SPORTS - Edgar defends belt with TKO of Maynard (AP)

SPORTS - Edgar defends belt with TKO of Maynard (AP)

AP – Leonard Garcia, right fights Nam Phan in a featherweight bout where Phan won in three rounds before the …

By CHRIS DUNCAN, AP Sports Writer Chris Duncan, Ap Sports Writer – 21 mins ago

HOUSTON – Frankie Edgar was in trouble again in the first round against Gray Maynard, shaken by a hard right upper cut.

Just like he did on New Year's Day, Edgar rallied and this time, left no doubt to the outcome.

Edgar beat Maynard by technical knockout to defend his lightweight championship on Saturday night, finishing the challenger with a flurry of punches late in the fourth round.

The two were waited nine months for their third meeting. Maynard beat Edgar by unanimous decision in April 2008, and they dueled to a draw on New Year's Day, a match Maynard insists he won.

Maynard knocked Edgar down three times in the first round of their previous meeting, but Edgar managed to survive and earn the draw. This time, Maynard staggered Edgar with a vicious upper cut, then landed a flying left knee that cut open Edgar's nose.

"I don't plan it, believe me," Edgar said. "If I could walk away unscathed, I'd rather do that."

Maynard was frustrated that Edgar survived the early onslaught.

"He's a tough kid," Maynard said. "If there was a bat there, I would've hit him with a bat."

Edgar instantly recalled their last meeting, and that fueled his gradual comeback. Maynard seemed to back off in the second round, and Edgar started landing left-right combinations to climb back into the fight.

"That last fight we had, he hurt me in that first round," Edgar said. "I don't know, man, maybe I just want to make it exciting. Who knows?"

Edgar continued to land the combos at the start of the fourth round. Maynard went for a takedown and slipped, and Edgar took advantage, landing a hard right upper cut.

With Maynard off-balance, Edgar kept landing right hands and Maynard staggered backward. One more right dropped Maynard to the mat, and Edgar hammered him with left hooks until referee Josh Rosenthal stopped it with just over a minute left in the round.

Maynard vowed victory in August while sporting a T-shirt that read "Dethrone" across the front. Edgar also had a score to settle, looking to avenge his only professional loss.

Afterward, UFC president Dana White called Edgar the best pure boxer in the league.

"He moves well, he moves his head," White said. "He's a phenomenal athlete. He's got a huge heart and an incredible chin. What he pulled off was amazing."

In the other title fight on the card, Jose Aldo defended his 145-pound belt with a unanimous decision over Kenny Florian. Aldo (20-1) won his 13th straight bout and denied the 35-year-old Florian (16-6) his first UFC championship.

"I had to pace it a little bit," Aldo said through an interpreter. "I couldn't be as explosive as I wanted to be in the fight."

The 35-year-old Florian went the distance with Aldo, who's 10 years younger.

In June, Florian became the first UFC fighter to compete in four different weight classes when he beat Diego Nunes in his 145-pound debut.

Florian shoved Aldo into the cage in the first round and scored a takedown with about two minutes left. Aldo took control in the third round, hobbling Florian with a sharp kick to Florian's right knee. Aldo landed two punches as Florian limped away.

Aldo, a Brazilian expert in jiu-jitsu, started the fourth round with two hard punches, but Florian drove Aldo into the cage again. Florian missed on a kick and fell in the fifth round, and Aldo maintained top position for most of the rest of the match.

Before the decision was announced, Aldo climbed the cage and back-flipped off the top. All three judges scored the fight 49-46.

"It played out great," Aldo said. "He's a very strategic fighter, so he's a very smart and experienced guy. I just had to go in there and impose my game."

Also Saturday night:

_Joe Lauzon (16-5-1) got Melvin Guillard (46-10-3) to tap out only 47 seconds into the first round of their lightweight bout. Lauzon stunned Guillard with a left hook, knocked him down with a quick left jab and put Guillard in a decisive headlock.

_Featherweight Nam Phan (17-10) earned a unanimous decision over Leonard Garcia (19-8-1). Phan opened a cut under Garcia's right eye in the second round. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Phan, who avenged a loss to Garcia in December.

_Chael Sonnen (27-11-1) forced a submission from Brian Stann (11-4) in the second round of their middleweight bout. Middleweight champion Anderson Silva was sitting ringside, and Sonnen challenged Silva to a rematch. Silva beat Sonnen by submission last August.

