DALLAS -- The Texas Longhorns came into their annual showdown against the Oklahoma Sooners with a quarterback they could trust and a defense playing great under an aggressive new coordinator. Yet even after five solid wins, coach Mack Brown still wondered how good they were.

Now, everyone knows.

Trailing the No. 1 Sooners nearly all game, Colt McCoy and the No. 5 Longhorns grabbed control in the fourth quarter and refused to let go, pulling away for a 45-35 victory Saturday in one of the greatest games in the storied series between these Red River rivals.

Texas trailed by 11 twice in the first half and by eight in the third quarter before spoiling a fake punt and turning it into a go-ahead field goal. It was the first time all season the mighty Sooners were behind, and they answered by regaining the lead.

Then McCoy came right back with another go-ahead score -- and his defense kept Oklahoma's Sam Bradford from finding an answer. When Chris Ogbonnaya turned a play seemingly headed nowhere into a 62-yard gain, the Longhorns were headed to their biggest victory since knocking off Southern California in the January 2006 Rose Bowl, much to the delight of their half of the record crowd of 92,182 at the Cotton Bowl.

"It was a game when every time somebody made a play, the other team would get more excited," Brown said. "It was one of the greatest football games I've ever seen."McCoy's stewardship was terrific, the kind that will be remembered by Heisman Trophy voters. His numbers were good, too: 28-of-35 for 277 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers; he was sacked four times, but turned 14 rushes into 31 yards.

"We were able to attack, able to throw the ball," he said. "That was awesome."

Where Texas (6-0, 2-0 Big 12) vaults in the poll doesn't matter because if the Longhorns survive their upcoming schedule they will probably make it to the top eventually. They'll play host to No. 3 Missouri on Saturday, then to No. 17 Oklahoma State, followed by a road game against No. 7 Texas Tech.

Of course, they'll go into that stretch with the confidence of knowing they're on the inside track to a Big 12 title and perhaps the national championship. All from a team that, Brown said, "everyone has questioned ... including me."

History is on their side.

The last time Texas came out of this game undefeated was 2005, the season that ended with the Rose Bowl win and national title. And the last time the Longhorns knocked off the Sooners when they were No. 1 was 1963, the year Darrell Royal won his first national championship.

Bradford came in as the triggerman of an offense that seemingly scored at will. They were 5-for-5 in scoring on their game-opening drive and made it 6-for-6 Saturday, after Brown won the coin toss and surprisingly let Oklahoma have the ball first.

But new coordinator Will Muschamp's defense limited the Sooners (5-1, 1-1) to 48 yards rushing, which meant Bradford had to come through more than ever. He was still good (28-of-39 for 387 yards and five touchdowns), just not good enough to also overcome some breakdowns on defense and special teams.

"This is only one game and it's over now," Bradford said. "We can learn from our mistakes and refocus our efforts on the rest of our games from here on out. We still have a lot of football left to play."

Losing a key piece of their defense will make the rest of the season harder for the Sooners. Oklahoma middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds tore a ligament in his right knee early in the third quarter and is out for the season.

Texas 45, Oklahoma 35

Texas 3 17 10 15--45

Oklahoma 7 14 7 7--35

First Quarter

Okl -- M.Johnson 5 pass from Bradford (Stevens kick), 12:17.

Tex -- FG Lawrence 26, 6:41.

Second Quarter

Okl -- Broyles 8 pass from Bradford (Stevens kick), 13:14.

Tex -- Shipley 96 kickoff return (Lawrence kick), 13:02.

Okl -- Gresham 52 pass from Bradford (Stevens kick), 10:25.

Tex -- C.Johnson 1 run (Lawrence kick), 3:41.

Tex -- FG Lawrence 33, :00.

Third Quarter

Okl -- M.Johnson 14 pass from Bradford (Stevens kick), 11:45.

Tex -- Shipley 2 pass from McCoy (Lawrence kick), 5:33.

Tex -- FG Lawrence 28, 1:04.

Fourth Quarter

Okl -- M.Johnson 14 pass from Bradford (Stevens kick), 11:42.

Tex -- C.Johnson 1 run (Cosby pass from McCoy), 7:37.

Tex -- C.Johnson 2 run (Lawrence kick), 4:02.

A -- 92,182.

Tex Okl

First downs 23 20

Rushes-yards 35-161 26-48

Passing 277 387

Comp-Att-Int 28-35-0 28-41-2

Return Yards (-2) 36

Punts-Avg. 4-46.5 3-34.3

Fumbles-Lost 2-0 3-0

Penalties-Yards 6-55 10-73

Time of Possession 37:10 22:50

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Texas, Ogbonnaya 15-127, McCoy 14-31, C.Johnson 3-4, Chiles 2-1, McGee 1-(minus 2). Oklahoma, C.Brown 7-29, Murray 7-6, Loadholt 0-5, Gresham 1-5, Knall 1-5, Madu 2-3, Bradford 8-(minus 5).

PASSING -- Texas, McCoy 28-35-0-277. Oklahoma, Bradford 28-39-2-387, Team 0-2-0-0.

RECEIVING -- Texas, Shipley 11-112, Cosby 9-122, Ogbonnaya 4-27, Collins 3-10, Kirkendoll 1-6. Oklahoma, Iglesias 7-92, M.Johnson 6-85, Gresham 5-90, Broyles 5-61, Murray 4-56, Madu 1-3.