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Oklahoma Earns Two SEC Players of the Week Following Red River Victory

Big players stepped up when the Sooners needed them most, and they were rewarded for their efforts.
Brady Trantham|
Oklahoma celebrates following the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorn at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, Oct., 10, 2026.
Oklahoma celebrates following the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorn at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, Oct., 10, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma needed its leaders to step up in big moments to knock off the No. 1 Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl.

Thanks to Peyton Bowen and Tate Sandell's crucial plays, the Sooners took home the Golden Hat. For their efforts, Bowen and Sandell were named the SEC Players of the Week for defense and special teams.

Sandell's 47-yard walk-off will live on in Sooner lore. The 2025 Lou Groza Award winner knocked off the recent funk he found himself in with recent misses and made kicks when OU needed points on the board.

A 53-yard field goal miss in the second quarter was the final straw for a kicker known for his big leg and consistency.

Sandell got another shot from the same distance on the Sooners' first drive after halftime. Oklahoma went on a seven-play, 52-yard drive to set up Sandell from 53 yards. The OU kicker knocked it through to cut the Texas lead to 17-10.

This was the first walk-off field goal game winner since OU's 16-13 over West Virginia in 2021, when Gabe Brkic hit a chip shot to end the contest.

One of the biggest plays of the day was made when Bowen secured an Arch Manning overthrow and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. The score gave the Sooners their first lead of the game at 24-17. It would be the first of two fourth-quarter interceptions the OU defense would force.

It was Bowen's first interception of the season — and his first touchdown of his career— and the third since he started his Sooner career in 2023 (he had interceptions in wins against Tennessee and LSU in 2025).

Bowen's big play couldn't have come at a better time. He had been the victim of a few dropped interceptions in 2026 — with at least one of them having a great opportunity for a pick-six against New Mexico.

Overall, this was Sandell's fourth weekly SEC honor and Bowen's first. Isaiah Sategna was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week following OU's season-opening win over UTEP. Sategna had multiple big punt returns, including a touchdown in the first quarter of the Sooners' win.

Oklahoma hopes to capitalize on its season-saving win as it hosts No. 15 Kentucky (5-1) in Norman at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Brady Trantham
BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.