The professional mixed martial-arts circuit returned to Houston for the first time since UFC 69 in April 2007. The event drew an announced crowd of 16,164.

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SPORTS - Rangers win 3-2 over Tigers in twice-delayed ALCS (AP)

SPORTS - Rangers win 3-2 over Tigers in twice-delayed ALCS (AP)

AP – The Texas Rangers react after defeating the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, in Game 1 of baseball's American League …

By STEPHEN HAWKINS, AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins, Ap Sports Writer – 14 mins ago

ARLINGTON, Texas – After the rain, the Texas Rangers opened the AL championship series by beating Justin Verlander once again.

Nelson Cruz broke a postseason slump with a home run that helped boost the Rangers over the Tigers 3-2 Saturday night as rain followed the Detroit ace and caused nearly two hours of delays.

The defending AL champion Rangers scored all their runs off Verlander before the game was interrupted twice for a total of 1 hour, 50 minutes in the top of the fifth. The final out wasn't until 12:03 a.m. CDT.

"I think that this was a little bit of a weird night, obviously, with the rain the way it was," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

David Murphy hit an RBI single in the second and scored on Ian Kinsler's single, and Cruz's leadoff homer in the fourth made it 3-0.

"Definitely important to get it going," Cruz said. "As soon as I hit the homer, I thought it should be good enough, the way C.J. was throwing. And with the bullpen we have, we were lucky enough for it to be enough."

In between the delays, Austin Jackson doubled in a run and scored on a wild pitch by Rangers starter C.J. Wilson. Alexi Ogando, who got all three of the Rangers' regular-season wins over Detroit this year, pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Neftali Feliz, clocked at up to 101 mph, worked the ninth for his fourth save this postseason.

Game 2 is Sunday night. Derek Holland starts for Texas against Max Scherzer, who pitched 1 1-3 innings in relief for the Tigers in their AL division series clincher Thursday night against the New York Yankees.

Texas faced Verlander only once during the regular season, a 2-0 Rangers' win on April 11 when Verlander lost despite pitching a six-hitter.

The likely AL Cy Young Award winner was 24-5 during the regular and had been 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his three previous career starts at hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark, allowing three runs in 21 innings. Texas matched that run total in four innings when it counted most.

"I thought tonight that his control was not good. His control was not very good," Leyland said. "He didn't really have his curveball going for strikes. He had a tough time with it. I think probably trying to overthrow it a little bit."

Verlander threw one inning and 25 pitches in the division series opener at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30 when that game was suspended by rain. Under a rules change adopted two years ago, postseason games are suspended when called instead of being cut short or wiped out.

Verlander came back and started Game 3, winning as he threw 120 pitches with 11 strikeouts over eight innings, and he threw 82 pitches in four innings against the Rangers before the first delay. He struck out five, including Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre in the first without allowing a run after his only two walks.

Leyland said the plan was for Verlander to go back in after the first delay. That all changed when the game resumed for good about two hours after his last pitch.

"When the second (delay) came about, that was a no brainer," Leyland said. `I think that this was a little bit of a weird night, obviously."

Mike Napoli had a leadoff single in the second for the Rangers, in their second consecutive ALCS after never winning a postseason series before last year. He scored when Murphy got the head of his bat on a low pitch and pulled it into the right-center gap, where the ball one-hopped the wall.

Cruz's drive leading off the fourth ended an 0-for-10 postseason slump and was his Rangers-record seventh postseason homer, one more than two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez.

Before the fifth inning, Rangers Ballpark groundskeeper Dennis Klein went out and spoke with plate umpire Tim Welke about the weather. There had already been a couple of short periods of rain before then.

A few minutes later, after Ramon Santiago led off the fifth with a double and while Brandon Inge was batting with a 1-0 count against Wilson, the intensity of the rain picked up. Welke then stopped the game for the first time and had the field covered.

Play was stopped for 41 minutes but the teams got only 13 minutes in before the tarp came out again. In between the delays, the Tigers scored twice and loaded the bases with two outs.

The rain delays were the first at Rangers Ballpark since May 24. This season was played during one of the hottest and driest summers ever in North Texas, including 27 games when the temperature was 100 degrees or more at first pitch.

