DALLAS - Oklahoma didn’t waste any time after its 27-24 win over No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday looking ahead to what comes next.
That was by design. The Sooners know how quickly a season can slip if a huge rivalry win turns into a celebration that lasts too long. Peyton Bowen had that lesson in mind almost immediately, remembering what happened after Oklahoma’s 2023 Red River Rivalry victory, when Nic Anderson’s touchdown catch from Dillon Gabriel in the closing seconds sent the Sooners flying.
“We won it and we didn’t manage our success well,” Bowen said.
Two weeks after that 2023 win, Oklahoma, then ranked sixth, escaped UCF 31-29. After that, the Sooners lost to unranked Kansas and Oklahoma State.
This time, the message inside the room is to keep the moment in perspective and keep moving. Linebacker Owen Heinecke said the team’s response has to be about carrying over the details that helped beat Texas and not letting the result stand on its own.
“We like to say, well-managed success is harder than well-managed defeat,” Heinecke said. “So our goal is to come back Monday, celebrate the win, learn from the good and the bad.
Obviously Texas is a great team, but there’s gonna be a lot to learn from this game. And we’ve got to continue getting better every week and it starts Monday with practice and going in and continuing this disciplined, complimentary football that we played today.”
The Sooners now turn to No. 15 Kentucky, which visits Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Bowen said this team feels different from the 2023 group and stressed that Oklahoma’s focus has already shifted.
“I think we’re a different team,” Bowen said. “We’re a lot more together.
I think that we’ll celebrate today, do whatever, but Sunday comes and Monday comes, we’re on to Kentucky. Tomorrow we’re on to Kentucky.
Right now we’re on to Kentucky. … It’s our SEC (home) opener.
We’ve got to defend our house.”
Saturday’s upset was Oklahoma’s first regular-season win over a top-ranked team since beating Nebraska in 2000. That Nebraska team went on to win six straight and claim the program’s seventh national title.
After knocking off Texas, several Sooners said the challenge now is making sure the win becomes a step forward instead of the high point of the year. Cornerback Courtland Guillory put it plainly.
“We’re gonna do what we do,” Guillory said. “It was a big game, but we gotta put this behind us.
We’ve got a big game next week and the next week is another big game. It’s the SEC.
Every week is a big game. So it’s cool, clap our hands, we’re gonna throw this under the rug and we’re on to the next game.”
In Other News...
Kentucky Has A Real Week 6 AP Poll Respect Case
The Week 6 Associated Press poll once again turned into a reminder that rankings are about more than just what happened on the field last Saturday. Texas fell from No. 1 to No. 7 after a close loss, while Kentucky stayed buried lower than several other SEC teams with similar records, and James Madison still could not crack the top 25 despite being unbeaten. For Oklahoma fans, the most glaring wrinkle was familiar in a different way: the Sooners remained unranked even after beating the No. 1 team.
The bigger issue is what the poll seems to reward, and what it seems willing to overlook. Preseason expectations and strength of schedule appear to matter as much as recent results, if not more, which is why some teams get the benefit of the doubt while others do not. For Oklahoma, that leaves a clear opening to keep stacking wins and force the voters to eventually catch up, even if the respect does not arrive as quickly as the on-field resume would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas First Mississippi State Meeting Just Got More Interesting
Oklahomas first trip to Mississippi State now has a set kickoff, with the SEC slotting the Oct. 24 meeting for 2:30 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium. It will be the Sooners first-ever game against the Bulldogs, adding a fresh crossover to a schedule that already has plenty of intrigue as both teams navigate the stretch run of the season.
The matchup carries an extra layer because Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby will see Oklahoma and Brent Venables for the first time since leaving his job as the Sooners offensive coordinator. With both programs coming off recent on-field ups and downs and more games looming before then, this one already has the feel of a late-October game that could mean more than just another SEC date on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Turned Red River Into An SEC Statement Fans Will Love
The Red River Rivalry already carries enough weight on its own, but Oklahoma turned this years meeting at the Cotton Bowl into the kind of result that can linger well beyond October. Peyton Bowen gave the Sooners a huge lift on defense with an interception returned for a touchdown, and Tate Sandell finished the job with a 47-yard walk-off field goal that sent Oklahoma home with a win over the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.
It was the sort of performance that gets noticed well beyond the rivalry itself, and both players were rewarded for it when the SEC handed out its weekly honors. Bowen was named the leagues defensive player of the week, while Sandell earned special teams recognition, a fitting nod for a game Oklahoma turned into a statement in front of a national audience. [Read more 🡒]