Johnathan Gray led Texas' tailback-by-committee with 74 yards and two touchdowns. (Getty Images)

TEXAS WON. The Longhorns went 47 yards out of the wishbone formation on the first snap of the game and never slowed down en route to their most lopsided Big 12 win of the season. With four consecutive wins since its humiliating turn against Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, Texas has snapped out of its October slump and appears to be hitting its stride in the stretch run.

HOW TEXAS WON: The Longhorns dominated offensively, racking up 609 total yards (222 rushing, 387 passing) and a 16-minute edge in time of possession without a turnover. Even when they didn't score, the Horns moved the ball: all but one Texas possession crossed midfield into ISU territory, the only exception coming on a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a punt from the UT 45-yard line. All four touchdown drives covered at least 60 yards.

Just two weeks removed from being benched in a narrow escape from Kansas, quarterback David Ash was nearly perfect, spreading 364 yards and two touchdowns among nine receivers on 25-of-31 passing. His pass efficiency rating, 200.6, climbed above 200 for the second week in a row.

WHEN TEXAS WON: Iowa State was never really in this game, falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, though they were able to remain within plausible striking distance thanks to a touchdown that cut the Texas lead to 20-7 just before the half. The Cyclones went nowhere in the second half, though, and the Longhorns put the game out of reach on a 13-yard touchdown run by freshman Johnathan Gray that extended the lead to 30-7 early in the fourth quarter.

WHAT TEXAS WON: After a dismal October, the Longhorns continued to pull out of the tailspin with their second solid, convincing win in as many weeks. At 8-2, the Longhorns have exceeded their regular-season win total in 2011, and still have designs on landing in a BCS bowl. More importantly, no one is questioning Mack Brown's job status.

WHAT IOWA STATE LOST: The 26-point margin is the Cyclones' largest of the season and leaves them with only two more chances to earn a sixth win for bowl eligibility: If it doesn't come next week at Kansas, loser of 19 in a row in Big 12 play, the odds against West Virginia on Nov. 23 will only get that much longer.