Houston Gets a Lesson in Run-and-Shoot, 45-24 : SWC: Longhorns eliminate the controversy surrounding unbeaten Cougars’ NCAA probation and national title hopes.

Score one for college football’s traditionalists--and, whether they care to admit it or not, for Cotton Bowl officials.

Houston’s bid for a perfect season is history.

Texas, playing before a home crowd of 82,457, polished off the Cougars Saturday night, 45-24, handing Houston its first loss of the season after eight victories.

The victory gives the Longhorns, 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the Southwest Conference, the inside track to the Cotton Bowl, where the Southwest Conference champion--either Texas, Texas A&M; or Baylor--will face Miami or, as a remote possibility, Notre Dame.

The 14th-ranked Longhorns, their only loss coming to Colorado by seven points, have worked their way into the muddled national title picture, but still must face Texas Christian, Baylor and Texas A&M.;

As for third-ranked Houston, which entered the game as the only unbeaten and untied team in Division I-A, the game was a nightmare played out before the big Memorial Stadium crowd and a national television audience.

Unable to play in a bowl or earn the SWC title because of NCAA sanctions, the Cougars had hoped to use their run-and-shoot offense to show the world (or at least that segment with votes in the Associated Press poll) that they should be considered for the national championship.

But the run-and-shoot was nothing special Saturday against the top-rated defense in the SWC, and the Longhorns continuously burned a Houston secondary that includes two true freshmen and a sophomore.

David Klingler, Houston’s junior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate, had four passes intercepted and was knocked off his rhythm early by Texas’ blitzing linebackers.

Klingler wound up completing 22 of 52 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns, far below the numbers he had put up during Houston’s previous eight games.

Chuck Weatherspoon, Houston’s star running back, was limited to 50 yards in 15 carries.

And, all told, the Cougars had 391 yards of total offense after averaging 564 coming in.

“Texas gave a determined effort with their pass rush,” Houston Coach John Jenkins said.

“They put a lot of pressure on David all night and forced him into a bad game. But I added to that by forcing a lot of calls on offense in the second half looking for something big to happen.”

Still, the real defensive stopper for Texas might have been its offense. It wasn’t the run-and-shoot, but it was effective, eating up yardage (626) and time.

“I don’t think you shut them down,” Texas Coach David McWilliams said of the Cougar offense. “I think our offense got the ball, and they couldn’t take it away from us.”

Houston’s loss means that, for the first time since 1936, no team will go through the regular major college season unbeaten and untied. No. 7 Georgia Tech, at 8-0-1, is the only unbeaten major college team.

Officials had to clear thousands of Texas fans off the field in order to run the final play of the game.

Sophomore quarterback Peter Gardere, who has been as ordinary as Klingler has been flashy, completed 20 of 28 passes for 322 yards.

Running back Butch Hadnot, a true freshman, rushed for 134 yards in 23 carries and scored three touchdowns.

Texas’ defensive plan was clear from the beginning--disrupt Klingler--and the Longhorns were immediately successful with it.

Klingler turned the ball over on each of the Cougars’ first two possessions. His second pass of the night was intercepted by Mark Berry, and on the next Houston series, with the Cougars facing third down at the Texas six-yard line, Klingler fumbled under heavy pressure from a blitzing Brian Jones, Texas’ middle linebacker.

But the Longhorns couldn’t take advantage of either break, Gardere turning the ball over twice on an interception and a fumble.

Gardere’s fumble gave Houston the ball at the Texas 18, and, 10 seconds later, the Cougars were leading, 7-0, on Klingler’s 23-yard scoring pass to Manny Hazard.

Texas took the ensuing kickoff and produced its first sustained drive of the game. The Longhorns went 85 yards in 12 plays, taking 5:04 off the clock, with Hadnot running five yards for the touchdown.

The Cougars quickly turned the ball over again, receiver Tracy Good fumbling after a five-yard gain to the Texas 40. The Longhorns then drove the 60 yards to move in front, 14-7.

Klingler next took the Cougars to the Houston 21, where he wrecked the drive by throwing his second interception of the night, a pass straight to safety Lance Gunn in the end zone.

Taking possession at their 20, the Longhorns needed only 1:27 to reach the end zone again, Hadnot capping the drive with a one-yard run. Hadnot later scored on a three-yard run.