Texas survives Cowboys, 28-24

October 26, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Whew! Top-ranked Texas was put to its toughest test yet and came through unbeaten.

Looking more vulnerable than any other time this season, the Longhorns needed a big defensive stand in the fourth quarter to overcome a pair of late mistakes by Colt McCoy and hang on for a tough 28-24 win over No. 7 Oklahoma State.

Their reward is another week at No. 1 and yet another huge Big 12 South division game next weekend at No. 8 Texas Tech.

McCoy, who passed for 391 yards and two touchdowns, threw a rare interception that set up a field goal as Oklahoma State pulled within 28-24, then fumbled on the Cowboys’ 10 with about five minutes left when Texas (8-0, 4-0 Big 12) could have put the game away.

But the defense, pushed around by Oklahoma State’s punishing rushing attack and big tight end Brandon Pettigrew all day, made a huge stand. The Longhorns stopped the Cowboys (7-1, 3-1) on fourth down at their own 30. Texas drove the ball to the Oklahoma State 1 before turning the ball over on downs with 33 seconds left.

It still wasn’t quite over. The Cowboys used four plays to get to midfield before a final desperation pass fell just short of the end zone as time expired.

No. 5 Florida 63, Kentucky 5

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores to help the Gators extend their winning streak in the series to 22 games.

The Gators showed no signs of sluggishness coming off an open week and didn’t have a letdown following a 51-21 drubbing of defending national champion LSU two weeks ago.

Now, they can focus on the game they’ve been looking forward to for a year: Georgia, a hated rival that stomped its way to a victory last season that essentially knocked Florida out of the Southeastern Conference race.

The Gators (6-1, 4-1 SEC) looked every bit ready for the rematch.

No. 9 Georgia 52, No. 11 LSU 38

BATON ROUGE, La. — Knowshon Moreno quieted one of the loudest crowds in college football, running for a 68-yard score and finishing with 163 yards rushing.

Georgia linebacker Darryl Gamble returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns of 37 and 53 yards.

The game showcased two of the best running backs in the Southeastern Conference, and neither disappointed. While Moreno powered the Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1 SEC), Charles Scott gained 144 yards and scored two touchdowns for LSU (5-2, 3-2).

No. 16 Missouri 58, Colorado 0

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Chase Daniel matched his school record with five touchdown passes and Missouri’s beleaguered defense handed Colorado its first shutout since 1988.

Jeremy Maclin caught two touchdown passes and Chase Coffman set a career record for receptions by a Division I tight end for Missouri (6-2, 2-2 Big 12).

No. 18 BYU 42, UNLV 35

PROVO, Utah — Max Hall threw for four touchdowns and the Cougars avoided a second straight loss.

Austin Collie had his sixth straight 100-yard receiving game for the Cougars (7-1, 3-1 Mountain West), who were matched nearly score-for-score by the Rebels until the final drive. BYU’s Andrew Rich intercepted Omar Clayton’s pass in the end zone on the final play to seal BYU’s 17th straight win at home.

Virginia 24, No. 21 Georgia Tech

ATLANTA — Cedric Peerman rushed for 118 bruising yards, including the winning touchdown with 3 1/2 minutes left, and Virginia won its fourth straight.

The Cavaliers rallied from an early 14-3 deficit in their comeback of a season, improbably taking over first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division after losing three of their first four games — by an average of 36 points.

Georgia Tech (6-2, 3-2 ACC) was off to its best start since 1990 and looked unstoppable on its first two possessions, scoring a pair of touchdowns. But the Cavaliers (5-3, 3-1) figured out the spread option offense, keeping the Yellow Jackets out of the end zone the rest of the way.

North Carolina 45, No. 23 Boston College 24

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Hakeem Nicks had three second-quarter touchdown catches and ran for a score in the fourth quarter.

Trimane Goddard added an interception return for a touchdown for the Tar Heels (6-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter before roaring back with a dominating performance that made them bowl-eligible for the first time in four years.

No. 24 Florida St 30, Virginia Tech 20

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Greg Carr made two fingertip catches on long pass plays to set up touchdowns in the third quarter and 24th-ranked Florida State rallied from an early 10-point deficit.