DALLAS - It was fun to talk about the Heisman Trophy for a while. It probably won’t come up in conversation at Texas again any time soon.

The leading rusher in the nation before Saturday’s game against No. 2 Oklahoma, Cedric Benson needed big numbers to solidify his position as a serious candidate to become the third Longhorn to win the trophy.

Turns out, he wasn’t even the best running back on the field in a 12-0 loss.

Benson had created a stir earlier this season when he said he would rather win the Heisman than beat Oklahoma.

And while he finished with a respectable 92 yards rushing and 33 receiving, he won’t be the running back everyone remembers from this game.

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Oklahoma freshman Adrian Peterson outclassed Benson with 225 yards in his Red River Shootout debut. He displayed a blend of power and speed that Benson couldn’t match.

“A lot of people put a lot of things on this game, saying this game would make or break the Heisman for me,” Benson said. “The season’s not over. We’ll see how it turns out.”

Benson’s numbers were far below his 186.5-yard average. His longest run was 22 yards and he missed getting into the end zone for the first time in 12 games.

Benson has never done much against the Sooners. He got in for only one play as a freshman in 2001 and had totaled just 75 yards in 2002 and 2003. He had considered turning pro after this season but decided to stay for his senior season.

His career numbers will show he’s been one of the best in Texas history. He recently moved past Earl Campbell for No. 2 on Texas’ career rushing list and his 4,544 yards rank second only to childhood idol Ricky Williams (6,279).

But Benson’s legacy will include his winless streak against the Sooners.

“I thought about that a few times” before the game, he said. “I guess that’s the way it was meant for me and some other seniors on this team.”

Benson didn’t get much help.

The No. 5 Longhorns continued to struggle throwing the ball. Vince Young passed for just 86 yards and was sacked three times. The Longhorns’ leading receiver this season, Tony Jeffery, had just one catch for four yards.

With no passing threat, the Sooners had an easy time stacking the line of scrimmage to stop the nation’s leading rushing attack.

The Longhorns couldn’t even claim a moral victory after last season’s 65-13 loss. They kept it close but were shut out for the first time since 1980.

“I never thought we’d get shut out,” Benson said. “We were moving the ball at times. We just didn’t score.”

Coach Mack Brown kept waiting for the Longhorns to break a long run or pass to take the lead.

“This is a better team than we had last year,” Brown said. “I really felt like we’d win the ball game. I thought we’d make a play somewhere.”

Benson had tried to dismiss the Heisman talk before the game, saying he’d rather win a national championship. Saturday’s loss makes that hard because it gives the Sooners the edge in the Big 12 South.

The Longhorns have made it to the league title game only once in Benson’s career, in 2001 when he was a freshman. Texas got into that game because of an Oklahoma loss, but the Longhorns ended up losing the title game to Colorado.

Benson watched the end of that game from the bench with a neck injury.

Even if the Heisman is off the table, Benson said he and the Longhorns can still get back into the mix of the Big 12 and national title race.

“It’s a long season,” he said.