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EVENTS
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SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington did a little bit of everything, while Texas counterpart Chris Simms couldn't get it done by himself. Harrington accounted for four three touchdowns and wideout Jason Willis scored on a four-yard run to lift 11th-ranked Oregon to a 35-30 victory over No. 12 Texas in a typically high-scoring Holiday Bowl. Harrington threw two touchdown passes, caught one and ran for another score as Oregon (10-2) posted the first 10-win season in its 105-year history. He completed 19-of-30 passes for 273 yards and was intercepted only once. Maurice Morris rushed for 26 times for 82 yards and caught five passes for 104, helping the Ducks win bowl games in consecutive seasons for the first time ever. Simms, the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, made his third straight start in place of the injured Major Applewhite. He was 17-of-33 for 245 yards as the Longhorns lost a bowl game for the second straight season. Simms was intercepted four times and hurt by several dropped passes. "I felt like we had good rhythm, but we just couldn't get it done," he said. "That's something that we've got to do. When we get down in areas to score we've go to get it done." Texas (9-3) tied it at 28-28 when Victor Ike returned a kickoff 93 yards with 9:25 left in the fourth quarer. Ike followed his blockers up the middle before breaking up the right sideline for the Longhorns' first kickoff return for a score since Johnny "Lam" Jones on October 28, 1978. "I don't think any loss is good for your program, but as long as your kids try as hard as they did tonight, I can live with it," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "I told them I wanted them to get back out on the field as soon as possible because the next pass thrown to them might be the touchdown." The Ducks answered on the ensuing possession as Harrington directed the go-ahead, eight-play, 68-yard drive. After Oregon was stopped on consecutive running plays, Willis took a handoff and trotted up the left sideline on an end-around. After a 19-yard kickoff return by Ike, Simms completed a 16-yard pass to freshman B.J. Johnson before scrambling for nine yards. Ike rushed two times and on third down, Simms threw to the end zone, where Oregon was called for pass interference, moving Texas to the 22 with 2:51 remaining. On first down, Simms found a Johnson open in the middle of the end zone. But his pass went right through the 6-1 receiver's hands. On the next play, Johnson dropped a pass at the 15 with open field ahead. After another incompletion, Simms spotted freshman Roy Williams in the left side of the zone, but his pass went off the fingers of the 6-5 Williams. "It cuts your heart a little, but we all make mistakes. I make mistakes," Simms said. Needing simply to run out the clock, Oregon gave the Longhorns another chance when linebacker De'Andre Lewis recovered Allan Amundson's fumble at the Ducks' 32. But Simms tried to force a pass and was intercepted by cornerback Rashad Bauman. "This is a big win for the program," Bauman said. "We need to beat a team like Texas. They're a good team and a good program, but my coach said we were playing a team, not tradition. We dominated them. We played well." This time, Oregon was able to run down the clock and took a safety while punting from the 13. After the ensuing free kick, Texas started on its 38 with 21 seconds left and Simms completed a 19-yard pass to Sloan Thomas. But Simms' final two passes were incomplete. Oregon took a 7-0 lead when Harrington capped an 80-yard drive with a one-yard toss to tight end Justin Peelle. The Ducks doubled the lead when receiver Keenan Howry tossed an 18-yard pass to Harrington with 2:19 left in the first quarter. Texas used a 21-point second quarter to take a lead into the locker room. Hodges Mitchell, who had 41 yards on 17 carries, put the Longhorns on the board with a three-yard run 4:21 into the period. He left in the third quarter with a knee injury, and Texas passed nearly every down in the fourth. "Hodges is the heart and soul of our team," Simms said. "When he came out it kind of put a damper on some of the guys on offense. We had to keep telling them we can win the game. It's so unfortunate. He's such a good player. I really feel bad for him." The Longhorns tied it at 14-14 on a four-yard scamper by Simms 4:14 before halftime. Two plays later, Greg Brown's 23-yard interception return gave Texas its first lead. The Ducks evened the score when Harrington hooked up with Morris for a 55-yard TD 2:28 into the third. Just over five minutes into the fourth, Harrington's nine-yard run gave Oregon a 28-21 advantage. |
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