Texas left the Cotton Bowl with its first loss in more than 300 days, and the first Red River Rivalry defeat in over three years, but the game still produced a few bright spots for the Longhorns. Oklahoma’s 27-24 comeback win erased a 10-point Texas halftime lead, yet Cam Coleman, Derrek Cooper and Colin Simmons each made their presence felt in a loss that otherwise stung badly for the No. 1 team in the country.
Coleman delivered the kind of breakout performance Texas has been waiting for from its passing game. The Auburn transfer gave the Longhorns an early jolt when he turned a 41-yard touchdown from Arch Manning into a first-quarter lead.
The play was all timing and body control, with Coleman adjusting in the air to finish the catch before tumbling out the back of the end zone. He wasn’t done there.
Late in the fourth quarter, with Oklahoma ahead 24-17, Manning found Coleman again on second-and-11 for a 42-yard gain that set up Texas’ tying touchdown. Coleman finished with a team-high 110 receiving yards and a score, his first 100-yard game as a Longhorn.
Texas still had trouble finding steady production on the ground, but Cooper gave the offense a small lift. The true freshman entered Saturday with just 57 rushing yards on the season and wound up leading the Longhorns with 41 yards on eight carries, good for 5.1 yards per attempt.
He also nearly doubled Raleek Brown in carries, as Brown managed only 14 rushing yards. Cooper did most of his damage late in the second quarter, helping Texas chew up the field with runs of 16, nine and 10 yards on the final possession before halftime.
That drive ended with a field goal, but it helped Texas take a two-score lead into the locker room. After halftime, though, Cooper was held in check and didn’t add another yard.
Simmons was just as disruptive on the other side of the ball. Coming off a record-setting showing against Tennessee, he wasted no time making an impact against Oklahoma.
On the Sooners’ first possession, Simmons blew past the line and dropped John Mateer for a six-yard loss while forcing a fumble. Oklahoma recovered, but the play still helped send the Sooners to an early punt and set a tough tone for Mateer and the Oklahoma offense.
Simmons showed up again late, too. With the game tied at 24 and a little more than five minutes left, he pressured Mateer into intentional grounding on second-and-7, turning the play into a nine-yard loss and helping force another Oklahoma punt.
Texas got its chance to retake the lead from there, but Gianni Spetic missed the field goal that would have put the Longhorns back on top. Simmons finished with two credited sacks, adding to his strong start and climbing farther onto the Texas sack list, even if the effort wasn’t enough to bring the Golden Hat back to Austin.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Takes Brutal Hit As Texas Collapses Against OU
The Red River Rivalry turned sour in a hurry for Texas, which saw an undefeated season slip away in a 27-24 loss to unranked Oklahoma. Arch Manning was at the center of it all, and not in the way the Longhorns wanted, as two late interceptions and a special teams mistake opened the door for the Sooners to steal a game Texas appeared ready to control.
Mannings Heisman buzz took a major hit in the process, and the finish only deepened the frustration. After his final interception, Oklahoma lined up for the walk-off field goal that ended the game and left Texas searching for answers from a loss that carried both immediate and lasting consequences. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces A Bigger Texas Test Than Fans Expected
Ole Miss is stepping into a stretch that should tell a lot about where the Rebels really stand after their win over Vanderbilt. First comes Missouri, a matchup with extra familiarity because of former Ole Miss players Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee and Chris Graves Jr., and then comes Texas, a primetime road date in Austin that brings a very different kind of pressure.
Texas arrives off a loss to Oklahoma, but the Longhorns still carry one of the more difficult home environments in the league and have matched Ole Miss with only one conference defeat this season. With both teams protecting strong home winning streaks, the meeting feels less like a midseason checkpoint and more like a test of which program can handle the moment when the stage gets bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Fans Can Still Find One Real Reason For Offensive Hope
Texas left the Red River Rivalry with the result it wanted least, but there was enough in the offensive showing to keep the conversation from turning entirely bleak. Nick Townsend was back after his injury and gave the Longhorns help both as a receiver and as a blocker, while true freshman Derrek Cooper Jr. ended up leading the team in rushing yards and looked like another option worth keeping in the mix.
There is also a broader reason for optimism beyond the box score. Texas averaged 6.0 yards per play, which stood out because it was the most Oklahomas defense had allowed in 20 games, and the schedule ahead brings a run of opponents with less punishing defenses. For an offense still searching for traction, that combination at least leaves room to think the best version of this unit has not shown up yet. [Read more 🡒]