Oklahoma tops Texas after blowing 20-point advantage
DALLAS » Emotionally and physically spent just a few minutes earlier, Baker Mayfield found the energy to gallop into the Cotton Bowl tunnel joyously, “Golden Hat” trophy on his head, after beating his hometown Texas Longhorns again.
Mayfield threw 59 yards to Mark Andrews for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter after Oklahoma had blown a 20-point lead, and the 12th-ranked Sooners held on to beat Texas 29-24 Saturday.
Mayfield’s second TD throw of more than 50 yards came 68 seconds after freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger ran 8 yards to give the Longhorns their first lead after trailing 20-0 in the second quarter.
An Austin native who grew up often wearing Sooner gear, Mayfield came back after slowly leaving the field at the end of a secondhalf series, appearing to favor his right arm.
He didn’t miss a play, and the decisive throw was perfect to Andrews running free down the sideline on the Texas side of the halfburnt orange, half-crimson Cotton Bowl in the middle of the Texas State Fair.
“For the older guys that were around here and got nicked up, it’s realizing it’s your last one,” said Mayfield, a fifth-year senior and former Texas Tech walk-on who threw for 302 yards and two scores. “You’ll fight through a little extra pain. It was a mental decision for all of us.”
The win kept the playoff hopes alive for the Sooners (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) a week after a stunning home loss to Iowa State when they were ranked third with a nationleading 14-game winning streak and had a 24-10 lead at halftime. ALABAMA 41, ARKANSAS 9» Damien Harris opened with a 75-yard touchdown run and No. 1 Alabama (70, 4-0 SEC) rode a fast start to a victory over Arkansas (2-4, 0-3).
Harris ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. His run on the game’s first offensive play matched his career long set last week at Texas A&M, putting the Tide in front just 15 seconds into the game. OHIO STATE 56, NEBRASKA 14 » J.T. Barrett passed for five touchdowns and ran for two others, and ninth-ranked Ohio State scored on its first eight possessions on its way to a victory over Nebraska.
The Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) continued their dominant surge since their loss to Oklahoma last month, tying their school record with a fourth straight game of scoring 50-plus points, and now get a week off before their East Division showdown with third-ranked Penn State. MICHIGAN 27, INDIANA 20 » Karan Higdon ran 25 yards for a touchdown for No. 17 Michigan on the first play of overtime and Tyree Kinnel intercepted a fourth-down pass in the end zone on the final play, helping the Wolverines hold off Indiana.
Higdon finished with 200 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries, providing most of the offense for Michigan (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) on another day when the Wolverines struggled to sustain drives. His 59-yard touchdown run with 10:25 remaining in the fourth quarter put Michigan up 20-10. N.C. STATE 35, PITTSBURGH 17» Nyheim Hines ran for an 83-yard touchdown and returned a punt 92 yards for another score on his way to 249 total yards, helping North Carolina State to its sixth straight victory.
Jaylen Samuels added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown runs for the Wolfpack (6-1, 4-0), who matched their best Atlantic Coast Conference start since 2002 by relying on Hines early and Samuels late. WEST VIRGINIA 46, TEXAS TECH 35 » Will Grier threw four of his five touchdown passes in the second half and West Virginia (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Texas Tech (42, 1-2).