Oklahoma roared into the Red River Rivalry like the winds sweeping down from the plains and upset Texas, 34-30, behind a heroic performance by quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Sooners’ defense wreaked havoc against the Longhorns (5-1, 2-1) and vaulted Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0) atop the Big 12 Conference. Oklahoma was in sync from the opening play and made a last-minute scoring drive that will go down in history as one of the classic moments in this heated rivalry.
The Longhorns’ defense was exposed by the first starting quarterback it played against in almost a month. Texas had not faced a starter since the Alabama game, and it showed. Gabriel picked them apart through the air and scrambled at will. The loss sent Texas into a bye week while it prepares for a road game against Houston on Oct. 21.
Sooners Upset Texas, 34-30
Longhorns Stumble Early
The rivalry game was pandemonium at the start for Texas. Quinn Ewers threw an interception on the second play from scrimmage and Oklahoma pounced on the mistake. The Sooners cashed in with a 5-play, 22-yard drive capped off by Gabriel’s 9-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead before the contest was two minutes old. Texas lost starting center Jake Majors to make matters worse and the Longhorns played the rest of the game with redshirt freshman Connor Robertson.
Ewers threw another interception on the Longhorns’ next drive. He was bailed out when Kitan Crawford blocked an Oklahoma punt and freshman Malik Muhammad recovered the ball in the end zone for a 7-7 score. Texas and Oklahoma seemed content to burn through the first quarter with numerous exotic formations and trick plays. While both teams were digging through the trick bag, the Longhorns took another hit when starting safety Jalen Catalon suffered an injury. Texas plugged true freshman Derek Williams into the lineup and hoped for the best against the red-hot Gabriel.
Oklahoma D On A Rampage
Oklahoma sacked Ewers five times to go along with the two interceptions. He managed to get in rhythm after the disastrous start. It appeared Texas had weathered the storm when he connected with tight end Gunnar Helm for a 22-yard touchdown pass and a 14-10 Longhorns advantage early in the second quarter.
The Sooners’ defense took control at that point. Linebackers Jaren Kanak and Danny Stutsman looked like Teddy Lehman and Brian Bosworth running around and hitting everybody wearing burnt orange. Kanak led all defenders with 13 tackles and had a sack while Stutsman registered nine tackles.
Ewers Knocked Around
The Texas offensive line was overmatched and outplayed. Ewers completed 31 of 37 passes for 346 yards but hit most of his targets near the line of scrimmage and let the receiver work for yardage. He turned the ball over on a fumble in addition to the two pickoffs. Oklahoma refused to allow Texas receivers open space downfield while the pass rush kept Ewers on the run and forced him into mistakes.
Oklahoma Head Coach Brent Venables and Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof have their team playing some of the best defense in the nation. The Sooners came into the Texas game ranked fifth in team defense allowing just 10.8 points a game. They made Ewers and the vaunted Texas offense look average.
Was it Really That Bad?
Yes, and maybe worse than it looked. The best thing Texas has going for it right now is time. The Longhorns have only two games left to play in October. They host BYU on Oct. 28 after the Houston game, so there’s time to get healthy and shore up the deficiencies.
The Longhorns entered this season with concerns about an experienced but young offensive line. Their receiving corps was a known commodity while the running backs were the biggest question mark. Somehow, they blistered Oklahoma’s elite defense for 527 yards of total offense but still lost the game. And so, for the first time this season, the Texas defense faces scrutiny.
The Texas defense lost the Oklahoma game. Freshman linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. had the lone sack of the game for the Longhorns. Gabriel was 23-of-38 passing for 285 yards and a touchdown, but he won the game with the ball tucked under his arm. He channeled his inner Kyler Murray and ran the ball 14 times for 115 yards and a touchdown. To make matters worse, the Texas defense was flagged for pass interference with 42 seconds left in the game to keep the Sooners’ game-winning drive going.
The Long Road Ahead
It’s never a good thing for Longhorn fans when the Sooners upset Texas. They have the next two weeks to stew over the bitter loss. That’s two weeks to wonder how they were shredded by the first solid quarterback they faced all season. Two weeks to contemplate how to improve a suddenly suspect defense, especially in the trenches where the Sooners pushed them around.
Everything that could have gone wrong for Texas did exactly that, like getting stuffed by Oklahoma on four consecutive plays during a goal-line stand from the Sooners’ 1-yard line. The Sooners looked more prepared and ready for the moment, and that should keep Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian busy for the next few weeks.
