Texas Cashes In for a Winning Walk : Longhorns: Gardere leads a fourth-quarter rally to upset the Sooners again, 14-13.

In reverent tones they talk about the Ramp, the long, much-traveled cement runway that starts within the innards of the aging Cotton Bowl and spills 76 paces later onto the field.

Every year since 1946, Oklahoma and Texas have met here, and every year the players have lumbered down that same walkway. They say you could ski down their goose bumps.

But the only stroll that matters to Oklahoma Coach Gary Gibbs, who played for the Sooners in the early ‘70s, comes after the game.

“Everybody talks about the great feeling walking down the ramp,” Gibbs told his team earlier in the week. “But the great feeling, man, is walking up victorious.”

Texas knows the feeling.

For the second consecutive year, the Longhorns used a fourth-quarter rally to defeat favored Oklahoma, this time, 14-13. It took a missed Sooner field-goal attempt at game’s end to do it.

“We won the fight,” said Oscar Giles, a Texas defensive end. “We’ve won it two years in a row, and we’re going to continue to win it.”

The Sooners entered the game undefeated and ranked fourth in the nation. By the look of Gibbs, who sat slumped in the locker room, crimson pants on, shirt off, his eyes staring straight ahead, the Sooners left in shock.

All afternoon Oklahoma (5-1) had dominated Texas (3-1). Pick almost any category--first downs, rushing yardage, total offense, possession time, turnovers recovered--and the Sooners could claim superiority. But when it counted most, Oklahoma found itself helpless.

“It was looking down and dismal for us,” said Johnny Walker, Texas’ talented split end. “It looked like we were out of the game at that point.”

Not exactly. Trailing, 13-7, with about seven minutes to go, the Longhorns began a drive on their nine. Thirteen strange plays later, Texas had a touchdown and a one-point lead.

The Longhorns were aided by fate, by silly Oklahoma mistakes, and by Texas quarterback Peter Gardere, who knows how to read a blitz with the best of them.

-- By fate : Freshman running back Butch Hadnot wasn’t supposed to see much playing time Saturday. But when starter Phil Brown went out with a slight knee strain on that final Texas drive, in came Hadnot. He responded with runs of 21, 10 and two yards, enough to help move the Longhorns into scoring position.

-- By mistakes : The Sooners helped with facemask and pass interference penalties on the drive.

-- By Gardere : On fourth and seven at the Sooner 16, the sophomore quarterback noticed Oklahoma’s defense slip into a blitz. That left flanker Keith Cash open in the end zone. Touchdown.

For history buffs, the score came with two minutes remaining. Last year, Gardere ended a similar game-winning scoring drive with 1:33 left.

Oklahoma had its chance. The Sooners started at their 20 and moved to the Texas 29-yard line as the clock ticked toward zero. In rushed kicker R.D. Lashar for a 46-yard attempt.

Snap. Kick. Miss.

“My heart stopped,” Walker said.

So did Lashar’s. He thought he had made it.

Adding some spice to the postgame session was freshman quarterback Cale Gundy, who replaced starter Steve Collins in the second quarter. Gundy stood in the middle of the Oklahoma locker room and told anyone who would listen that Sooner coaches were too conservative in the play selection on the failed scoring drive.

Gundy, one of the country’s most recruited passers, wanted to throw more in that final one minute 50 seconds. Sooner coaches called six running plays and four passes.

“That’s not really too much of a two-minute drill to me,” Gundy said. “I guess I’m not used to that.”

Gundy said that the Sooners throw 250-300 passes each day in practice, “but we get in the game and we don’t throw at all.”

The Sooners still win and lose by the run, no matter who takes the snaps.

Oklahoma’s first score, a 47-yard field goal by Lashar, came after eight consecutive running plays.

The score, which came with 8:29 left in the first quarter, was made possible by Gardere, who fumbled away the ball on the Longhorns’ second play of the game.

Texas responded with a score. Gardere hit Chris Samuels with a 34-yard pass. Gardere found Adrian Walker open at the Sooner eight-yard line. Then, on third and goal, he lofted a touchdown pass to tight end Kerry Cash with 5:14 remaining in the quarter.

Things remained quiet until midway through the second quarter. That’s when Gibbs, weary of watching Collins move the Sooner offense nowhere, inserted Gundy. Passes galore, right?

No. Gundy did nothing more than stuff the ball in the stomachs of Oklahoma’s revolving backfield. Starting at the Sooner 42, Oklahoma ran 12 consecutive rushing plays, seven of which gained five yards or more. Nearly 6 1/2 minutes later, Dewell Brewer broke free for a nine-yard touchdown run. The Sooners led, 10-7.

The lead grew to 13-7 late in the third quarter. Oklahoma dominated the quarter, running again and again and again. At one point, the Sooners rushed 15 times in a row, 29 if you stretched the streak back o the second quarter.

Despite the rushing success, it wasn’t until Oklahoma recovered another Longhorn fumble at the Texas 35 that it was able to score. Five plays later, Lashar kicked a 26-yarder with 16 seconds left in the quarter.