Sooners steamroll overmatched Texas

By Jaime Aron, Associated Press, 10/12/2003

DALLAS -- The Oklahoma Sooners hung half a hundred again. Doing it against their archrivals made this one even better.

Jason White threw four touchdown passes, Mark Clayton had a school-record 190 yards receiving, and the defense snagged six turnovers as the top-ranked Sooners hammered No. 11 Texas, 65-13, yesterday.

Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0 Big 12) set series records for points and most lopsided victory -- for the second time in four years. It was a triumphant way for the Sooners to claim their first four-game winning streak over the Longhorns since 1985-88.

The top feat, though, was breaking 50 points for the fourth straight game. Barry Switzer, who loved to "hang half a hundred" on undermatched foes, never even did it more than twice in a row. Only Oklahoma's national champion team in 1956 did it three straight.

The Longhorns (4-2, 1-1) made it easy for them.

Texas hadn't thrown an interception all season, then starter Chance Mock and backup Vince Young each had one in the first quarter. The Sooners scored touchdowns off both.

Then Young lost a fumble that led to a field goal and threw an interception that Jonathan Jackson returned 21 yards for a touchdown.

Even when Texas did something good -- like scoring a touchdown that made it 27-13 and ending a streak of 20 straight points by Oklahoma -- a gaffe followed. Dusty Mangum banged the extra point against the left upright, his first miss after a school-record 121 straight PATs.

The Sooners rubbed in another blunder in the final minute of the half. Taking over at the Texas 28 following an 18-yard punt and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, OU got a 36-yard field goal from Trey DiCarlo as the half expired to go ahead, 37-13.

Oklahoma players celebrated by flooding off the sideline as they headed to the locker room. They ran right past Texas players, many of whom stood slumped with hands on hips or bent at the waist, dejectedly waiting for their turn in the tunnel.

The Sooners kept making big plays in the second half, even without the benefit of Longhorn turnovers.

White opened the second half with an 80-yard drive, capped by a 15-yard TD pass to Jejuan Rankins, and Renaldo Works ran 54 yards for a touchdown after Texas turned the ball over on downs late in the third. Clayton scored in the fourth on a 38-yard catch.

White completed his first eight passes and finished 17 of 21 for 290 yards. Works had 112 yards on 15 carries.

Young was 11 of 21 for 135 yards and ran 15 times for 127 yards, many on a dazzling 59-yard run. His fumble came three plays later. The loss knocks the Longhorns out of the national title picture one week after a fourth-quarter rally over Kansas State kept them in it. Considering how they lost, they could end a 50-week streak in the top 15. After Texas's fifth turnover, the crimson-clad faithful chanted "Overrated" -- a typical taunt, but one not usually heard midway through the third quarter. Longhorns fans began streaming out once the Sooners went up, 51-13, with 2:10 left in the third.