No. 3 Texas and No. 12 Oklahoma will face off on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl for the last time as Big 12 members before departing for the SEC in 2024. The matchup will be the first since 2008 where both teams are 5–0 heading into the game.
The stakes will be riding high with conference and College Football Playoff implications on the line. This was not the case a year ago, as both teams entered the game unranked for the first time since 1998. Nonetheless, the Longhorns played like a top team that day as they dominated Oklahoma from start to finish in a game that broke numerous records.
Both teams came into the game with a 3–2 record and had suffered losses the week before. Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers, after missing the last three games due to a clavicle sprain, made his Red River Rivalry debut after transferring in over the offseason from Ohio State. On the other side, Oklahoma’s quarterback Dillon Gabriel was ruled out after suffering a head injury the week prior. With no reliable backup quarterback available, Sooner head coach Brent Venables turned to the Wildcat formation as his primary source of offense.
After both teams punted to start the game, Texas running back Bijan Robinson capped off a 90-yard touchdown drive to give the Longhorns a lead they would never give up. The second quarter is where the game really began to unravel for the Sooners. After getting a crucial fourth down stop on their own eight-yard line, Ewers picked apart Oklahoma’s defense and finished the job by finding wide receiver Xavier Worthy on a slant route for a touchdown. Ewers wasn’t done just yet, however, as he threw for two more touchdowns in the first half as Texas went into the locker room up 28-0 at the end.
Despite the large lead, Texas kept its foot on the gas as the third quarter commenced and Robinson scored his second touchdown of the day. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders got in on the action after hauling in a pass from Ewers to make the score 42-0 going into the final quarter of play. At this point, both teams had begun to empty their benches with the game firmly out of reach. Running back Jonathon Brooks put the final nail in the Sooner coffin after tumbling into the endzone from 18 yards out. As the last ticks brushed off the clock, the Cotton Bowl was left half-empty as only the burnt orange faithful remained, soaking in every second of the historic win for their team. For Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, he earned his first Red River Rivalry victory after being denied the year before.
The 49 points scored were the most against the Sooners in Texas football history, edging out the prior year’s total by one point. It was also their largest margin of defeat against Oklahoma in the series, with the previous record being 33 points. For the Sooners, it was the first time they had been held scoreless since 1998. With essentially no quarterback, Oklahoma’s offense mustered only 195 yards of offense while their defense gave up 585 total yards to the Longhorns.
When the two teams meet up again in Dallas this weekend for the 119th time, expect a much closer contest, with Oklahoma on the hunt for a revenge win.
