Oklahoma Outlasts Texas in Dramatic Red River Showdown

Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma held on to defeat Texas 53–45 in Saturday's fourth overtime in a Red River Showdown that will go down as an instant classic.

After being benched in the second quarter, quarterback Spencer Rattler returned in the third quarter to step up for the Sooners. After the teams traded scorers in overtime, Rattler connected with Drake Stoops on a 25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth OT and converted the two-point attempt. The Longhorns threatened to tie the game once again, but Tre Brown intercepted Sam Ehlinger's pass in the end zone to finish the longest game in the rivalry's history.

After Rattler's second turnover of the day, coach Lincoln Riley benched him in the second quarter for redshirt sophomore Tanner Mordecai. The training staff was seen working on Rattler's arm on the sidelines before halftime, raising questions if he was injured. 

Rattler returned to start the second half and looked more confident as the Sooners' lead grew. T. J. Pledger added two more scores on the ground and Oklahoma looked like it had the Golden Hat on lock until the Longhorns mounted a fourth-quarter comeback. Ehlinger threw a game-tying touchdown pass to Keaontay Ingram with less than two minutes remaining on the clock, adding more drama to the day.

It was a moment of redemption for Ehlinger after Texas' 10-play drive earlier in the quarter resulted in Woodi Washington picking him off in the end zone. 

Saturday's rivalry game followed a similar pattern the Longhorns have shown in their struggles at the start of this season. They barely escaped Texas Tech in Week 2 when down by 15 points with 3:13 left to play, Ehlinger rallied to lead the Longhorns to a crazy 63–56 victory in overtime. He channeled that same magic again to carry Texas to a near win. 

The game continued to stretch on in overtime after both teams traded touchdowns and then missed field goals in third OT before Brown came through to snap a two-game losing streak for the Sooners.

Rattler finished the day going 23 for 35 with 209 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Ehlinger equally impressed with his resilience while completing 30 of 53 passes with 287 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Both Texas and Oklahoma will have time to recover from this marathon game with byes next week. They return on Oct. 24 when the Sooners travel to TCU and the Longhorns will face Baylor.