Oklahoma didn’t chase the flashiest names in the transfer portal, and it didn’t need to. In a 27-24 upset of No. 1 Texas on Saturday in Dallas, the Sooners leaned on three quiet additions who barely registered outside Norman before suddenly shaping one of the biggest wins of the season.
The first name in that group is running back Lloyd Avant, who has gone from overlooked pickup out of Colorado State to a central piece of OU’s offense. When he committed, he seemed like a curious fit in a crowded backfield.
At best, he looked like a versatile option who might add a wrinkle. On Saturday, he was much more than that.
Avant helped flip the game in the second half. His 42-yard run on Oklahoma’s first drive after the break set up a field goal and cut into Texas’ lead, kicking off the Sooners’ rally. Later, he powered in from two yards out with 14:48 left in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 17-17.
Avant finished with 72 rushing yards on 10 carries, averaging 7.2 per tote, and added two catches for 16 yards. For a player who arrived from a Group of 6 track record that didn’t scream impact star, it was a breakout that mattered in every sense. Oklahoma doesn’t pull off this upset without him - or without his Colorado State teammate Rocky Beers, another piece from that 2-10 team.
Then there was Dakoda Fields, a transfer corner from Oregon who arrived as a depth piece and was barely on the radar for most OU fans. He had played in just three games over two years before planning to transfer midseason, and with Oklahoma dealing with injuries in the secondary, he suddenly had a path to more snaps on defense.
Instead, his biggest moment came on special teams. Fields recovered a blocked punt by Danny Okoye in the end zone in the second quarter, ending the Sooners’ two-year touchdown drought in the Red River Rivalry and tying the game at 7-7. It was the kind of play that jolts a sideline and changes the feel of a game in a hurry.
The third transfer piece was offensive lineman E’Marion Harris, who came over from Arkansas and was expected to at least have a real shot to crack the starting five. He did that, but he’s also had his ups and downs, and he might not have kept the job if not for Michael Fasusi’s injury.
Still, with Fasusi out again, Harris and Ryan Fodje faced a brutal assignment against future first-round edge rusher Colin Simmons and a Texas pass rush that ranked fourth in the nation in sacks per game. They held up well enough for quarterback John Mateer to look more settled than he had in weeks, especially after halftime.
That mattered. Mateer didn’t force things, didn’t turn the ball over, and Oklahoma won because it handled the moment better than Texas did. The Sooners’ transfer work may not have looked flashy in the offseason, but in Dallas, those understated additions ended up being right at the heart of the result.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Has A New Argument Against The AP Poll
Oklahomas win over No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry should have sharpened the case for the Sooners in the AP Top 25, especially with the schedule they have already survived. At 3-2, Oklahoma has taken its lumps against Michigan and Georgia, but the bigger picture now includes a victory over the nations top-ranked team, which is the kind of result poll voters usually reward.
Instead, the Sooners were left out of the latest poll, opening the door to a broader conversation about how teams are being judged early in the season. Compared with some of the ranked teams ahead of them, Oklahomas mix of strength of schedule and quality wins gives it a real argument, and the Texas result only adds to the frustration of being overlooked. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Fans Got The Rivalry Moment Arch Manning Couldn't Escape
Arch Manning put together plenty of bright moments against Oklahoma, finishing with 260 passing yards and three touchdowns, but the game turned on the kind of mistakes that never go unnoticed in a rivalry setting. He completed 19 of 31 passes and still walked away with a loss after two fourth-quarter interceptions helped swing the outcome, a result that sent Texas tumbling from the No. 1 spot.
For Sooners fans, it was exactly the sort of moment that lingers after a Red River meeting, especially with the Longhorns staring at a difficult stretch ahead. The conversation around Manning has only grown louder since then, with fans and commentators questioning what the performance says about him, and the debate is likely to keep following Texas as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Is Doubling Down On What Helped Oklahoma Win
After a loss to Oklahoma, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian chose not to shake up his staff, declining to give up play-calling duties or make changes on special teams. It was a noteworthy stance after a game in which the Longhorns were once again undone by areas that have lingered as concerns all season, especially in the kicking game and on an offense that has struggled to stay efficient.
Sarkisian acknowledged the problems with both special teams execution and offensive production, but he did not signal that a major pivot is coming. For Oklahoma, that is the kind of postgame decision that can matter beyond one rivalry result, because the same issues the Sooners exposed are the ones Texas is still betting it can fix without a staff reset. [Read more 🡒]