Wilson, who had thrown 72 pitches before the first delay, threw 24 more during the short resumption.

On the first pitch after play resumed, Inge grounded out. Jackson followed with a double that rolled into a puddle by the wall in right-center field and scored Santiago. Jackson eventually scored on a wild pitch while Wilson loaded the bases on three walks before heavy rain started falling again.

Michael Gonzalez replaced Wilson and needed only two pitches to induce an inning-ending groundout by Alex Avila.

Ogando, a reliver-turned-starter who is back in the bullpen in the playoffs, struck out three over the sixth and seventh innings. While he was beating the Tigers during the regular season, the other Rangers pitchers combined to go 0-6.

"What a weapon to have," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

When Jackson struck out to end the sixth, Ogando hopped off the mound slapping his glove. He had a similar reaction when Martinez struck out to end the seventh.

Santiago led off the ninth with a bunt single before Feliz struck out the next three batters.

Rick Porcello, Detroit's scheduled Game 4 starter, had two scoreless innings after replacing Verlander. Leyland said the Tigers could alter their planned rotation for the rest of the series.

Ryan Raburn and Miguel Cabrera had consecutive sharp singles to left after Austin Jackson took a called third strike leading off the game. Raburn was playing left field and AL batting champion Cabrera batting third for only the second time this season after slugger Delmon Young was left off the ALCS roster because of an oblique injury on his left side.

Victor Martinez drew a walk on a full-count pitch that missed badly, Wilson escaped the first without giving up a run when Magglio Ordonez hit a chopper over third base. Adrian Beltre stepped on the bag and threw across the diamond for an inning-ending double play.

"The first inning was probably a huge key. We loaded the bases, and C.J. made a great pitch on Magglio, cut a fastball in," Leyland said. "That was obviously a huge inning. The ninth inning we always talk about, but tonight's game might have been the first inning — the first was a huge inning for us."

The Tigers again had consecutive one-out singles in the second, again without scoring.

Raburn had a leadoff walk in the third. Then after Cabrera took a called third strike, Martinez hit into another double play started by Beltre — the slick-fielding All-Star who in the AL division series clincher against Tampa Bay became only the seventh player ever to hit three homers in a postseason game.

Wilson struck out all three batters faced in the fourth before running into trouble in the wet and twice-delayed fifth.

NOTES: This was the ninth one-run game already in this postseason, the most since there were 11 two years ago, according to STATS LLC. ... Jackson, who was born and still lives in nearby Denton, had a tough start. After striking out on three pitches opening the game, he struggled with a wind-blown flyball in the bottom of the first. He went back, came in a few steps and the ball hit off the heel of Jackson's glove as Elvis Andrus reached second on the error.

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SPORTS - NFL mourns passing of Raiders owner Al Davis (AP)

SPORTS - NFL mourns passing of Raiders owner Al Davis (AP)

AP – FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 22, 1987 file photo, Los Angeles Raiders Managing General Partner Al Davis …

By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Oct 8, 3:46 pm ET

OAKLAND, Calif. – Al Davis was remembered Saturday as the AFL commissioner who helped lead the merger with the NFL that changed professional football forever.

He was praised as the trendsetting owner of the Oakland Raiders, who broke racial and gender barriers while winning three Super Bowl titles and preaching his mantra of "Just win, baby!"

Davis died at age 82, still called "Coach" by many of those around him. Coach Hue Jackson always used that respected title whenever he talked about Davis, saying there was no other owner in the NFL who could talk the intricacies of the game as well as "Coach Davis."

He died Saturday at his home in Oakland, while his beloved team was in Houston preparing to play the Texans. That Davis was not with his team was telling as he is believed to have missed only three games since joining the team as coach in 1963.

He did not appear at a single training camp practice this summer and missed a game in Buffalo last month.

"As he became older, he developed some health problems, and he just couldn't be out there each and every practice, like he used to be. That's too bad. But we all age, and things change," said Jim Plunkett, who won two Super Bowl titles after Davis revived his career by bringing him to Oakland. "But he never lost his love and his fire for the game. Just sitting in the box with him, even though he couldn't speak loudly, this year, he'd get his point across, telling everyone that they shouldn't have done this or they should've done that. He wasn't yelling anymore. But he was still into it."

