Tate Sandell had already lived through the nerves of one long kick and the sting of another when Oklahoma got one last crack at No. 1 Texas. This time, the 47-yarder on the final play split the uprights and turned the Red River rivalry upside down, giving the Sooners a 27-24 win Saturday in Dallas.
Oklahoma did it without much help from its offense, which kept sputtering all afternoon. The Sooners still found a way by cashing in on special teams and defense, with Dakoda Fields recovering a blocked punt in the end zone and Peyton Bowen taking an interception back 42 yards for a touchdown.
The win sent Oklahoma to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference, and it was the program’s first victory over a No. 1 team since a 38-17 win over Missouri in 2007. The Sooners had gone 0-4-1 against a top-ranked Texas team before this one.
“It was really a classic game of two really good programs in an incredibly intense environment,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said.
Texas had chances to escape. Gianni Spetic missed wide right from 53 yards with 1:55 left, and after Oklahoma’s offense went three-and-out for the seventh time, Arch Manning’s final throw was picked off by Courtland Guillory with 19 seconds remaining.
“It’s obviously a level of disappointment, there’s a level of anger and frustration because we know we have issues that need to be fixed and we’re working on those issues and trying to get them fixed,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “But they reared their ugly head today against a quality team.”
That last interception gave Oklahoma the ball at its 39-yard line, and instead of settling for overtime, John Mateer connected with Isaiah Sategna for gains of 13 and 20 yards on opposite sides of the field. Both catches survived replay review, and the Sooners set the table for Sandell, who had already made a 53-yarder and missed another from the same distance earlier in the game.
The game swung hard on the non-offensive scores. Fields’ touchdown off the blocked punt in the end zone erased Texas’ early lead, and Bowen’s pick-6 came with 10:07 left after Manning scrambled away from pressure and tried to hit Cam Coleman, who had already scored earlier. The ball went to Bowen instead, and Oklahoma led 24-17.
Texas answered with a 75-yard drive and tied it when Manning found Jermaine Bishop Jr. on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 6:32 left.
Manning finished 19 of 31 for 260 yards and three touchdowns, but his two interceptions loomed large. Mateer went 18 of 26 for 155 yards, and Oklahoma finished with just 238 total yards, far below its season average of 321 entering the game. The Sooners’ offense never really found a rhythm, but the other phases kept dragging them back into the fight.
Texas opened the scoring after a sluggish start from Oklahoma’s defense. The Longhorns didn’t pick up a first down on their first four possessions, then struck on the first play after a short punt when Coleman leaped for a 41-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 6:56 left in the first quarter.
Oklahoma’s first touchdown against Texas since Dillon Gabriel’s late pass to Nic Anderson in the 2023 game came on the blocked punt return by Fields, which happened early in the second quarter after Danny Okoye got to the ball before the Texas punter’s foot. Fields covered it in the back of the end zone to make it 7-7.
The Sooners’ only offensive touchdown came on Lloyd Avant’s 2-yard run that tied the game 17-17 just 12 seconds into the fourth quarter, set up by a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 9.
Texas came in having won seven straight, including four against ranked teams, and had sat at No. 1 since beating then-No. 1 Ohio State on Sept.
- The loss, and the inconsistency that had been building around the Longhorns, will send them tumbling in the next poll.
Oklahoma avoided a third straight Red River loss and kept Texas from making it three in a row in the series for the first time since 1997-99.
The Sooners will host Kentucky next Saturday night in their first SEC home game. Texas returns home next Saturday to face No. 16 Florida, which is 4-2 and has dropped two in a row.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Defense Suddenly Faces More Pressure Before Texas showdown
Oklahomas defense is heading into the Texas showdown with a little less certainty than it would prefer, as Eli Bowen has been listed as questionable for the matchup. Bowens status matters because the Sooners are already dealing with other absences and lingering doubts on that side of the ball, while a few players have at least moved into the probable category. It is the kind of pregame injury report that can quietly reshape a game plan before either team even takes the field.
Texas has its own availability questions, with a few players listed out or probable, but the Longhorns do have tight end Nick Townsend available to play. For Oklahoma, the bigger concern is how much margin for error remains if Bowen cannot go, especially in a game where every depth-chart adjustment gets magnified. The Sooners still have time to sort through it, but the pressure on that defense only feels heavier with kickoff getting closer. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Nation Just Handed Oklahoma Fresh Red River Fuel
The Red River Rivalry is still months away, but SEC Nation already delivered a little early bulletin board material for Oklahoma. On the shows 2026 game picks, Paul Finebaum and the rest of the cast lined up behind Texas, with Finebaum pointing to Oklahomas recent offensive struggles and the Longhorns more balanced profile as the reason for his pick.
For a rivalry that never needs much help finding edge, a unanimous Texas lean from SEC Nation and College GameDay will only add to the noise when October rolls around. Oklahoma still has plenty of time to shape the conversation before the Cotton Bowl meeting, but the early national temperature check is clear, and it is leaning orange. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Defense Has Oklahoma Fans Believing In Red River Upset Chance
The Red River Rivalry is once again shaping up as one of the biggest draws on the schedule, and this time the conversation has started with Oklahomas defense. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit pointed to Texas as the favorite, but he also singled out the Sooners ability to get off the field on third down, a strength that has helped keep them in games even when the offense has had trouble finding a rhythm.
Herbstreit also noted the uneven offensive play on both sides of the matchup, including Arch Mannings underwhelming production for Texas and Oklahomas own struggles moving the ball. Even so, his read was that this one should be tight before the Longhorns eventually find a way through, which is hardly the kind of verdict that settles anything for Sooners fans hoping their defense can turn the rivalry into a real upset chance. [Read more 🡒]