No. 1 Texas walked into the Cotton Bowl with a perfect record and left with its first loss of the 2026 season, undone by a wild Oklahoma finish and a 47-yard kick that dropped through with five seconds left.
Tate Sandell delivered the dagger, and Oklahoma came away with a 27-24 win in the Red River Rivalry after turning a tense fourth quarter into one of the season’s biggest shocks. The Sooners improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in SEC play, while Texas slipped to 4-1 and 1-1 in the conference.
For most of the day, Texas looked like the team in command. Arch Manning threw two touchdown passes in the first half, helping the Longhorns build a 17-7 lead by intermission.
Texas got on the board first, then watched Oklahoma answer with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown to tie it. Manning later hit Ryan Wingo on a 34-yard score, and a field goal stretched the margin to 10 at the break.
Oklahoma started chipping away in the third quarter when Sandell knocked through a 53-yard field goal to cut it to 17-10. From there, the Sooners kept forcing the issue, and the game flipped in a hurry.
With Texas still ahead 17-10, Peyton Bowen picked off Manning and raced 42 yards for a touchdown to knot the score. Oklahoma then grabbed a 24-17 lead, putting the Longhorns back on their heels.
Manning answered with a touchdown drive of his own, finishing it with a scoring pass to Jermaine Bishop to make it 24-all. Texas later had a chance to move in front with a field goal, but the attempt failed.
Then came the backbreaker. With less than a minute to play and the game tied, Manning tried to find Cam Coleman, only to throw his second interception of the fourth quarter.
That gave Oklahoma the opening it needed. John Mateer guided the Sooners into range, and Sandell finished the job with the winning field goal.
The loss snapped Texas’ four-game winning streak to open the season and denied the Longhorns a third straight win over Oklahoma. Texas had entered the game at No. 1 after beating Texas State, Ohio State, UTSA and Tennessee, but Saturday’s result also handed the Longhorns their first SEC defeat of the year.
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