Davis did attend Oakland's home game last week against New England, and Plunkett said he had a smile on his face when the Raiders led early. Oakland lost that game 31-19 to fall to 2-2, but this year's edition of the Raiders appears to be the best the team has had since losing the Super Bowl following the 2002 season.

"I sit in his box for every home game," Plunkett said. "I've gleaned so much from him. He talks about philosophies and how the game has changed, what each individual player means to a team, what they can do. An offense will huddle and come up to the line of scrimmage and right away, he can tell you what the next play is probably going to be, because he studies film so much. It was a joy being in that box. I learned so much from him, even after football."

Elected in 1992 to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Davis also was a trailblazer. He hired the first black head coach of the modern era — Art Shell in 1988. He hired the first Latino coach, Tom Flores; and the first woman CEO, Amy Trask.

"During this indescribably difficult time, let us all reflect upon what it means to be a Raider — let us all reflect upon how privileged we are to be Raiders — and let us all be Raiders," Trask wrote in an email to team employees on Saturday.

Davis was infallibly loyal to his players and officials: to be a Raider was to be a Raider for life.

"Forty eight years ago, I met Al, and every once in a while in your life, someone comes along that changes the direction of your life," Flores said. "He did that to me and changed the direction with his passion for the Raiders and professional football. He was a dear man, my mentor and most of all, my friend. I will miss him."

For decades, his team was one of the most successful in the game, living up to his trademark philosophy of "Just Win Baby." Since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, the Raiders have not had a winning record.

Jackson told the team of Davis' death at a meeting Saturday morning before a walkthrough and the players immediately reacted by calling Davis a "legend" and the greatest owner in history.

"He's one of the greatest sports icons ever," Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt said. "He will be greatly missed. He believed in me, he lived for us, now we have to play for him."

Even those who feuded with Davis remembered his positives. Marcus Allen was the most valuable player in the Raiders' last Super Bowl win in 1984. But he later was ordered to be benched for two seasons by Davis and ultimately released after the 1992 season for reasons never made clear. Davis' only comment: "He was a cancer on the team."

"It's a sad day," Allen said. "When you look at the landscape of the National Football League and what Al Davis did, it's immense.

It's no secret that we didn't see eye-to-eye at times, but I've always been grateful for the opportunity that he gave me, and I'll always remember that."

New England coach Bill Belichick recalled last week his interview with Davis for the head coaching job after the 1998 season. He called it the most unique interview he ever had with an owner because of how much of time was spent on strategy and scheme that only a coach could really grasp.

"They have their style of play, they have their way of doing things," Belichick said. "As much as you can say this is a copycat league and things like that, you can't really say that about them because they've done the same thing now for decades defensively and to a certain extent, offensively."

Davis was known for taking care of his former players, and Clem Daniels called him a "father figure." Raiders assistant Willie Brown, whom Davis acquired in a trade from Denver, said becoming a Raider was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"I've enjoyed every year of being here with him, and it's a loss not only to the Raider organization, but to all of America," Brown said. "People love the Raiders, and every time they think of the Raiders, they think of Mr. Davis. He was a great leader on and off the field, and he took care of a lot of people in his lifetime. He helped guys off the field, not only guys that played for him but also guys that played for other teams. It's a sad day in the Raider Nation, but we must go on."

Fans dressed in Raiders jerseys quickly made their way to team headquarters in Alameda, where a black flag with the team logo flew at half-staff and a makeshift memorial formed at the base of the flag pole. There was a tombstone on the Raiders' website for Davis.

The memorial included a framed photo of a younger Davis. A simple cardboard sign read: Thank you Al Davis. 1929-2011, God Bless, Rest in Peace.

___

AP Sports Writers Chris Duncan, Janie McCauley, Stephen Hawkins and AP freelance Michael Wagaman contributed to this report.

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SPORTS - Two franchises fortunes changed in 2006 game (AP)

SPORTS - Two franchises fortunes changed in 2006 game (AP)

AP – San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, left, throws around Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor …

By ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton, Ap Pro Football Writer – 1 hr 58 mins ago

DENVER – The San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos have met 102 times. None was more monumental than a game five years ago that altered the fortunes of both franchises.

