"Prelude to A National Championship"
Top 10 Texas Longhorn games since 1995

Number 6:
#16 Texas 17, #14 Virginia 16
October 21, 1995 Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas)

In a pivotal game that ignited a six-game winning streak, a run to the final Southwest Conference Championship and a berth in the Nokia Sugar Bowl, Phil Dawson became the first Longhorns place-kicker to win a game on the final play when he connected on a 50-yard field goal into a stiff 20 mph headwind to lift No. 16 Texas past No. 14 Virginia, 17-16. It marked the first time in history that the Longhorns claimed a victory in a home game on the final play and only the second time on record that UT won a game as time expired. The Longhorns’ final series, a 14-play, 47-yard drive, was loaded with dramatic plays. With less than one minute left, UT was faced with a fourth-and-one at its own 43-yard-line. Wane McGarity kept the drive alive by diving over left tackle and barely getting the first down. After three incomplete passes, Texas was faced with a fourth-and-10 with 30 seconds left. James Brown patiently waited, stepped up in the pocket and found Mike Adams on the sideline for 12 yards and the first down. Brown stopped the clock by spiking the ball. With 10 seconds left, on a designed play, Brown then gained 11 yards on a keeper to set up Dawson’s dramatic kick.