No. 17 Oklahoma 34, Texas Tech 24

Saturday, November 11th 2006, 9:45 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Paul Thompson threw for a career-high 309 yards and 2 touchdowns and freshman Chris Brown scored twice in the 4th quarter as #17 Oklahoma rallied to beat Texas Tech 34-24 Saturday night.

With their top two tailbacks injured, the Sooners' 15-game streak with a 100-yard rusher, the longest in the nation, was snapped. But Brown still gave them plenty of pop on the ground.

He broke through two tacklers, spun and then cut toward the middle of the field for a 40 yard score that put Oklahoma up 27-24 with 12:51 left. He then added a 2-yard plunge with 2:21 remaining that iced the game and provided sweet revenge for the Sooners (8-2, 5-1 Big 12), who lost at Tech last season on a disputed 2-yard run by Taurean Henderson as time expired.

Texas Tech (6-5, 3-4) missed a pair of field goals in the 4th quarter to aid Oklahoma's comeback.

With a chance to tie the game at 27, Alex Trlica was wide left from 28 yards out with 9:18 to play on a drive that started at the Oklahoma 35 after Joe Garcia recovered Manuel Johnson's fumble. Tech's Chris Parker and Johnson appeared to hit helmets on the play, and Johnson had to be carted off the field and taken to a waiting ambulance.

On Tech's previous drive, a 42-yard Trlica field goal was negated by a false start penalty, and he missed wide left from 5 yards farther back.

Oklahoma had averaged 207 yards rushing in its first 3 games without 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson. But this time, neither Peterson (collarbone) or his backup, Allen Patrick (right ankle), were available.

Thompson and Malcolm Kelly picked up the slack until Brown got going.

Thompson was 24-31 and Kelly had a career-high 11 catches for 153 yards. The two connected on a 40-yard touchdown pass 10 seconds before halftime to ignite a run of 24 straight points for the Sooners.

Brown finished with 84 yards on 16 carries.

Back to back Red Raiders penalties contributed 20 yards and a 1st down to the drive, and Thompson cashed in with a floating spiral down the left sideline after a pump fake.

Texas Tech opened a 24-10 lead with 1:43 left in the 1st half when Antonio Huffman intercepted Thompson's pass and returned it 54 yards down the sideline for a score. It was Thompson's first interception in 99 pass attempts dating back to the Texas game, Oklahoma's last loss.

Graham Harrell completed 26 of 48 passes for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns to Robert Johnson, from 30 yards and 6 yards.