The Texas Longhorns knew what was on the line on Saturday in the 119th Red River Rivalry matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners. A convincing win and the Longhorns could have strengthened their case as the best team in college football. But the Sooners, who came into the day undefeated, had other plans.
In what was a possible Big 12 Championship preview, fans at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas saw it all. Typical stars and alumni such as Matthew McConaughey and Baker Mayfield made sideline appearances, but it was the players who truly stole the show in Oklahoma’s thrilling 34-30 win over Texas.
Special teams kept Texas Longhorns’ hopes alive
Had it not been for the Longhorns’ special teams unit, Texas wouldn’t have had a chance to stick with the Sooners. Oklahoma allowed a fake punt conversion, had a punt blocked for a touchdown, and didn’t have enough leg underneath a 44-yard field goal attempt. It all amounted to a ten-point swing and massive shifts in momentum.
Yet, Texas’ special teams success wasn’t enough on a day when the Longhorns had other crucial mistakes offensively. This included failing to convert on four consecutive attempts at the 1-yard-line, leading to a turnover on downs. But it also didn’t help that Oklahoma had no troubles moving the ball.
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Dillon Gabriel wins battle of QBs vs Quinn Ewers
Both QBs had been playing well coming into the game, ranking as some of the best signal-callers in the nation. But Dillon Gabriel, who’s seen action in 44 games, has a lot more experience than Quinn Ewers (16 games), and it showed.
Despite facing pressure from the Texas pass rush, Gabriel didn’t flinch, stepping out of the pocket to keep the chains moving without committing turnovers, unlike his Longhorns counterpart. Meanwhile, despite having just six incompletions all afternoon, Ewers threw two costly interceptions and took five sacks, handcuffing the Texas O.
While both players gave their teams a fighting chance, it was left up to Gabriel with the Sooners trailing 30-27, with just 77 seconds left in regulation. The Sooners QB was nearly flawless, leading a five-play, 75-yard drive capped off with a three-yard touchdown strike to Nic Anderson, giving the Sooners the lead for good.
The loss moves the all-time series record to 63-51-5 in the Longhorns’ favor.