DALLAS – Alex Ross had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Zack Sanchez scored on a 43-yard interception return and No. 11 Oklahoma held on for another bounce-back victory under coach Bob Stoops, beating Texas 31-26 in the Red River rivalry Saturday.
Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) used those big returns to go ahead to stay despite only 29 total yards in the first half. Trevor Knight threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard and Samaje Perine had a 13-yard TD run the final 20 minutes.
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Tyrone Swoopes threw his second touchdown pass to John Harris and ran 12 yards for a score for the Longhorns (2-4, 1-2) in a span of 3 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter.
In each of the Sooners' 11 losses overall since 2009, they have beaten that team the next season, now including that unexpected loss to Texas a year ago.
Oklahoma, whose loss last weekend at TCU was among an unprecedented series of upsets across the country, is also 32-0 in regular-season games after a loss under coach Bob Stoops since the start of the 2000 season.
This was the first time Stoops coached the annual game at the State Fair of Texas against anyone other than Mack Brown. Stoops was 9-6 against Brown, and is now 1-0 with a much-needed victory for the Sooners against new Texas coach Charlie Strong.
A second loss by the midpoint of the season would have made it difficult for Oklahoma to get back in the mix for a spot in the new four-team College Football Playoff.
The Sooners, who finished with only 232 total yards, led 31-13 after Pereine's TD with just under 13 minutes left.
Texas then went 75 yards in 12 plays before Swoopes threw a 6-yard TD to Harris. After Oklahoma went three-and-out, the Longhorns scored again on Swoopes' keeper before kicking the ball away with just under 5 minutes left.
Oklahoma picked up a couple of first downs before punting, and leaving Texas only 18 seconds. The Longhorns then had an incompletion, a penalty and a game-ending incompletion from their 10.
Swoopes finished 27 of 44 for 334 yards. Jaxon Shipley had nine catches for 115 yards. Knight was 12 of 20 for 129 yards.
The Sooners led 17-13 at halftime because of the big returns.
And that was after the Sooners appeared to have a fumble return for a touchdown on the fifth play of the game that was eventually overturned after a lengthy replay review.
Texas had its only lead when Nick Rose kicked a 28-yard field goal on the game-opening 13-play drive when the Longhorns had three false start penalties and a delay of game.
Ross took the ensuing kickoff on the right side of the field, cut to the left and through an open gap to the end zone. He is the first Sooner since DeMarco Murray in 2007 with multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same season. Ross entered the game as the national leader with a 41.4-yard average on seven returns, including a 100-yard TD.
Oklahoma went up 17-3 early in the second quarter when Zack Sanchez had his Big 12-leading fifth interception. He has picks in seven of the past nine games.
Despite pressure, Swoopes hung in the pocket on third-and-12 before finding Harris for a 38-yard touchdown, and Rose kicked his second field goal just before halftime.