Both teams took a 7-2 record into that cool November night, and when the late Darrent Williams returned an interception for a touchdown, the Broncos were up 24-7 and looked poised to make another deep playoff run.

The Chargers stormed back behind four touchdowns by LaDainian Tomlinson to stun the Broncos 35-27, and neither team has been the same ever since.

While the Chargers changed coaches after that season, Norv Turner's in his fifth year, Philip Rivers has developed into one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks and San Diego has celebrated four division crowns.

The Broncos have gone through three coaches, three quarterbacks and plenty of heartache.

The Chargers are 50-24 with four playoff appearances since that terrific turnaround and the Broncos are 30-44 without so much as a winning record over the past half decade.

"Those records speak for themselves," Champ Bailey said as the Broncos, who are 1-3 and once again the division's doormat, prepared for a visit Sunday from the AFC West-leading Chargers (3-1). "They took off in the right direction and we haven't.

"The past is the past. We need to start making things better now and not worry about the past."

Try as he might, Bailey can't forget that game.

"I just remember how much energy we had in the first half," he said. "Second half, it was almost like a new team came out of the locker room for them. They were all over us."

Rivers also remembers it like it was yesterday.

"It was my first year starting, and it was a memorable game for the reasons you mentioned — you're down 24-7 and you've thrown a pick for a touchdown and we found a way to come back and win," Rivers said. "It was my first time playing in Denver. It was certainly a good memory from that game."

Rivers said Denver "has always been one of my favorite places to play."

And why not? He's 4-2 in the Mile High City — and would be 5-1 if not for referee Ed Hochuli's errant call in 2009 that helped the Broncos prevail 39-38 and led to a rule change the following season.

Neither team made the playoffs last season, but while the Chargers have reversed their trend of slow starts and once again look like the class of the division, the Broncos are in rebuilding mode with just four of former coach Josh McDaniels' 19 draft picks starting.

The Broncos have allowed 1,001 yards passing over the past three weeks, coinciding with Bailey's absence with a pulled hamstring. That's the biggest total over a three-game stretch since way back in 1964.

Bailey is coming to the rescue, insisting he'll play Sunday, when safety Brian Dawkins might be out.

"Him and B-Dawk are the backbones," rookie safety Rahim Moore said. "It's a great thing that he's back. I'm just blessed to be able to play with him again, I missed him."

But who will line up with Bailey to face Rivers and his repertoire of receivers?

On Thursday, the Broncos were missing both of their starting safeties as Dawkins sat out with an ankle injury and Moore was sick. So was nickel back Jonathan Wilhite, who missed his second straight practice.

Second-year pro Cassius Vaughn had a tough game at Green Bay last week and could be supplanted by undrafted rookie Chris Harris on Sunday. Rookie safety Quinton Carter is expected to at least replace Dawkins on some passing downs if not altogether.

"This is professional football. You've got to keep it moving as fast as possible and hopefully we can bring those guys along so that they're seeing it just like those veteran guys are seeing it," Broncos secondary coach Ron Milus said.

The hodgepodge of defensive backs at practice made preparing for Rivers doubly difficult, cornerback Andre' Goodman said.

"At the end of the day, the game is about matchups and what kind of concepts you're seeing. You have to see those concepts in live action before you can just throw yourself out there," Goodman said.

"It makes it a little bit tougher, but again, this is the professional level. You have to get your job done by any means necessary no matter how tough it gets. And right now we're in a tough spot."

Goodman said the young DBs have studied him, Dawkins and Bailey to see how they need to prepare to face Rivers, who owns an 8-2 record, 18 touchdown passes and a 112.4 passer rating against Denver to go with just five interceptions.

"You can't just show up and say, 'Look, I'm pretty fast. I'm pretty quick. I can jump,'" Goodman said.

"Athleticism is the last thing in this league that you're going to win with. Talent is the common denominator in the league. So, we have to learn how to anticipate stuff by studying more."

Goodman at least took solace in Bailey's impending return.

"It's comfort and chemistry," he said. "It's not different than No. 20 (Dawkins). When you go on the field with those guys, you feel it, it's electric. I mean, you know those guys are going to get their job done and you don't have to worry about OK is he a 50-50 guy or is he an all-in guy? These guys are all in."

