SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 27, 2012
No. 24 Texas 21, Kansas 17: Case McCoy came off the bench and threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to D.J. Grant with 12 seconds left to help the visiting Longhorns avoid an embarrassing loss to the lowly Jayhawks.
Johnathan Gray rushed for a career-high 111 yards on 18 carries, while Joe Bergeron and Marquise Goodwin each ran for a score for Texas. The Longhorns (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) overcame another horrendous effort from a run defense that entered 107th in the nation.
James Sims ran for 176 yards on 28 carries for Kansas (1-7, 0-5), which was seeking to beat the Longhorns for the first time since 1938. The Jayhawks, who entered as 18-point underdogs, have lost 18 straight to BCS automatic qualifying opponents.
For a while it looked like that streak would end. Kansas, which rushed for 234 yards, led 14-7 at the half and took a 17-14 lead on Nick Prolago's 29-yard field goal with 2:28 to play.
But McCoy came to the rescue in place of a struggling David Ash. His 39-yard pass to Mike Davis set Texas up at the Kansas 3-yard line. McCoy then capped the 70-yard drive two plays later with the touchdown pass to Grant. McCoy finished 5-of-7 for 68 yards, while Ash, who split time with McCoy last season before earning the job this fall, was 8-of-16 for 63 yards with a pair of interceptions in Kansas territory.
GAME NOTEBOOK: After falling behind early, the Jayhawks tied the game early in the second quarter with a five-play, 98-yard drive. All the damage was done on the ground - Sims' 64-yard run was the highlight of the drive, which ended with Christian Matthews' 15-yard touchdown run. ... Texas was driving for the tying touchdown late in the first half when Ash was intercepted by Greg Brown at the Kansas 9-yard line. ... Sims ran for 139 yards on 14 carries in the first half.