Texas Longhorns' Defense Shines in Red River Rivalry Upset

The Texas Longhorns shut down a Heisman Trophy contender for a huge victory over the arch rival Oklahoma Sooners.

Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws as Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Eli Bowen (23) defends during the first half at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Leading up to Saturday's Red River Rivalry game against the Oklahoma Sooners, it looked like a nightmare scenario might be playing out for the Texas Longhorns. Not only was their struggling offense facing a massive test against one of the best defenses in the country, but Sooners quarterback John Mateer was coming back from injury sooner than anticipated.

Once the game actually began, though, it looked more like a dream for the Longhorns as they took down their arch rivals 23-6 at the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns not only handed the Sooners their first loss of the year, but potentially saved their own season as well.

As the score might indicate, Texas' defense is largely to thank for this victory.

Texas Longhorns Shut Down John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners

Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Brad Spence (14) looks to tackle Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) during the first half at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Right from the opening snap, it was clear that the Longhorns' defense came to play. The Sooners picked up a field goal on their opening drive and added another early in the second quarter, but failed to find the end zone all day.

Texas held Oklahoma to just 233 yards of total offense, well below their season average of 415.2. More impressively, the Longhorns picked off Mateer three times (he only threw three interceptions in his first four games combined) and sacked him five times. It was a cold, harsh welcome back for Mateer, and the Longhorns wouldn't have had it any other way.

However, Texas' offense still struggled to get going. Not nearly to the same degree as earlier in the season, but the fact that the Longhorns didn't score points off of any of Mateer's picks was not great to say the least.

Enter defensive back Ryan Niblett, who took a punt back for a 75-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the Longhorns up by two scores. They then kicked a field goal on their final drive (not counting Arch Manning's kneels at the end of the game) to seal a statement victory.

Manning bounced back after a rough game against Florida, completing 21 of 27 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown while also making a big play or two with his legs. Quintrevion Wisner finally got the ground game going with 22 carries for 94 yards, while DeAndre Moore Jr. caught three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.

For Oklahoma, Mateer completed 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and three interceptions. The Sooners didn't have much of a ground game to speak of, as they averaged just 1.6 yards per carry.

As the Longhorns look to build on their newfound momentum, the Longhorns will now travel to face Kentucky on Oct. 18.