OSU's Calvin Mickens (27) and Jason Ricks walk off the field following the college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on Saturday. BY MATT STRASEN, THE OKLAHOMAN
College scores
Stanford 24,
USC 23
Illinois 31,
Wisconsin 26
Kansas 30,
Kansas State 24
South Florida 35, Florida Atlantic 23
Tennessee 35, Georgia 14
West Virginia 55, Syracuse 14
Virginia Tech 41, Clemson 23
Arizona State 23, Washington
State 20
For more scores,
see SPORTS 1C
Oklahoma State falls to Texas A&M
Oklahoma State nearly had a spot sitting atop the Big 12 Conference South Division standing, leading Texas A&M on Saturday night.
But the Cowboys blew a 17-point lead, then cost themselves a chance to come back, in a 24-23 loss to the Aggies.
OSU lead Texas A&M 17-0 at halftime, but the Aggies rallied back. OSU cut the lead to one, 24-23, late in the game and forced A&M to punt with 1:46 to go.
But a roughing-the-punter penalty gave Texas A&M the ball back and they ran out the clock to win it.
OSU is 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the Big 12.
For more information, see SPORTS 1C
And Oklahoma fans swelled with Red River Rivalry pride missing from the past two autumns in Dallas.
OU 28, Texas 21.
"This is just great,” said Sooner fan Susan Dequevedo from Oklahoma City. "After two years, it feels good.”
OU had lost its last two games to the Longhorns, left then to make the difficult maneuver through the Texas State Fair crowd to catcalls from UT fans, an unofficial tradition of the classic series.
This time, fans in the stands counted down the final seconds, and many directed cell phone cameras toward the giant video board to capture the final score and scenes of the Sooners hoisting the Golden Hat Trophy awarded to the winner.
Then they headed out to celebrate, forgetting the sinking feelings that followed the previous week's loss at Colorado.
Both teams entered the 102nd edition of the Red River Rivalry off losses for the first time since 1999 and just the seventh time in history.
Each was upset a week ago, zapping the matchup of its national appeal and at least temporarily removing the No. 10-ranked Sooners and No. 19 Longhorns from national title talk.
But for those who don crimson and burnt orange, there's no dampening the big doings in Big D. Not a loss to Colorado or Kansas State. Not a lack of outside interest. Not even a drizzling rain that greeted the day, threatened throughout and finally turned into a downpour just moments after the game.
"Once you get here, that doesn't matter much,” Dequevedo said. "There's too much energy in this place. That's what makes it fun and that's what makes it great game.”
The aging stadium filled with 80,000, representing a 62nd consecutive sellout.
And those fortunate enough to hold tickets were into it, with plenty to cheer for both sides.
The lead went back and forth.
A 14-14 halftime tie swung toward OU, as running back DeMarco Murray bolted 69 yards for a touchdown that sent the Sooners in front 21-14 late in the third quarter.
Texas answered to tie it again in the fourth.
Then OU produced a march to victory: 12 plays, 94 yards, completed when quarterback Sam Bradford hit Malcolm Kelly with a 34-yard scoring pass.
"We just got rolling,” Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford said.
Texas coach Mack Brown: "That was a great drive. We answered about every time that they scored.
They answered.
"That's why it was such a great game.”
The Sooner defense secured the verdict, turning the Longhorns away over the final 10:42 and turning on their fans.
OU improved to 5-1 overall, squaring their record in Big 12 play at 1-1.
"I think this definitely brings a morale boost,” said Sooner fan Percy Bolen of Norman. "It seemed like there was some indecision about which way our season would go.
"I think we can carry this throughout the year.”