Oklahoma’s trip back to Norman came with the Golden Hat, and Texas was left to sort through an ugly loss that snapped its perfect season in the Red River Rivalry.
The defeat was avoidable. It was deserved, too. But it may have arrived at the best possible time for the Longhorns.
That sounds backward on its face, especially after a game like that. Texas did not look like a team operating at full strength, and the issues have been there for a while. Whether the problem is playcalling, quarterbacking or something else entirely, the Longhorns’ offense has a disconnect that is impossible to miss and even harder to excuse.
Still, the bigger picture matters. Texas could just as easily be sitting at 2-3 right now. Its wins over Ohio State and Tennessee came by a combined four points, and losing either of those games would have sent the season into a much harsher place.
A home loss to Ohio State would have fueled the idea that Texas is just as fake this year as it was last year. A loss to Tennessee would have kept the talk alive that the Longhorns can’t stack up against this season’s Southeastern Conference competition.
Oklahoma is a different kind of loss because Texas already has the kind of victories on its résumé that can keep the season from slipping into doubt. The Longhorns know what it feels like to win a big game. That’s part of why losing one hurts more.
And that pain has to mean something.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Texas. In 2023, Oklahoma beat the Longhorns 34-30 in Dallas, and Texas turned around and made a deep College Football Playoff run before falling to Washington in the semifinal.
Senior left tackle Trevor Goosby said the message inside the program echoes what former Texas center Jake Majors once stressed.
“Are we going to tuck our tail, or are we going to learn from this and be better because of it,” Goosby said. “That’s kind of what all the leaders have been telling the guys.”
Texas will need to show that lesson quickly. Florida is headed to the Forty Acres this weekend looking to recover from a two-game losing streak, and Saturday’s matchup gives both teams something to prove.
Each side has a mix of strong wins and ugly losses. That’s exactly why Texas has to turn the frustration from last weekend into something useful.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the loss that his team has to move on, and that part is true. But forgetting it would be a mistake.
What happened at the fairgrounds should sit with Texas. It should strip away any obsession with perfection and replace it with a harder edge - the kind built on winning at all costs.
Nobody is saying the loss wasn’t bad. Nobody is pretending this is the same Texas team from 2023, or that the Longhorns can simply ride last week’s frustration all the way through the rest of the schedule.
The point is narrower than that. The Red River loss gives Texas a chance to show a level of consistency and energy it hasn’t quite found yet.
In Other News...
Sarkisian's Latest Officiating Frustration Will Fire Up Texas Fans
Steve Sarkisian had plenty to say after Texas took a hit in the loss to Oklahoma, and one of his sharpest complaints centered on a pass-interference flag against cornerback Kade Phillips. Sarkisian said Phillips made a good play on the ball, a reaction that fit with the larger frustration around a Longhorns secondary that has been living with these calls all season.
Phillips has been flagged for pass interference three times this season, and senior cornerback Bo Mascoe has drawn two more, which only adds to the sense around the program that the balance of those calls has not gone Texas way. Sarkisian also pointed to the broader issue of the Longhorns not getting similar breaks in their favor, a grievance that is likely to resonate with a fan base already looking for reasons to feel the officiating has been working against them. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Suddenly Has A Draft Question Texas Fans Didn't Expect
Arch Manning has spent this season under a spotlight that seems to grow brighter by the week, and his name is already being pulled into 2027 draft conversation despite being in the middle of his Texas run. The numbers have been solid enough to keep the noise going, with a 63-percent completion rate, 1,122 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions through five games, but the bigger picture has always been about how much more football he wants to play before making the leap.
So when NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay left Manning out of his top 10 quarterbacks for the 2027 draft, it added a twist Texas fans probably did not see coming. The omission does not settle the question of whether Manning will eventually declare or choose to stay for a fifth college season, but it does underscore how early and unsettled the discussion already is around his future. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Must Fix One Offensive Problem Around Arch Manning Fast
Texas offensive issues have been hard to ignore, and the loss to Oklahoma only sharpened the focus on a bigger concern around Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisians attack. The Longhorns have flashed enough talent to suggest the ceiling is still high, but the rhythm has been uneven, and the overall approach has at times felt too easy for defenses to read.
Sarkisian has already pointed to the need to branch out beyond 10 personnel and keep opponents from anticipating what comes next. That makes the development of pieces like Cam Coleman, along with freshmen Jermaine Bishop Jr. and Derrek Cooper, especially relevant as Texas looks for more variety and more answers before the offense gets boxed into the same looks again. [Read more 🡒]