The Ugly, Bad, Good, Great & Grand of Texas' Win Over Oklahoma

The Longhorns continued their theme of slow starts into the Cotton Bowl.

Texas' first two drives saw them move back a yard in total, as a result of penalties on the first set of downs and an unthreatening three-and-out on the second. The Longhorns used just four minutes of the clock, and it seemed like quarterback Arch Manning and company were trending towards another underwhelming offensive showing.

While the Longhorns ultimately found a way to turn it around, this consistent issue for the Texas offense remains concerning. Finding yourself in an early deficit and without some offensive momentum under your feet is not a good habit to preserve, especially as the Longhorns head down the stretch in Southeastern Conference play and potentially into the postseason.

Beginning games faster will continue to be a priority for head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Bad: poor results with favorable field position

On interceptions by cornerbacks Malik Muhammad (in the first quarter) and Graceson Littleton (in the fourth quarter), the Texas offense failed to take advantage of the good field position it was granted.

Muhammad's pick gave the Longhorns the ball at their own 42-yard line, down three and with some energy. Originally, it looked positive for Texas -- two Quintrevion Wisner runs and a catch by DeAndre Moore Jr. had the Longhorns only yards away from the red zone. But then the drive went downhill -- a holding penalty followed by two straight plays of negative five yards each put the Longhorns in a 3rd & 30 situation. Kicker Mason Shipley's 55-yard field goal bounced off the upright, and Texas remained scoreless.

In a much more comfortable place on the scoreboard when Littleton picked Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer off, the Longhorns had the chance to put the game almost out of reach when getting the ball at Oklahoma's 44-yard line. Gaining just seven yards across three plays, the Longhorns opted to kick a 56-yard field goal, with Shipley's attempt coming up short.

Turning defense into offense can be greatly advantageous for the Longhorns. On those possessions, the Texas offense needs to prove it can hold up its end of the bargain.

Good: bounce back start to second half

Down 3-6 entering the second half, the Longhorns put together a best-case-scenario drive to open the third quarter.

"When you're sharks and you smell blood in the water, you got to go get your food," Moore Jr. said postgame, via Orange Bloods' Anwar Richardson. "We didn't want to play with our food. So we have to go out there and continue to execute."

The drive was as balanced as it gets -- seven runs, seven passes. Texas stormed 75 yards to give itself its first lead of the game behind a Moore Jr. touchdown catch in the back of the endzone. The Longhorns took over seven minutes of game time off the clock, effectively shifting the momentum into their favor.

“We just knew that coming out of halftime, we were going to run the ball. Being able to convert on third down. Not only was the offense hyped up, but so was the defense. It gave us a sense of urgency,” Wisner said postgame.

Great: resurgence of run game behind Wisner

A week ago, the Texas offense's inability to move the ball on the ground made it tough for the Longhorns to establish any stability in Gainesville.

Wisner accumulated just 11 yards across his eight carries, though he did also contribute a rushing and receiving touchdown. It was only the second game since Week 3 of the 2024 season in which he did not record at least 40 rushing yards in a game he played -- the other was versus Florida last season, when he received just four carries.

On Saturday, Wisner served in a workhorse role with backfield partner C.J. Baxter inactive once again. Behind an offensive line that looked much improved compared to the Florida game, Wisner ran for 94 yards across 22 carries, good for 4.3 yards per carry and repeatedly breaking tackles to extend gains. His best run was a 37-yarder in the second quarter that led to the Longhorns' first field goal.

The returned effectiveness of the Texas run game made all the difference in the Red River Rivalry.

“I think for us it was all about the response," left tackle Trevor Goosby said postgame. "I think all week we really leveled up and it really showed on the field today. Blocking out the noise and realizing, hey, we just have to go out and do what we know we have to do.”

Grand: defensive dominance

The Texas Longhorns faced the best personnel Oklahoma had on Saturday.

"I’m glad the quarterback played, and John Mateer is a heck of a player, but I didn’t want to come up here and answer, ‘Well, what if he would have played?’" Sarkisian said postgame.

Even with Mateer at the helm, the Longhorns held his Sooners to their fewest total yards and, by far, fewest points in a game this season.

Texas forced three interceptions off Mateer, recorded six pass deflections and held him to five total rushing yards while sacking him five times. 20 different players made their way onto the statsheet with a tackle. The Longhorns continuously put a flurry of pressure on the Sooners across the field and stood up on the biggest downs, forcing 11 failed third-down conversions.

In the end, the Longhorns scored 23 points unanswered to exit Dallas with the Golden Hat trophy.

"I thought we played a very physical game," Sarkisian said. "I thought we played complementary football. All three phases were tied together. We had a game plan, and the guys executed it. I thought we got better as the game went on at executing that plan, and ultimately, the result was the result."

The defensive display translated into greater credence all-around. That could be seen in Manning's highly efficient throwing production and Niblett's punt-return touchdown.

With how the defense dominated in Dallas, last week's performance versus Florida looks like an anomaly for Pete Kwiatkowski's unit. The Longhorns will look to keep this momentum rolling into their upcoming away SEC matchups.