam Acho said. “Some people use that as motivation or a way to play better. It was definitely an opportunity to go back out there and get back what they took from us.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- Taylor Potts couldn’t beat Texas in his first road start. But the Texas Tech quarterback earned praise for how close he came to pulling off that feat.

	Brendan Maloney/US Presswire
	Taylor Potts withstood a ferocious pass rush to throw for 420 yards and three TDs in his first road start.

Potts withstood a furious Longhorn pass rush and didn’t stop throwing. He was still firing away even as the Longhorns claimed a tough 34-24 victory.

“He was really, really tough,” Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. “He got hit hard tonight. It’s a rare, rare quarterback -- and some great quarterbacks can’t do what he did -- and that’s to get hit really, really hard, come back on the next play and next drive. He did that and he did not flinch.”

Potts completed 46 of 62 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns, directing the Red Raiders on two scoring drives to start the second half after Texas Tech had struggled with only three points in the first half.

Texas players were marveling at the way he came back from a devastating blindside fourth-quarter sack from Texas defensive end Sergio Kindle. Potts appeared to take a helmet-to-helmet hit from Kindle, but bounced backed without recoiling and was back trying to lead his team again on the next drive.

“I got hit, turned the ball over and the game wasn’t over,” Potts said. “And we had to try and get another score. I didn’t want to let my teammates down. I was voted captain. If I’m lying on the ground hurt, that’s not a good captain.”

Texas players said that Potts’ performance was reminiscent of other prolific Tech quarterbacks in the past, with a twist. They said his toughness may set him apart from the others.

“Potts is a great quarterback,” Texas defensive end Sam Acho said. “I watched him a little on tape and he looked good. But in real life, he was even better. We knew he would be a challenge. He’ll be a good one. He played great under pressure.”

The Red Raiders dictated the tempo in the first half by operating out of a no-huddle offense. But they had repeated troubles with penalties -- Tech had 58 of its 108 penalty yards in the first half -- and couldn’t overcome repeatedly being in long-yardage situations.

“In the first half we played a little sporadic,” said Potts, who came within three completions of breaking the school’s single-game completion record. “But in the second half, I felt like we played like ourselves.”

Some of the thinking was that Texas would capitalize by moving the game from its projected starting time in early November to becoming Potts’ first start on the road.

Texas coach Mack Brown didn’t go along with that thinking after watching Potts' show of passing, tenacity and toughness.

“You have to give Taylor Potts credit,” Brown said. “Unbelievable passing. I stood there watching and couldn’t believe some of their passing. I thought it was a credit to him for playing as well as he did.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- It wasn't exactly an artistic success for Colt McCoy and the Texas offense, but they probably won't complain too much.

The No. 2 Longhorns still had enough to notch a 34-24 victory over Texas Tech.

I'm headed down to the locker room to get comments from both teams. Check back after the game to see what they had to say.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas' offense has surprisingly sputtered in the first half as a short-handed Texas Tech defense has kept them bottled up most of the game.

Red Raiders are playing without starting defensive end Ra’Jon Henley, backup defensive end Ryan Haliburton and starting strong safety Franklin Mitchem. It hasn’t mattered as the Red Raiders’ shortened rotation has limited Texas to 124 yards and only seven first downs.

But it hasn’t been enough as Tech’s mistakes in special teams and overall sloppy play have enabled Texas to claim a 10-3 halftime lead.

Here a quick look at the first half:

Stat of the half: Coming into the game, Tech had punted twice in the first two games of the season. The Red Raiders were forced to punt five times in the first half.

Best player in the half: Texas WR/PR Jordan Shipley accounted for the game’s only touchdown on a 46-yard touchdown return. It was his second punt return for a touchdown in two seasons against the Red Raiders. Shipley has also accounted for a team-high five receptions for 28 yards.

Turning point: After the first drive, Texas’ defense made adjustments into combating Tech’s no-huddle offense. Although Taylor Potts has completed 24 of 34 passes for 163 yards, none have gone for longer than 17 yards as the Red Raiders have creased the Texas red zone only once.

Best call: Using John Chiles on a direct snap produced a 36-yard run on a direct snap from center. It helped account for the only points produced by Texas’ offense in the first half.

What Texas needs to do: Get Colt McCoy back in synch. The Longhorns’ quarterback is playing his way through a first-half funk for the second-straight week, accounted for only 70 yards on 9 of 16 passing with one interception. Tech has done a good job of keeping McCoy bottled up with two sacks that have diminished his rushing total to 6 yards.

What Texas Tech needs to do: Cut out the self-inflicted mistakes. The Red Raiders have been penalized seven times for 61 yards in the first half. It helped account for wiping out three first downs in the first half which could have kept chances to score alive. Those penalties also kept Potts and the Red Raiders behind on the chains for most of the second quarter.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Tech's defense has kept Colt McCoy in trouble so far tonight.

McCoy has misfired on three of his first six passes and failed to convert any of third-down plays so far.

Hunter Lawrence's 43-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter extended Texas' lead over the Red Raiders to 10-3.

But the Longhorns' offense hasn't shown much other than a 34-yard run from wide receiver John Chiles from a direct snap.

The biggest problem for Tech is penalties. The Red Raiders were penalized six times for 58 yards in the first quarter.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Tech could be facing a huge injury concern considering that defensive end Ra'Jon Henley and Ryan Haliburton both will not play tonight.

Henley's ankle injury kept him back in Lubbock and Haliburton also isn't expected to play.

It means that Richard Jones will switch to the starting position at defensive end or linebacker Bront Bird would move from linebacker to defensive end.

Whoever starts, it will still mean a reduced rotation against a Texas offense that will likely try to establish the tempo with its running game.

And mammoth 334-pound Texas Tech guard Brandon Carter has been twittering on his account about flu-like symptoms.

And despite the rumors to the contrary, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy looks hale and hearty while taking part in pre-game workouts. A rumor about McCoy struggling with the flu has been bouncing across the message boards today, but it appears untrue.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- Mike Leach's challenge tonight appears relatively simple.

The Texas Tech coach simply needs to get his team to play like it did last year in Lubbock in its 39-33 victory over the Longhorns.

It was a game that was so different than most Tech games Leach has coached against the Longhorns. His team took advantage of big plays and a punishing running game to claim a 19-0 lead. They then held on for dear life, getting a huge play from Michael Crabtree on the final play of the game to win.

Despite yielding 33 points last season, the Red Raiders' defense played much better against Texas than before. The Red Raiders have developed depth in the trenches, which has been a significant problem in previous games against the Longhorns.

In the last four seasons before 2008, the Longhorns never averaged fewer than 4.6 yards per carry against the Red Raiders as Texas has piled up an average of 266.5 yards per game. That has enabled them to dictate the tempo of the game, no matter how many yards Leach has been able to roll up with his passing game.

The Texas-Texas Tech games in 2006 and 2007 really encapsulated the Red Raiders' defensive challenges against the Longhorns. Texas converted 17 of 27 third downs against Texas Tech and went a perfect 5-for-5 on fourth-down plays. In essence, the Red Raiders produced five true stops against Texas in those two games.

Texas fell behind early and only produced 80 rushing yards in Lubbock last season. Texas Tech controlled the ball for nearly 37 minutes.

Things were different, but that game was played in Lubbock.

The Longhorns have averaged 49 points per game in four victories over Leach in Austin.

His team's challenge will be much greater this season.

Especially considering the Red Raiders have averaged 46 rushing yards in the first two games. And that's been against North Dakota and Rice.

It will be much more difficult to run the ball and follow the plan that was so successful last season.