___

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed. Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

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SPORTS - Keselowski dominates Nationwide race at Kansas (AP)

SPORTS - Keselowski dominates Nationwide race at Kansas (AP)

AP – Driver Brad Keselowski celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide auto race at Kansas …

– Sat Oct 8, 7:56 pm ET

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Brad Keselowski has a ready answer when fans ask him why he runs the Nationwide Series instead of concentrating solely on the Sprint Cup.

It isn't for the money, he says, and it isn't for a chance to test for Cup competition.

It's so his Nationwide crew, led by Todd Gordon, won't fall victim to the economic crunch that shadows even NASCAR's money-making machine. Call it "Occupy Pit Road," if you will — or in this case, "Occupy Victory Lane."

"Todd, without this program, would be laid off on unemployment," Keselowski said after winning Saturday at Kansas Speedway. "Because of (owner) Roger Penske, because of Discount Tire and all of us putting this program together, these guys are all out there working in tough times right now. It makes me very proud to be a part of this program."

Keselowski dominated, leading all but 27 laps on his way to victory.

"I think that car was spectacular," said second-place finisher Carl Edwards, who briefly held a late lead before Keselowsi pulled ahead for the last time. "He did a good job, too. I thought we were going to have a chance to race there pretty hard at the end, but once he got by me I couldn't do anything."

Keselowski, the Sprint Cup winner at the track in June, fell behind Edwards after a late caution, but pulled ahead with 11 laps to go and won by 2.795 seconds. Elliott Sadler was third, followed by Paul Menard, points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Brian Vickers, Trevor Bayne and Ryan Truex.

Keselowski, a four-time winner this year, only lost the lead twice over the course of the race, each time regaining it within 10 laps.

"You couldn't ask for more, that's for sure," he said. "This car was just hauling the mail. We have fast cars, good pit stops, all these things. Just an awesome day, very special. I wish I could have cars like this all the time."

Harvick's top-10 finish came after a day filled with repairs. He twice had to take his car behind the wall so his crew could fix the splitter.

"I don't know if I could be any prouder," Harvick said.

With the third-place finish, Sadler narrowed Stenhouse's lead in the standings to 20 points with four races to go. Still, the points leader was happy to finish in the top five after struggling on pit road.

"I stalled it once, got a penalty for speeding and had a slow stop," Stenhouse said. "To still come back and run top five is not too bad."

Reed Sorenson, who lost his ride with Turner Motorsports earlier this week despite sitting third in the standings, finished 26th in MacDonald Motorsports' second car and fell 70 points behind Stenhouse.

Edwards' second-place finish in Roush Fenway's No. 60 Ford narrowed the owner's points standings as well. The No. 60 trails Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 Toyota by seven points, after coming into the race down by 13. Logano drove the No. 18 on Saturday.

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SPORTS - Jones, D TDs lift No. 3 OU past No. 11 Texas 55-17 (AP)

SPORTS - Jones, D TDs lift No. 3 OU past No. 11 Texas 55-17 (AP)

AP – Oklahoma's Travis Lewis (12) dons the golden sombrero and celebrates after beating Texas 55-17 in an …

By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer Jaime Aron, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Oct 8, 6:04 pm ET

DALLAS – Travis Lewis took the Golden Hat trophy and treated it like a real hat, holding it to his head as he trotted along the field, waving to the thousands of Oklahoma fans still in their seats. When he got to the section where friends and family were sitting, Lewis walked alongside the railing, holding out the trophy for folks to touch.

So many people starred in this resounding victory that it only made sense for plenty of people to take part in the celebration.

Landry Jones threw three touchdown passes, Dominique Whaley ran 64 yards for a touchdown and three defensive players found their way into the end zone, too, powering No. 3 Oklahoma to a 55-17 victory over No. 11 Texas on Saturday — the kind of whipping that could help the Sooners return to the top of the poll.

OU was No. 1 from the preseason until two weeks ago. The Sooners slipped to second after struggling at home against Missouri, then to third even after whipping lowly Ball State. Voters were more impressed by what they saw from SEC heavyweights LSU and Alabama.

This performance, however, showed that Oklahoma is as good as folks originally thought.

The Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) were precise on offense and swarming on defense. They scored the first four times they had the ball and cruised to leads of 24 at halftime and 45 midway through the fourth quarter. Texas' only touchdown on offense came in the final minutes, long after Oklahoma was on its way to the most lopsided win over its Red River rival since 2003, when it won by a series-record 52 points.

