This time, things were supposed to be different. The team that lost to Oklahoma 55-17 last season was supposed to be long gone.
But, it wasn’t different. It was worse.
The Sooners dominated the game and they defeated the Longhorns for the third year in a row, 63-21.
The defense struggled with tackling, rush defense and giving up big plays. While the offense had only 289 total yards and only found the end zone with less than five minutes left to play.
The Sooners’ first drive was the beginning of a commanding performance. The Texas defense gave up a 14-yard, an 11-yard, a 12-yard pass and a ten-yard run.
These weren’t just Red River Shootout jitters. These deficiencies and mistakes on defense continued throughout the game. At the end of the drive, quarterback Blake Bell rushed eight yards for a touchdown.
Texas’ Chris Whaley blocked the extra point and Quandre Diggs had a long return for the 2-point conversion. These would be the only points the Longhorns would put on the board until the third quarter.
Oklahoma needed only two plays to expose the defense on its third drive of the matchup. Damien Williams ran the ball 95-yards for a touchdown, the longest run in the rivalry’s history.
Though its been emphasized in practice, the Longhorns’ struggles with stopping the run have continued. Jordan Hicks’ absence was apparent throughout the game and, once again, the inexperienced linebackers struggled. The Longhorns gave up 343 rushing yards and 334 passing yards.
“It just came down to that we couldn't stop the run,” said senior defensive end Alex Okafor. “If you cant stop the run things get ugly really quick. It’s been like that all season. We have to find a way to stop them.”
But, the Sooners’ pounding of the defense continued. Landry Jones’ pass to Trey Millard gave the Sooners a 73-yard gain, starting them at the Texas 4-yard line. Bell had his third touchdown of the game to make the score 27-2.
The Texas offense finally showed some life in the second quarter when David Ash threw a 31-yard pass to Mike Davis, giving them their first first down of the game. The following play Ash threw an interception on a pass intended for Marquise Goodwin. Luckily for the Longhorns, the possession resulted in a punt.
The offensive line struggled against Oklahoma’s pass rush.
“This was the best defense we’ve played,” said head coach Mack Brown. “But they outplayed us by far today. I’m very disappointed offensively across the board.”
Joe Bergeron was tackled in the Texas end zone, adding two points to Oklahoma’s growing lead. Blake Bell finished the scoring in the first half with his one-yard touchdown run. The Longhorns went into the locker room at halftime with a 36-2 deficit.
Texas finished the half with 65 total yards while Oklahoma had 407. In addition, the Longhorns only had two rushing yards to the Sooners’ 206 in the half.
“It’s kind of shocking that we weren’t moving the ball,” said freshman running back Johnathan Gray. “That’s what we work hard on in practice.”
To start the scoring in the first half, Carrington Byndom intercepted Jones for a 28-yard touchdown return. Anthony Fera missed the extra point and Texas cut the Sooners’ lead slightly, 36-8.
Ash had his third turnover of the game when he fumbled the ball. He only had three turnovers all season coming into the matchup.
With 1:25 left in the third quarter, Jones threw a 25-yard touchdown to Trey Millard to make the score 46-8. Late in the game, Jones threw a 14-yard pass to Justin Brown and Oklahoma’s Brennan Clay had a 1-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Sooners a commanding 63 points..
In the fourth quarter, David Ash left the game with a left wrist injury. Case McCoy stepped in and threw two touchdown passes. One touchdown was a 44-yard pass to Mike Davis and the other a 19-yard pass to John Harris in the final play of the game, making the final score 63-21.
As the game went on, what was once a sea of orange on Texas’ side of the stadium became scattered spots of disappointed fans watching their team lose, once again, to the Sooners.
“It’s just unacceptable for Texas to lose like that to Oklahoma,” Brown said.
