The Moments That Defined Oklahoma's Unexpected Win Over No. 1 Texas

This year’s Red River Rivalry was one for the ages.

The Sooners defeated No. 1 Texas 27-24 after trailing by 10 points at halftime. OU scored three touchdowns — one on offense, one on defense and one on special teams — en route to earning its first win at the Cotton Bowl since 2023.

Here are the moments that defined Oklahoma’s remarkable win over the Longhorns:

Oklahoma Sooners, John Mateer — Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons forces Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer to fumble. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Early in the game, Oklahoma’s offense played similarly to how it performed in its last three games. The Sooners went three-and-out on their opening drive. Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons sacked OU quarterback John Mateer and forced a fumble, but fortunately for the Sooners, offensive lineman Ryan Fodje was there to jump on the football. OU had to punt, but Fodje’s recovery prevented Texas from getting a short field.

Oklahoma Sooners, Taylor Wein — Oklahoma defensive end Taylor Wein celebrates after making a tackle against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma’s defense forced a three-and-out of its own. On third down, OU defensive end Taylor Wein stopped Texas running back Hollywood Smothers three yards short of the line to gain.

Oklahoma Sooners, Lloyd Avant — Oklahoma running back Lloyd Avant gets tackled by Texas' Colin Simmons. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma’s second drive went nowhere. Simmons stopped running back Lloyd Avant for a loss on second down, and the Sooners punted two plays later.

Oklahoma Sooners, James Nesta — Oklahoma linebacker James Nesta tackles Texas' Ryan Niblett. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Owen Heinecke — Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke prepares to tackle Texas' Raleek Brown. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

OU’s defense forced another three-and-out on Texas’ second drive. On third-and-1, linebacker Owen Heinecke stopped Texas’ Raleek Brown for a two-yard loss, forcing the Longhorns to punt.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jacob Ulrich — Oklahoma punter Jacob Ulrich punts against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma again failed to move the chains on its third drive. Jacob Ulrich shanked his punt, and Texas took over at OU’s 41-yard line.

Texas Longhorns, Cam Coleman — Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Longhorns instantly made the Sooners pay for giving them a short field. Texas quarterback Arch Manning found a wide-open Cam Coleman down field for the game’s first touchdown.

Oklahoma Sooners, David Stone — Oklahoma defensive lineman David Stone defends a pass from Texas' Arch Manning. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The low-scoring affair continued after Coleman’s touchdown. Oklahoma punted twice, while Texas did so once, after the score.

Oklahoma Sooners, Trent Wilson — Oklahoma defensive lineman Trent Wilson prepares to sack Texas' Arch Manning. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Trent Wilson, Jayden Jackson — Oklahoma defensive linemen Trent Wilson and Jayden Jackson celebrate after sacking Arch Manning. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Following the three punts in a row, OU’s defense continued its strong performance. Trent Wilson sacked Manning on the penultimate play of the first quarter, and Wein logged a sack on the first play of the second quarter to force a punt.

Oklahoma Sooners, Danny Okoye — Oklahoma defensive end Danny Okoye blocks a punt against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Dakoda Fields, Rocky Beers — Oklahoma defensive back Dakoda Fields celebrates with Rocky Beers after scoring a touchdown. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

OU got on the board right after Wein’s sack. Defensive end Danny Okoye blocked Texas’ punt in the end zone, and defensive back Dakoda Fields was there to scoop up the ball for a touchdown.

Texas Longhorns, Ryan Wingo — Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo scores a touchdown against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Texas, though, responded on its next drive. The Longhorns marched down the field, and Manning connected with Ryan Wingo for a 34-yard touchdown.

Oklahoma Sooners, Hayden Hansen — Oklahoma tight end Hayden Hansen makes a catch against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Tate Sandell — Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell prepares to kick a field goal against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

With 10:09 left in the second quarter, OU moved the chains for the first time. The Sooners put together a balanced, productive drive and got into field-goal range. But kicker Tate Sandell missed his 53-yard attempt.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jayden Jackson — Oklahoma defensive lineman Jayden Jackson tries to tackle Texas' Raleek Brown. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Texas Longhorns — Texas' Gianni Spetic attempts a field goal against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Longhorns moved the ball quickly after Sandell’s miss and reached OU’s five-yard line. But the Sooners’ defense stood tall, holding Texas to only a field goal before halftime. The Sooners got the ball back with 12 seconds left in the half, and Mateer opted to take a knee, trailing 17-7 at the break.

