AUSTIN, Texas — Case McCoy passed for two touchdowns and ran for another and Texas kept its Big 12 title hopes alive Thursday night with a 41-16 win over Texas Tech. ADVERTISING AUSTIN, Texas — Case McCoy passed for two
AUSTIN, Texas — Case McCoy passed for two touchdowns and ran for another and Texas kept its Big 12 title hopes alive Thursday night with a 41-16 win over Texas Tech.
Joe Bergeron ran for 102 yards and a touchdown for the Longhorns (8-3, 7-1 Big 12), who end their regular season on Dec. 7 at No. 9 Baylor. If Texas wins that game and No. 7 Oklahoma State loses to No. 20 Oklahoma, the Longhorns would win their first league championship since 2009.
Texas Tech (7-5, 4-5) ended its regular season with its fifth consecutive loss under first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury.
The Red Raiders came in with the nation’s top passing offense, but Texas sacked freshman quarterback Baker Mayfield seven times. Texas Tech’s biggest play came on a 51-yard touchdown on a fake punt by Ryan Erxleben in the first quarter.
Mike Davis caught touchdowns of 47 and 7 yards for Texas.
Malcolm Brown also rushed for 128 yards for Texas, which pounded out 281 total yards on the ground. Anthony Fera kicked field goals of 37 and 49 yards, tying the Texas record by making 15 in a row this season.
Jackson Jeffcoat had three sacks for Texas which chased Red Raiders quarterbacks all night with a swarming pass rush. Mayfield completed 24 of 44 passes for 237 yards for the Red Raiders, who haven’t won in Austin since 1997.
Any chance of a Big 12 title seemed remote when Texas began the season 1-2 and coach Mack Brown was mocked by fans for talking about winning the league crown just a few minutes after an embarrassing home loss to Mississippi.
But Texas reeled off six wins in a row and didn’t stumble until a 38-13 home loss to Oklahoma State on Nov. 16. That loss rekindled speculation that Brown’s job could be in jeopardy and whether Thursday night could be his last home game after 16 seasons.
Texas responded to that 25-point home loss — the worst of Brown’s tenure — with a 25-point win that sets up at least the potential for a title and a Bowl Championship Series berth.
Mississippi State 17,
Mississippi 10 (OT)
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Dak Prescott rushed for a 3-yard touchdown in overtime to lead Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
Prescott didn’t enter the game until the fourth quarter because of an injury to his non-throwing shoulder that caused him to miss the past two games. But the sophomore led the Bulldogs (6-6, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) to their tying drive in the fourth quarter and the game-winner in overtime.
Ole Miss’ overtime drive ended when Bo Wallace fumbled and Mississippi State’s Jamerson Love recovered in the end zone.
Mississippi State freshman Damian Williams, the third-string quarterback, made his first career start because of injuries to Prescott and Tyler Russell.
The Bulldogs are now bowl eligible for a fourth straight season, the longest streak in school history.
Ole Miss (7-5, 3-5) didn’t have an offensive touchdown, scoring only on a field goal and blocked punt in the end zone.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Alabama at Auburn
It took a miraculous victory over Georgia, but Auburn has arrived at the Iron Bowl with an SEC championship at stake. Winner goes to the conference title game, and if it’s the Crimson Tide, the league’s national championship hopes remain alive. The Tigers’ path has obstacles, like undefeated Florida State and Ohio State. Auburn is the SEC’s top running team but that plays into Bama’s defensive strength. The Tigers will need to step up the passing game with quarterback Nick Marshall. Nobody in college football over the last few years has been better at big-game hunting than the Tide. Alabama’s offensive line has developed nicely over the season and allows the Tide to dominate second halves. As it will on Saturday.
UPSET OF THE WEEK
USC over UCLA
The Pac-12 title game is set and neither of these teams are there, but this one drips with intrigue, especially on the Trojans’ side. Does a victory put more pressure on USC athletic director Pat Haden to remove the interim title from Ed Orgeron? The Bruins have split their last six games and have fallen from the top 25. Southern California has won five straight and makes it six.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Clemson at South Carolina
The Gamecocks has the momentum in the series, but Clemson has more on the line. The Tigers are part of the one-loss group that line up behind the undefeated teams, hoping enough havoc occurs to get into the national title hunt. Failing that, Clemson looms as an attractive at-large selection for a BCS (probably Orange) bowl. South Carolina will scoreboard watch. Playing at the same time is Missouri against Texas A&M. If Mizzou falls, the Gamecocks go to the SEC title game.
Ohio State at Michigan
Is this rivalry strong enough to deliver a shocker? It has happened before. An average Michigan team (by Wolverines standards) took out undefeated Buckeyes teams three times in the 1990s, including the great 1996 team that appeared headed to the national title. But the Wolverines have lost four of six and have rushed for a total of 130 yards in the past four games.
Arizona at Arizona State
The Pac-12 championship game is set — Sun Devils vs. Stanford. But this game is for home field. If Arizona State beats its in-state rival, the Pac-12 title game will be played in Tempe. Lose, and the game is at Stanford.
By wire sources
