DALLAS, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Quentin Griffin ran for a career-best 248 yards and scored two touchdowns Saturday as No. 3 Oklahoma defeated the second-ranked Texas Longhorns, 35-24, in a mistake-filled Red River Shootout.
Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0 Big 12 South) overcame four interceptions by Nate Hybl and has defeated the Longhorns (5-1, 1-1) three straight times for the first time since 1986-88.
The Sooners survived thanks to an opportunistic defense that intercepted Chris Simms three times, adding another forgettable afternoon to the southpaw's resume against elite teams. In four games against top-10 schools, Simms has thrown 14 interceptions with no touchdown passes.
"It's a horrible disappointment. I felt we were in control for most of the game and it slipped way," said Simms, who completed 12 of 26 passes for 156 yards. "I don't know if anyone in this room wanted to win this game more than me."
The one solace for Simms were one-yard touchdown runs in the first and fourth quarters.
Texas Coach Mack Brown lost his sixth straight game to a top-10 foe.
"We lost this game last year and still had a chance to play for the national championship," Brown said. "We have to get back to work and win next week."
Oklahoma rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second quarter but trailed at halftime for the first time since the 1999 Independence Bowl.
Griffin carried 32 times and broke his career high of 237 yards, set in the season opener against Tulsa.
"It really feels great to do this against a great football team like Texas," said Griffin, who scored six touchdowns against the Longhorns two years ago. "Our offensive line knocked their guys off the ball."
Griffin scored his first touchdown when he scooped up a fumble by teammate Will Peoples following a completed pass and danced two yards into the end zone. The touchdown followed Simms' third interception.
"I saw Will drop the ball. I thought it might have been incomplete," Griffin said. "I just picked it up and ran it into the end zone and hoped they would give it to me."
The touchdown began a 21-point fourth quarter for Oklahoma and coach Bob Stoops was more than happy to be the beneficiary of a favorable bounce.
"I'll take all the Sooner magic I can get," Stoops said. "We fumbled on that play. Will fumbled, but Quentin was right there to pick it up."
Griffin scored on a 17-yard run with 3:02 left to give the Sooners a 35-17 lead. Kejuan Jones had gone in from two yards with 6:41 to play.
Hybl was just 12 of 29 for 131 yards and the Longhorns turned his turnovers into 17 points.
"I was struggling at times and the crowd was kind of getting to me," Hybl admitted. "We just kept executing our game plan and we got Quentin to start making some big runs. We stayed positive the whole game, even when we were behind."
Hybl floated a pass that Rod Babers returned 73 yards for a touchdown to give the Longhorns a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.
But Antwone Savage returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to the Texas 16 and Hybl threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Trent Smith. The two-point conversion toss to Curtis Fagan with five seconds left in the period sliced the margin to 14-11.
The drive was kept alive when Texas jumped offside on fourth and three.
The only scoring of the third quarter were field goals of 36 yards by Texas' Dusty Mangum and 37 yards by the Sooners' Trey DiCarlo. DiCarlo also had a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Texas stil has a 55-37-6 lead in the series.
