AUSTIN, Texas (Ticker) -- Texas gave Nebraska a taste of its own medicine.
Behind a ferocious defense and the running of Cedric Benson and Vince Young, the 12th-ranked Longhorns routed the ninth-ranked Cornhuskers, 31-7, throwing the race in the Big 12 Conference North Division up for grabs.
"There were a lot of questions that we had in our two losses but they were answered today," said Texas coach Mack Brown, who posted a rare win over a top-10 opponent. "We just have to keep playing the way we did this afternoon."
Coming off a 56-0 victory at Baylor, Texas (7-2, 4-1 Big 12 South) came within a quarter of posting back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1982 against Texas Tech and Houston.
Nebraska, which has not been blanked since a 19-0 defeat at Arizona State on September 21, 1996, got its only score on Jammal Lord's 48-yard touchdown pass to Matt Herian with 11:58 remaining.
Benson, who sat out last week's game after being arrested on a charge of misdemeanor trespassing, rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He gained the majority of his yards in the second half, when the Longhorns wore down the Cornhuskers.
Young, starting his third straight game at quarterback, rushed for 163 yards on 14 carries, incluing a 65-yard touchdown that gave Texas a 14-0 lead with 4:42 remaining in the first half.
"Vince is an excellent quarterback," Nebraska quarterback Frank Solich said. "He is a big threat when it comes to running the ball because he can make you miss. He has great speed and size."
It marked the second time in as many games that the freshman ripped off a long TD run as he had a 64-yarder against Baylor. He surpassed the century mark in rushing for the third time this season.
"We came out with a mindset that we would not be defeated," Benson said. "Nebraska is a top-10 team and we wanted to win this game. I think this shows the character of our team. For me personally, it felt good to be back on the field."
"Our offensive line opened some holes and that allowed Vince and Cedric to combine for over 300 yards," Brown added. "It was a great win for us at this pivotal point in the season."
Nebraska (7-2, 3-2 Big 12 North) came into the game ranked third in Division I-A in total defense, allowing only 252.4 yards per game. But the Longhorns piled up 484 yards, including 353 on the ground, while holding the Nebraska to just 175.
The loss added to the Huskers' road woes, dropping them to just 1-8 away from home against ranked opponents under Solich.
The result also left Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas State and Kansas all with two losses in the division.
"I thought Texas played exceptionally well while we didn't respond with our best ballgame," Solich said. "We didn't tackle or block well. We weren't able to move the ball on the ground and our defense was on the field too much early in the game. Jammal had a lot of pressure on him throughout the course of the game."
Texas missed a chance to take the lead midway through the first quarter when Dusty Mangum's field goal was blocked by Trevor Johnson. But Benson got Texas on the board with a one-yard TD run with 2:24 left in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, Titus Adams intercepted a deflected pass, giving Nebraska possession at the Longhorns' 48-yard line. Lord's 42-yard completion to Herian gave the Corhuskers a 1st-and-goal.
But Nebraska could not punch it into the end zone on three rushing attempts and came away empty when linebacker Brian Robison blocked David Dyches' 21-yard field-goal attempt.
Nebraska, the nation's fourth-leading rushing team, was held to just 53 yards on the ground on 40 carries. Lord, who was sacked five times, was limited to just 22 yards on 21 attempts and completed just 5-of-15 passes for 122 yards.
Texas needed just two plays to extend its lead on Young's touchdown, his ninth of the season.
"We couldn't establish our running game today, so we need to go back and start with the bases," Herian said. "Texas is probably the best defensive team I've seen on the road. We just didn't get the job done."
Midway through the third, punter Kyle Larson fumbled a snap, giving the Longhorns possession at the Cornhuskers' 10-yard line. Nebraska's defense held and the Longhorns settled for Mangum's 24-yard field goal that made it 17-0 with 6:12 left in the quarter.
Herian's TD got the Cornhuskers back in the game, but the Longhorns put away the contest with a 10-play, 71-yard drive that took more than 4 1/2 minutes off the clock.
Benson's five-yard TD burst up the middle made it 24-7 with 7:29 remaining. His 12-yard TD scamper capped the scoring with 1:44 left.
"My week off helped me get my mind where it needed to be," Benson said.
