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The Golden Hat belongs to No. 1 Texas (6-0, 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference) after the Longhorns bullied No. 18 Oklahoma 34-3 in the annual Red River Rivalry game at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on Oct. 12, avenging their only regular-season loss last season. Texas outscored Oklahoma 34-0 after the first quarter to take down the Sooners for the second time in the past three years but just the ninth time since 2000.
Red River Game Summary
With Quinn Ewers returning from injury to start the game at quarterback, Texas' offense took a while to get going. Oklahoma's elite pass rush made him uncomfortable and forced inaccurate throws on his downfield pass attempts as the Longhorns managed just 13 total yards in the first quarter.
Ewers's first pass attempt was intercepted, but the pick fortunately didn't turn into any points for the Sooners. The Oklahoma defense continued to give the offense chances throughout the first half. The unit finally took advantage with a successful 42-yard field goal in the closing moments of the first quarter.
However, Texas turned the page in the second quarter, outgaining Oklahoma 222-53 and scoring 3 touchdowns. The Sooners had no answers for the Texas running game. The Longhorns went for 177 yards on the ground, led by running back Quintrevion Wisner's 118. Ewers added 199 passing yards, a touchdown pass and an interception.
The Longhorn defense did its job, harassing Oklahoma true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. all game, holding an anemic Oklahoma offense to 205 yards, keeping the Sooners from crossing midfield and forcing 2 turnovers. Linebacker and Dallas area native Anthony Hill Jr. had another standout game with 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Hawkins Jr., the first Oklahoma quarterback to start against the Longhorns as a true freshman, finished with 116 passing yards and 27 rushing yards while playing without his top five wide receivers against one of the top secondaries in the country, which did not allow many opportunities down the field.
Turning Point
Holding a narrow 7-3 lead with 2:21 remaining in the first half, Wisner ripped off a 36-yard run deep into Oklahoma territory. He fumbled the ball on the play, but wide receiver Silas Bolden stopped the ball from going out of bounds (and back to Oklahoma) and recovered it for a Texas touchdown.
As Oklahoma tried to answer, Hawkins looked to pick up a first down but fumbled the ball back to the Longhorns. Wisner scored on a 43-yard run on the next play, suddenly giving Texas a 21-3 lead at the half.
The Longhorns tacked on 13 more points in the second half to run away with the victory while Oklahoma's offense continued to search for answers.
What it Means
Texas passed its biggest test of the year so far, collecting another blowout victory. The Longhorns have outscored their opponents 359-38, including two wins over ranked opponents (No. 18 Oklahoma and then-No. 12 Michigan). Next is another crucial SEC game against No. 5 Georgia (4-1, 2-1), a fellow SEC and College Football Playoff contender in Austin, Texas, at 7:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 19.
That has been a highly-anticipated matchup since the schedule was announced last year and will have plenty of playoff and SEC implications. Georgia's defense presents a similar challenge to Texas as Oklahoma's defense. The difference is the Bulldogs have a much more experienced and polished offensive attack.
On the other hand, Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2) has some questions to answer. Quarterback play has been less than ideal for the team, with two young and inexperienced signal-callers. A major step toward building the offense will be figuring out which player is better suited to lead the team. It will also help if they can get some of their injured receivers and offensive linemen back and find a downfield passing game to add another dimension to the Sooners' attack.
The Oklahoma defense is elite, but at some point the offense has to pull its weight, especially with four top-25 teams remaining on the schedule.
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