ARLINGTON, Texas — Upon further review, there is a football god.
Clearly, he wears burnt orange.

How else to explain what happened in the final tick of the clock of Saturday night’s Big 12 Championship Game?
How else to measure Texas’ life-after-apparent-death 13-12 victory over Nebraska?
How else to weigh Hunter Lawrence’s 46-yard field goal that likely will send the Longhorns to the BCS national title game?
How else to define the ending’s extreme swing of emotions?
The jubilation on the Cornhuskers’ part, a celebration that came to a sudden halt. The horror that any Longhorns fan watching the clock had to feel.
And last, but far from least, the ecstasy followed by agony that TCU must have felt, knowing that the Frogs were one second from their wildest dream.
For Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, it was supposed to be a night of Heisman reaffirmation. Instead, McCoy spent far too much of his night ducking and dodging and being swung to the turf by Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh and Barry Turner.
McCoy threw three interceptions. The lone Texas touchdown drive was set up by a short Nebraska punt.
But it was his final regular-season snap in a UT uniform that was so unlike Colt McCoy.
Eight seconds were left when the senior quarterback went back to pass. He rolled from the pocket and began to look, look, before finally throwing the ball out of bounds.
Every eye in the stadium immediately turned to the clock. Most of us saw it just as it turned to 0:00.
The Nebraska bench rushed onto the field. The guy with the big “N” flag began to dash across the end zone.
There was confusion. Delirium.
Across the field from the celebrating Cornhuskers, the arms of Texas were flapping. The jaws of Texas were barking.
Suddenly, the football gods were putting 1 second back on the clock. No clear explanation was given.
In the postgame interview room, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was asked a blunt but appropriate question:
“A question that begs to be asked, Bo, do you think Texas got a little bit of home cooking there at the end?”
Pelini answered, “No comment.”
When asked what was the referee’s explanation, Pelini said, “I haven’t gotten an explanation. I just heard it came down from the replay booth.
“I’m not going to answer any more questions about officiating or that call. Ask me about the football game. It was a hell of a football game.”
Pelini couldn’t have been more correct. What was expected to be a mild mismatch between the Big 12 North champs and the No. 3-ranked team in the land turned, instead, into a heavyweight title fight.
Both defenses threw haymakers. Smothered running backs. Hunted down quarterbacks.
With all apologies to McCoy and his Heisman candidacy, this Texas team’s title hopes have always ridden on the backs of its defense.
The Cornhuskers ended the night with only five first downs and a mere 106 yards of offense.
But Nebraska all but matched the Longhorns.
Alex Henery’s fourth field goal of the night gave the Cornhuskers a 12-10 lead with only 1:44 to play.
But when Adi Kunalic angled the ensuing kickoff out of bounds and allowed the Longhorns to start at their 40, the stage was set for the frantic finish.
On this night, even Jerry Jones’ giant video board was no help. While Cornhuskers celebrated and order briefly ran amok, no replay was shown of McCoy’s final pass.
On an incomplete pass, the clock is supposed to stop when the operator sees the ball hit the ground.
If he stopped the clock according to the rules, how can another official determine that it was stopped prematurely?
Upon further review, nonetheless, the Longhorns lived to play another second.
Texas fans sighed in relief, then celebrated when Lawrence’s winning kick tucked inside the goal post by about two feet.
Apparently, there is a football god. His name appears to be Bevo.
For a guy whose clock management came one tick from blowing a shot at the national championship, Texas coach Mack Brown seemed surprisingly celebratory.
But so went the ending.
Ecstasy to agony. From Lincoln to TCU.
The Longhorns probably are headed for Pasadena, Calif., to play for the national title.
And the Heisman candidate quarterback needed all the help that his defense and the heavens could muster.