DALLAS (FWAA) The Texas Longhorns (4-2) ended the three-year drought against archrival Oklahoma, never trailing in a 36-20 win in the Red River Rivalry played in Dallas. The win kept Texas undefeated in Big 12 play and earned it the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 12.
The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George.
Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown combined for 243 rushing yards as each topped 100-yard mark as part of 445 total yards. Never before had two Texas backs each run for more than 100 yards vs. Oklahoma. On the afternoon, four different Longhorns scored, including Chris Whaley on a 31-yard interception return and Daje Johnson on an 85-yard punt return. The Texas defense held Oklahoma to 263 total yards, its lowest output in the series since 2005.
"When you can stay balanced, you win football games," Texas head coach Mack Brown said after the game. "I thought (offensive coordinator) Major (Applewhite) called a very good game today. ... When you stay ahead of the chains then you are going to get half of your third-down conversions."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 12 included:
Missouri (6-0): The Tigers stayed undefeated with their biggest win of the season, 41-26, at Georgia. Missouri led by 18 points in the first half before Georgia got within 28-26 in the fourth quarter. Receiver Bud Sasser threw a late 40-yard touchdown pass to L'Damian Washington as the Tigers weathered the absence of quarterback James Franklin, who left due to injury.
Utah (4-2): The Utes pulled off the biggest win in their three-year Pac-12 tenure, a 27-21 upset over No. 5 Stanford. Utah made a goal-line stand in the final minute to preserve its first win over a top-five program at home in school history and end Stanford's 13-game winning streak.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the ninth season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2013 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven games that have decided the college football national championship, including four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 1, 2014, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl will be played on Dec. 28, 2013, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization
founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For
more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.