Spurs beat the Pelicans, but UT falls to West Virginia.

AUSTIN — Dana Holgorsen had no interest in extending a game that had trudged on for nearly four hours.

Instead of adhering to conventional wisdom, trotting out his kicking unit for an extra point with 16 seconds remaining in a game Texas led by a point, West Virginia’s coach directed the offense back out to drive a dagger into the Longhorns’ heart.

Quarterback Will Grier, forced out of last year’s matchup in Morgantown with a gruesome finger injury, took the snap, tucked the ball, and darted out left, an open plain without a Longhorn in reach. He trotted in for the two-point conversion, completing 13thranked West Virginia’s wild 4241 win over 17th-ranked Texas (6-3, 4-2) on Saturday at RoyalMemorial Stadium.

“You know, our guys fought hard,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “But it’s obvious we’ve got to do a better job, and I know it sounds a bit counterintuitive when you’re lining up against Will Grier and (Marcus) Simms and those guys, but we’ve got to stop the run or you’re going to bleed a slow death, and for the most part we couldn’t tonight.”

In hindsight, Brandon Jones’ morning mishap should have been recognized as a menacing omen for a defense stuck in a troubling freefall. Texas’ starting safety aggravated an ankle injury at the team hotel and was forced to miss Saturday’s game against West Virginia. What he witnessed from the sideline was an offensive onslaught replete with porous tackling, blown coverages, a rash of explosive plays, and continued bad luck.

A pair of injured starters,