Horns Hook Red Raiders

Austin, TX - Colt McCoy threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more to lead 15th-ranked Texas past the Texas Tech Raiders, 59-43.

McCoy completed 21-of-30 passes for 268 yards with one interception and added 51 yards rushing for the Longhorns (9-2, 5-2 Big 12), who have won five straight contests. Jamaal Charles accumulated 174 yards on the ground with a touchdown and Vondrell McGee chipped in 54 yards and one score.

Quan Cosby had eight receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns, while Nate Jones caught four passes for 67 yards and one score for Texas.

Graham Harrell threw for 466 yards on 36-of-48 attempts with five touchdowns and one interception for Texas Tech (7-4, 3-4), which has dropped three of four. Michael Crabtree had 195 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns and Edward Britton caught seven balls for 116 yards and one score. Eric Morris had eight catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas opened the second half with an 18-play, 86-yard drive that chewed up nearly seven minutes of the clock. McCoy finished the drive by connecting with Cosby for a 20-yard touchdown to make it a 35-20 game.

The key play was a fake field goal that Texas converted for a first down. Faced with a fourth-and-two at the Red Raiders' 29, Jordan Shipley took the snap and rushed for six yards, sustaining the drive for the Longhorns.

Texas Tech was not discouraged, marching the length of the field on the ensuing possession, but a critical holding penalty erased a touchdown and created a fourth-and-14 from the Longhorns' 23. Harrell's pass to the end zone fell incomplete and the Red Raiders came away empty-handed.

It was a frenetic fourth quarter, as the teams combined for 47 points.

The Longhorns tacked on a 25-yard field goal by Ryan Bailey early in the fourth.

A botched squib kick coupled with a passing interference penalty gave Texas Tech excellent field position and the Red Raiders took full advantage. Harrell completed a 33-yard pass to Britton to set up a first-and-goal from the six. On the next play, Morris made a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone and Texas Tech converted the two-point conversion to make it a 38-28 game with 11:48 remaining.

McCoy gave the Longhorns a 17-point lead when he spun off several would-be tacklers and scampered 22 yards for the touchdown, but Texas Tech would not go away quietly.

Crabtree's 26-yard touchdown catch-and-run cut the lead to 48-35 and put the finishing touches on a five-play, 74-yard drive with 5:21 to play.

The Longhorns answered back when Jones tip-toed down the sideline for 34 yards and sealed the win on Cosby's 14-yard touchdown with 1:23 left in regulation.

Twenty-two seconds later, Crabtree raced 69 yards for a touchdown, but it was not enough to beat the Longhorns.

"Our offense tonight was hitting on all cylinders," said Texas coach Mack Brown. "We obviously felt like we needed to come in and keep the football, try to have some balance between the run and the pass and the guys did a great job with that tonight."

Texas struck early in the first quarter with an 18-yard touchdown pass by McCoy to Shipley. The Longhorns were efficient, needing only seven plays to advance 74 yards down the field.

After a 35-yard field goal by Alex Trlica, McGee's one-yard touchdown run made it a 14-3 game with 1:02 remaining in the first.

The Red Raiders responded on their next drive, as Harrell found Morris all alone in the back of the end zone for a eight-yard strike with just over two minutes gone in the second quarter. Morris did an unbelievable job of dragging his feet and maintaining possession of the ball.

Texas scored 14 unanswered points in a span of 56 seconds to build a 28-10 cushion. After McCoy's one-yard plunge, the Longhorns surprised Texas Tech with a short kick that was recovered by Tyrell Gatewood at the Red Raiders' 32. Three plays later, Charles galloped 24 yards for a score.

However, the Red Raiders countered on their next two possessions to trim the lead to 28-20. Harrell threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Britton to cap a five-play, 63-yard drive and that was followed by Trlica's 37-yard field goal with 1:07 left in the second.

McCoy orchestrated an impressive drive in the final minute of the half, but a costly mistake derailed Texas' opportunity to add to its lead. The Longhorns were at the 28-yard line and could have attempted a field goal, but McCoy decided to air it out and was intercepted near the goal line by Jamar Wall with under five seconds on the clock.

Game Notes

Texas leads the all-time series 42-14 and has won the last five meetings...Texas' 59 points were the school's most ever against a Texas Tech team...The Red Raiders finished the game with 10 yards rushing on seven carries.

(Courtesy: Sports Network)