Share
Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
Among his team’s many attributes, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy considers perseverance an undervalued commodity by the masses.
"We are a really good second-half team," McCoy said. "I think it’s because we have good leadership. Guys believe in each other and they’re never going to quit. That’s one thing you can count on every week."No. 3 Texas (7-0, 4-0 in Big 12) did not need to dig deep into its mental reserves during Saturday’s 41-7 rout of Missouri. But common sense and series history suggest that will change — in a big way — at 7 p.m. Saturday in Stillwater, Okla., when the Longhorns meet No. 13 Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-0) to determine sole possession of first place in the South Division.In the Longhorns’ last three trips to Stillwater, Texas has overcome large deficits with monumental comebacks. The Longhorns have been down by nine points (2003), 19 points (2005) and 21 points (2007), yet walked away victorious on every occasion by finishing with decisive closing stretches.How decisive? Try a combined margin of 110-0 after the Cowboys scored their final point.Mix in a 49-0 closing kick in 2004, when the Longhorns erased a 28-point deficit in Austin, and you’ve got a staggering 159-0 scoring spree in four recent comebacks once momentum swung in Texas’ direction during crunch time. The numbers read like a misprint, but they are accurate.Oklahoma State players seek to put an end to their relevance Saturday. They know their school’s history of blown leads in this series will remain a topic of discussion when these teams meet — especially in Stillwater — until they do something to change it. To many of them, this is personal. Lots of the Cowboys’ veteran players were starters or contributors in 2007, when OSU squandered a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter and watched Texas win, 38-35, on a field goal as time expired. Of all the Longhorns’ great escapes, that was the most improbable.It still bothers OSU tailback Keith Toston, who rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 34-7 victory over Baylor."We feel like each time we’ve played them, we’ve left something on the field that we could have done differently," said Toston, who considers last year’s 28-24 setback in Austin, when a late Cowboys’ rally fell short, equally vexing. "We’ve slipped a couple of times on games [against Texas]. Hopefully, we can put it all together this time around. We feel like we can battle with anybody."So does OSU quarterback Zac Robinson, a starter in 2007 who is preparing for his third head-to-head battle against McCoy, his Texas counterpart. Shortly after the Cowboys put the finishing touches on the Baylor victory, Robinson said "there was already talk in the locker room" about Texas. And the need to bury some bad memories."I haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here," said Robinson, a senior. "It’s a little extra motivation with what’s on the line, with both teams playing well right now. Having it at our place is going to be a lot of fun."
@Nyx.CommentBody@