Texas got a first down on its first play of the second half. But the Longhorns moved the ball only one yard on the next three plays, and they punted on their opening drive.

OU drove down the field to make it a one-score game on its first drive of the second half. Avant got the Sooners in position with a 42-yard run, and Sandell connected from 53 yards out to make it 17-10.

Oklahoma Sooners, Peyton Bowen — Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen tackles Texas running back Hollywood Smothers. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Now trailing by only one score, OU’s defense continued to play at an elite level. Jayden Jackson pressured Manning, who threw an incompletion on third-and-short. The Longhorns then punted.

Oklahoma Sooners, Michael Boganowski — Oklahoma defensive back Michael Boganowski celebrates after making a stop against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

OU got one first down on its next drive, but the Sooners eventually punted with 6:09 left in the third quarter. Oklahoma’s defense forced another three-and-out, thanks to a combined stop from Michael Boganowski and David Stone on third-and-inches.

OU’s offense finally got on the board after Texas’ three-and-out. Mateer led the Sooners down the field, and Avant eventually capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 17-17.

Oklahoma Sooners, Trystan Haynes — Oklahoma defensive back Trystan Haynes makes a tackle against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

A holding penalty backed Texas up on its next possession. Manning found a receiver on third-and-17, but Trystan Haynes made a key tackle to force another punt.

The Sooners’ ensuing drive wasn’t much better, as they logged a three-and-out of their own. But after that, Manning threw an interception into the hands of Peyton Bowen on a deep ball. Bowen returned the pick 42 yards for a touchdown, giving OU a 24-17 lead, its first of the day.

Texas Longhorns, Jermaine Bishop Jr. — Texas' Jermaine Bishop Jr. scores a touchdown against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Texas, though, didn’t go away easily. Manning hit Coleman in stride to take the Longhorns deep into OU territory. Texas’ quarterback then found Jermaine Bishop Jr. for a game-tying touchdown with 6:32 left.

Oklahoma committed three penalties on its ensuing drive, and two of them were accepted. The Sooners punted and gave the Longhorns the ball back with 4:43 remaining.

Texas put together a quality drive with multiple plays of longer than 10 yards. But the Sooners’ defense made a handful of key plays to stall the drive. Texas’ Gianni Spetic then missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt to keep the game tied.

Oklahoma Sooners, Rocky Beers — Oklahoma tight end Rocky Beers makes a catch against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Isaiah Sategna — Oklahoma wide receiver Isaiah Sategna tries to make a catch against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Sooners then went into a two-minute drill — but they couldn’t get anything going. Mateer found tight end Rocky Beers for five yards on the drive’s first play before he rushed for one yard on second down. Mateer threw behind Isaiah Sategna on third down, and OU punted again.

Oklahoma Sooners, Courtland Guillory — Oklahoma defensive back Courtland Guillory celebrates after intercepting a pass against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Longhorns then went into their two-minute offense — and it went even worse for them. Manning threw an interception into the hands of Courtland Guillory with 19 seconds left, giving OU the ball at its own 39-yard line.

Mateer found Sategna for back-to-back chunk plays to give OU a chance at a game-winning field goal. After Sategna’s second catch, Mateer rushed to the middle of the field for a loss of two yards, setting Sandell up for a down-the-middle attempt.

Oklahoma Sooners, Noah Best, Peyton Joseph — Oklahoma offensive linemen Noah Best and Peyton Joseph celebrate after Tate Sandell's game-winning field goal against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Sandell, who missed earlier in the game, nailed his 47-yard field-goal attempt as time expired to clinch OU’s 27-24 win.

The Sooners improved to 3-2 with their win over the top-ranked Longhorns. OU will return to Norman this week to battle a 5-1 Kentucky squad that has already defeated LSU, Texas A&M and South Carolina this year.

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