Texas Longhorns' Post-Red River Struggles Continue To Rear Ugly Head

Throughout Steve Sarkisian's five years as the Texas Longhorns' head coach, the game right after the Red River Rivalry has always been a challenge.

Oct 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is interviewed by the media after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

There are some times when wins feel almost as bad, if not just as bad, as losses, and the Texas Longhorns are definitely feeling that way right now.

On Saturday night, the Longhorns traveled to face a Kentucky Wildcats team that hadn't won an SEC game in over a year, but despite coming in as 13.5-point favorites, they found themselves in a surprising dogfight and were fortunate to escape with a 16-13 win in overtime. The offense was nothing short of dreadful, as it only accounted for 179 total yards - including just 47 on the ground - and Arch Manning completed less than half of his passes. The defense and special teams bailed the Longhorns out, but it's clear that this team has a lot of issues to work out.

After a dominant win over the rival Oklahoma Sooners the week prior, the Longhorns fell back down to Earth on Saturday. However, this isn't the first time they've come out flat after the Red River Rivalry.

Texas Longhorns' Ugly Win Continues Concerning Trend

Oct 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns tight end Jack Endries (88) is tackled by Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Ty Bryant (14) during the second quarter at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

In five years under Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns have either won ugly or outright lost immediately after the Red River Rivalry. Following Saturday's debacle, it only seems appropriate to look back on each of those games.

The struggles began in Sarkisian's first season in 2021, when the Longhorns lost 32-24 against Oklahoma State at home. Texas had a 24-16 lead going into the fourth quarter, but failed to gain even a single first down in the final frame as that lead completely evaporated. This was the first, and worst, year of the Sarkisian era, so it could be forgiven if this was just a one-off, but it wasn't.

The following year, the Longhorns escaped with a 24-21 victory over an Iowa State team that was winless in the Big 12 up to that point. Even though they won, they still turned in a relatively uninspired performance as a heavy favorite and needed a late touchdown drive to come back.

Then in 2023, Texas, fresh off its first loss of the season against Oklahoma, escaped with a 31-24 road win over Big 12 newcomer Houston. The Longhorns built up a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter, but let Houston score three-straight touchdowns - two of them by future Longhorn Matthew Golden - in just under nine minutes of game time, and Quinn Ewers left with an injury. CJ Baxter scored the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but it was still not a good performance by a College Football Playoff team against a 4-8 team.

Finally, in 2024, the Longhorns were absolutely no match for Georgia in a 30-15 loss at home. This game wasn't even as close as the score would indicate, as Georgia built a 23-0 lead at halftime and just cruised from there. The Longhorns' offense was absolutely dismal, finishing with just 259 total yards and four turnovers.

Sarkisian mentioned in the lead-up to Saturday's game how it would be a test of the Longhorns' maturity and focus after a big win, but if these results are anything to go by, they still have a long way to go in those areas.