How a Third-Quarter Scuffle Helped Oklahoma Build Momentum for Victory vs. Texas

DALLAS — Oklahoma never touched the ball on one of the biggest plays of Saturday’s Red River Rivalry win.

With the Sooners trailing by a touchdown with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Texas punter Mac Chiumento shanked a punt just 29 yards to the Longhorns 47.

Punt returner Isaiah Sategna let the kick roll, and it looked like the play would be an uneventful one.

But Longhorns deep snapper Trey Dubuc grabbed Sategna and tried to throw him onto the ball as it settled near the Oklahoma sidelines.

LeBron Bauer jumped in off the sideline to defend his teammate as he fought to avoid touching the ball, then out of the grips or Dubuc as the play was whistled dead.

Reggie Powers III came running over from the middle of the field to get into it and a short-term skirmish broke out.

Linebacker Kip Lewis eventually grabbed a chair from the sidelines and started banging it on the covering over one of the OU benches, firing up the crowd on the Sooners’ side that was already ready to explode.

“It juiced up the entire stadium,” safety Peyton Bowen said of the scuffle. “We’re losing the game and we had momentum, which is kind of crazy. We got a stop and then you never really see a punt just bring that much momentum but it just sparked something in our team, which I think we needed.”

On the first play of the ensuing drive. John Mateer hit Lloyd Avant for an 8-yard gain.

After an Avant run, the Sooners tried some trickery but Sategna’s pass was intercepted by Bo Mascoe. The interception was wiped out due to a roughing the passer call on Texas’ Rasheem Biles.

The Sooners took advantage of another Longhorns penalty later in the drive, a pass interference call on a throw intended for Sategna in the end zone, and Avant scored on a 2-yard run to tie the game.

There was still some back and forth to go, but momentum was on the side of Oklahoma virtually the entire rest of the way.

“It’s a rivalry, things get heated,” linebacker Owen Heinecke said of the dustup. “And having that on our sideline and having everybody kind of charge up and riled up and having the fans get into the game, it does a lot for the momentum. … I try to be the cool-headed guy, trying to get people back, but deep down I’m grinning because I love that stuff. It was awesome.”

Last season, the skirmish between the sides happened before the game.

This time, it came at the perfect moment for the Sooners.

“I think it just shows the emotional mindset of this game,” Heinecke said. “It is an emotional game. There are a lot of momentum shifts and anything we can do to get the momentum back in our favor is awesome. So that was definitely one of those moments that we’re gonna look back and say, ‘Hey, that definitely helped us win here.’”

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