"It was an excellent day," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "To come down in here in this situation and win like that is really pretty special."

Jones was 31 of 50 for 367 yards and no turnovers. He improved to 2-0 against the Longhorns, and gave Oklahoma its third win over Texas in five years.

Oklahoma's most impressive feat was the three defensive touchdowns: an interception returned 55 yards from Demontre Hurst, a sack-fumble returned 19 yards by David King and a vicious strip of a receiver taken 56 yards by Jamell Fleming . It was the first time in the school's long, proud history that its defense has scored three times in one game, and only the second time a pair of fumbles were returned for TDs. Oklahoma matched another school record with eight sacks.

"To me there is nothing more fun than a defensive touchdown when you're on that side of it," Stoops said.

Here's yet another nice bit of history for Sooners to savor: this win pushed Oklahoma ahead of Texas for the fourth-best winning percentage among major colleges. Only Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State are better. The Longhorns actually slipped from third to fifth.

Texas (4-1, 1-1) was trying to figure out how far it's come since being 5-7 last season. Now coach Mack Brown's knows his squad still has a ways to go, especially on offense.

Sophomore Case McCoy and freshman David Ash had their share of rookie mistakes at quarterback, such as McCoy losing two fumbles and Ash throwing two interceptions. Receiver Mike Davis was to blame for the pickpocket fumble.

The two times Oklahoma didn't immediately score on those turnovers, the Sooners still cashed them in for points, getting a field goal and a touchdown on the ensuing drives.

"You don't give yourself a chance to win," Brown said.

With the Sooners swarming running plays and getting heavy pressure on passes, McCoy and Ash couldn't keep drives going. The longest completions before the game turned into a joke were a screen for 15 yards and an 18-yarder along the sideline against a prevent defense in the final seconds of the first half.

How silly did it become? Late in the third quarter, Texas let a first-and-10 at the Oklahoma 15 turn into a fourth-and-49 from its own 47. The ensuing punt didn't even reach the first-down marker.

"You learn so much from a loss like this," Ash said. "You learn what it takes to play at the level Oklahoma plays. They're a great team. It's great to get exposed to that. We're a young team. The great thing is we have so much potential to become a really great team."

The Sooners were so ready for the Longhorns that they let them know it before kickoff. Oklahoma players lined up between the 30s and hollered at Texas players as they ran onto the field. Coaches and officials scrambled to maintain peace.

OU drove inside the Texas 10 on its first two series, but settled for field goals of 26 and 24 yards, seemingly bothered by the noise at the end of the field occupied by Texas fans. The Sooners moved into the friendly end for the start of the second quarter and, on the first play, Jones threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills.

Oklahoma got the ball back on an interception by Tony Jefferson, a defensive back who picked off passes on three consecutive series against Ball State. Jones threaded a 30-yard pass between two defenders on a third-and-25, then hit Ryan Broyles with a 5-yard pass just inside the right front corner of the end zone.

The play had to be reviewed, and Oklahoma fans used the break to start chanting "Boomer! Sooner!" Longhorns fans answered with their chant "Texas! Fight!" Their cries lasted longer and were louder than their foe's, only to end with the news that the touchdown stood.

Texas fans were hardly heard from again. Once Oklahoma got its third defensive score — the strip of Davis with 11:22 left — most folks in burnt orange headed out to drown their sorrows at the State Fair going on all around the Cotton Bowl.

Jones was 31 of 50 for 367 yards and no turnovers. He improved to 2-0 against the Longhorns, and gave Oklahoma its third win over Texas in five years.

Broyles caught nine passes for 122 yards, leaving him four receptions shy of the NCAA career record. He also tied a conference record with his 42nd career TD catch. Stills caught five passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns.

Whaley ran for 83 yards on 13 carries.

McCoy was 9 of 16 for 116 yards and three sacks. Ash was 11 of 20 for 107 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions and four sacks. Jaxon Shipley caught nine passes for 89 yards, including a 4-yard TD pass from Ash with 2:31 left. He took one snap at quarterback and was sacked.

Fozzy Whitaker had the 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, tying the school record. He also ran for 43 yards and caught a pass for 15.

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