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AUSTIN, Texas (Ticker) -- Major Applewhite threw three touchdown passes and climbed up the record books as 10th-ranked Texas advanced to the Big 12 Championship Game with its fifth straight win, a 58-7 blowout of Texas Tech. Applewhite set the school record for touchdown passes in one season with 21, surpassing James Brown's mark of 19 in 1995. Applewhite's 39 career scoring tosses moves him into second place, 14 behind Brown's record. Applewhite completed 22-of-34 passes for 241 and three touchdowns for the Longhorns (9-2, 6-1 Big 12 South), who will make their first trip to the conference title game since winning the league's inaugural crown in 1996, 37-27 over Nebraska. Hodges Mitchell led the Longhorns' ground attack with 30 carries for 166 yards, increasing his total this to 1,237 yards which is the sixth highest total in school history. The junior scored on an 11-yard run with 1:42 left in the first half for a 38-0 lead. "It's a great feeling. We wanted to send the seniors out on the right note," Mitchell said. "We felt like winning the Big 12 South in our stadium would be a great thing." Montrell Flowers caught seven passes for 130 and two touchdowns. The second scoring reception was a 36-yard toss from Applewhite early in the fourth quarter for a 44-0 cushion. Kwame Cavil also caught a touchdown pass. The victory, Texas' third blowout of the season, was payback for last season's 42-35 setback to Texas Tech which killed the Longhorns' chances of advancing to the conference title game. "We had 37 minutes of possession. Last year, they had 37 minutes of possession," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "We took them out of their balance on offense and dominated time of possession, which I thought was the key." Texas, which outgained Texas Tech 504-160 overall, posted wins of 62-0 and 69-17 earlier this season against Baylor and Stanford. Texas Tech (5-5, 4-3) avoided the shutout midway through the fourth quarter when Sammy Morris scored on a 13-yard touchdown run, avoiding its first shotout against Texas in 17 years. Kliff Kingsbury completed just 5-of-19 passes for 87 yards while Morris carried the ball 13 times for 31 yards. "This is by far the best defense we've seen all year," Kingsbury said. "They brought a lot of pressure and did a great job of getting to me. They have a great squad." The Red Raiders suffered their worst setback since a 61-11 thumping by Miami on September 13, 1986. They need to defeat Oklahoma next week in order to be eligible for a bowl berth. "When you lose, and in the fashing you lost, it shatters your confidence," Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes said. "We just have to get the team's head up for next week."
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