Oklahoma didn’t just beat No. 1 Texas on Saturday in Dallas. The Sooners waited out a Longhorns team that kept stumbling, then closed the door with Tate Sandell’s 47-yard field goal as time expired for a 27-24 win.
Texas had chances to steady itself, especially after halftime, but the offense never found a rhythm for long and the mistakes kept piling up. The Longhorns managed only one first down to open the second half, then went right back to back-to-back three-and-outs as Oklahoma kept applying pressure.
Eventually, the Sooners broke through. A drive aided by defensive penalties and favorable field position ended in the end zone, and Texas answered with yet another three-and-out. Then came the back-breaking swing: a third-down pick six that gave Oklahoma its first lead of the game.
Texas did briefly punch back. The Longhorns put together a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, their best sequence of the afternoon and the only Texas drive longer than 2:30 up to that point in the second half.
That possession gave the defense a much-needed breather. The defense then forced a quick punt, and Texas got the ball back in position to take control.
Instead, the finish unraveled. Gianni Spetic missed a 53-yard field goal, and Arch Manning later threw a huge interception that set up Oklahoma’s final drive and the game-winning kick.
The numbers tell the story of a team that simply could not sustain anything. Texas went three-and-out seven times, averaged under two minutes of possession on those possessions, and produced just 24 yards in those stretches. For an offense-minded coach who still refuses to hire an offensive coordinator, that’s a glaring problem.
Manning and the coaching staff also looked like they were dragging each other down at different points. Texas’ best drive came when the offense was forced to speed up and play with urgency, and the next series showed what the Longhorns can look like when they open things up. Manning pushed the ball downfield and improvised, and the sequence featured a jump pass to Hollywood Smothers on 2nd and 10 to keep the drive alive when Texas needed a go-ahead march.
But the quarterback can only do so much, and the coaching staff can’t be blamed for every mistake either. Steve Sarkisian wasn’t the one making the bad reads or throwing no-look passes across his body that gave Oklahoma a chance to win at the buzzer.
That leaves Texas with the same uneasy reality it’s been carrying through Manning’s time as the full-time starter: flashes that look elite, followed by indecision and turnovers that swing games the other way.
Special teams made sure the Longhorns never got comfortable either. Oklahoma’s first real momentum came on a blocked punt in the second quarter that tied the game 7-7, and that was no fluke - it was a blown assignment in protection, with Texas misunderstanding where to sort out pressure coming from the inside. Later, a shanked punt helped set up the drive that tied the game again in the second half, and the missed field goal in the fourth quarter kept the game alive for Oklahoma’s final march.
That sequence fits a troubling pattern. Two weeks ago, Texas also had a blown punt coverage issue against Tennessee, and the third phase keeps showing up as a problem. Without Ryan Niblett’s individual brilliance in 2025, the special teams would have been downright abysmal for two years straight, and Texas needs real improvement there fast.
In Other News...
Texas Opens Red River With Early Drama Beyond The Score
The Red River Rivalry opened with the kind of first-quarter buzz that always seems to follow Texas into the Cotton Bowl. Arch Manning found Cam Coleman for a touchdown to get the Longhorns on the board early, and the game immediately settled into the familiar mix of emotion, urgency and big-game tension that defines this matchup. Even before the score line had much time to breathe, the opening stretch had already delivered the sort of energy Texas fans expect when Oklahoma is on the other sideline.
Beyond the touchdown, the early going carried plenty of its own storylines, from pregame warmups to the injury notes and key plays that shaped the first quarter. Those details mattered in a game like this because every snap can shift the tone, and Texas had to navigate all of it while trying to keep control of the moment. The scoreboard gave the Longhorns an early edge, but the first quarter made clear this one was going to be about much more than one drive. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisians Career Turnaround Adds New Emotion To Oklahoma Week
Oklahoma week always carries its own edge in Austin, but this one comes with a little more personal history for Steve Sarkisian. The Texas coach has been open about how Nick Saban played a major role in helping steady his career after a difficult stretch, bringing him to Alabama as an offensive analyst in 2016 after Sarkisian was fired by USC. It is the kind of reminder that gives a rivalry week already loaded with meaning a more human layer.
Sarkisian and his wife, Loreal, have both expressed gratitude for Sabans support, and Saban in turn has credited Sarkisian for doing the work needed to rebuild his career and add value to the program. For Sarkisian, that connection is part of the path that brought him back to this stage, where the Longhorns are trying to manage the usual Oklahoma Week intensity while their coach carries a little extra emotion into it. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got A Troubling Warning About Arch And Sarkisian
Arch Mannings NFL future is already being framed in lofty terms, but the recent Red River matchup offered a reminder that the path from prized prospect to sure thing is still a long one. Scouts see enough in the Texas quarterback to talk about him as a potential top-10 pick in the 2027 NFL draft, and the Manning name will keep the spotlight fixed on him no matter what happens next.
Against Oklahoma, though, the fourth quarter turned into the kind of stretch Texas would rather leave behind, with Manning throwing two interceptions in a loss that underscored the offenses recent unevenness. Steve Sarkisian has stood by his play-calling despite the struggles, but as the Longhorns try to steady things, the bigger concern is how quickly the offense can find cleaner answers around its young quarterback. [Read more 🡒]