Texas Tech, Trailing by 25, Rallies for Win

Taurean Henderson ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard burst in the final minutes, and Texas Tech rallied from a 25-point first-half deficit to defeat Kansas, 31-30, in a Big 12 Conference opener Saturday at Lawrence, Kan.

Texas Tech (3-1) scored 26 unanswered points against the Jayhawks (2-2), who did not score after halftime.

Henderson’s game-breaking run with 2 1/2 minutes remaining came three plays after Kansas’ Scott Webb hit the left upright on a 39-yard field-goal attempt. Two plays after Henderson’s long run, Jabari Smith secured the victory with the second of three interceptions by the Red Raiders.

Sonny Cumbie threw four interceptions for the Red Raiders, but also had two touchdown passes. He completed 28 of 52 passes for 356 yards with scoring passes to Trey Haverty and Jarrett Hicks.

Texas Tech’s offensive outburst came a week after scoring 56 consecutive points in a 70-35 victory over Texas Christian.

Webb also came up short from 45 yards earlier in the fourth quarter, part of the biggest comeback ever against the Jayhawks. Colorado rallied from a 19-0 deficit in the fourth quarter for a 20-19 victory in 1961.

After Charles Gordon -- a Jayhawk cornerback -- caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Adam Barmann, Kansas led, 30-5, with 48 seconds left in the second quarter. Gordon also threw a touchdown pass on a trick play.

No. 5 Texas 35, Rice 13 -- Cedric Benson rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown and Vince Young passed for three scores as the Longhorns blew past the Owls at Austin, Texas.

Texas (3-0) entered with the nation’s No. 1 rushing attack and Rice had the No. 1 rushing defense, but the Longhorns pounded the Owls from the start, grinding out 339 yards on the ground.

The Longhorns have won 37 of the last 38 meetings against Rice (2-1).

Benson had 169 yards in 18 carries in the first half. His second carry went for 57 yards to set up Young’s first scoring pass, a 10-yarder to Bo Scaife.

Rice had given up only 7.5 rushing yards a game in victories over pass-happy Houston and Hawaii.

Reality set in quickly against Texas, as Benson had 126 yards in the first quarter. Benson is the first Texas back to rush for more than 100 yards in the first three games of a season since Ricky Williams in 1996.

Baylor 37, North Texas 14 -- Dane King threw two touchdown passes in a 42-second span of the fourth quarter to secure the Bears’ nonconference victory over the Mean Green at Waco, Texas. Baylor (2-1) avenged a 52-14 loss to North Texas (0-4) last year.