DALLAS -- Jalen Hurts tried the Golden Hat on for size and gave a half-hearted "horns down" sign in a group photo with the cheerleaders while celebrating the way Kyler Murray couldn't in the Red River rivalry a year ago.
Now the Oklahoma quarterback will try to get the Sooners back to where Baker Mayfield and Murray took them the past two years, and where he's been himself three times at Alabama: the College Football Playoff.
Hurts threw three touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb after two big mistakes early, Oklahoma's defense sacked Sam Ehlinger nine times and the No. 6 Sooners never trailed in a 34-27 victory over 11th-ranked Texas on Saturday.
"I would say I didn't put the team in the greatest and best situation," said Hurts. "Not a complete game, but a step in the right direction."
A year after a Murray-led comeback fell short in a 48-45 loss in the Red River rivalry that led to the firing of their defensive coordinator, the Sooners harassed Ehlinger into minus-9 yards rushing.
And Oklahoma, with first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, held the quarterback with the three highest total yardage outputs for Texas against the Sooners almost 200 yards below that 387-yard average.
"Regardless of what the outside world thinks, we believe a lot in our defense," coach Lincoln Riley said. "I don't care what our defensive calls our, schemes. Not that I don't care, but the way we play right now was the difference today."
The Sooners (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) stayed on track for a third straight trip to the playoff and avenged last year's loss in Cotton Bowl Stadium, which was followed by their victory in a rematch in the Big 12 championship game.
The Longhorns (4-2, 2-1) are likely relegated to a spoiler role if there's a second consecutive Big 12 title game between the rivals. Texas gave up 511 yards -- a season low.
Lamb had 10 catches for 171 yards, tip-toeing on the sideline to stay inbounds on the 27-yarder for his final TD.
Hurts threw for 235 yards, and the nation's leading rusher among QBs had 131 more on the ground, including a punctuating 3-yard touchdown for a 34-20 lead late in the fourth quarter. The 131 yards rushing were a stadium record for a QB and the most for an OU quarterback in the series.
In other games involving Top 25 teams, Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes, two to Justyn Ross, and No. 2 Clemson (6-0, 4-0) won its 21st consecutive game by pounding visiting Florida State 45-14. ... Jonathan Taylor rushed for two touchdowns, Wisconsin's defense posted its fourth shutout of the season and the No. 8 Badgers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) cruised to a 38-0 victory over Michigan State in Madison, Wis. ... Tony Jones Jr. rushed for a career-high 176 yards as No. 9 Notre Dame (5-1) held off Southern California (3-3) 30-27 in South Bend, Ind. ... Noah Cain ran for a 5-yard touchdown with 5:17 left and 10th-ranked Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) held off No. 17 Iowa (4-2, 1-2) 17-12 in Iowa City, Iowa. ... Zack Moss rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 15 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Pacific 12) routed Oregon State (2-4, 1-2) 52-7 in Corvallis, Ore. ... Hassan Haskins ran for 125 yards and a touchdown, Zach Charbonnet added 116 yards rushing, and No. 16 Michigan (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) needed a late surge to put away Illinois (2-4, 0-3) 45-25 in Champaign, Ill. ... Jayden Daniels scored on a 17-yard scramble with 34 seconds left, leading No. 18 Arizona State (5-1, 2-1 Pacific-12) to a 38-34 comeback victory over Washington State in Tempe, Ariz. ... Evan Conley ran 41 yards for a critical touchdown with 2:15 remaining, and Louisville (4-2, 2-1) held off Wake Forest's late rally to upset the 19th-ranked Demon Deacons (5-1, 1-1) 62-59 in the second-highest-scoring game in Atlantic Coast Conference history. ... JaMycal Hasty scored on a 5-yard touchdown run in the second overtime and No. 22 Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) beat Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2) 33-30 in Waco, Texas, in the Bears' first game as a ranked team under Coach Matt Rhule. ... Anthony Russo threw two touchdown passes and Temple (5-1, 2-0 American) took advantage of four turnovers by No. 23 Memphis (5-1, 2-1) to pull a 30-28 upset. ... Desmond Ridder passed for 263 yards and three touchdowns and No. 25 Cincinnati (5-1, 2-0 American) held off Houston's late surge to beat the Cougars 38-23 in Houston.
Sports on 10/13/2019