Texas Loss to Oklahoma Exposes a Much Bigger Concern

The defense was good, the offense was bad, but the special teams was downright ugly

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian reacts during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For just the second time in the last five seasons, the Texas Longhorns have lost to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry. Texas entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country while Oklahoma had fallen out of the Associated Press poll entirely, marking the first time such an upset has occurred in the interstate rivalry.

Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning threw an interception with 19 seconds left in the game, which the Sooners were able to turn into a game-winning field goal after two remarkable catches from wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III brought them from their own 39 yard-line to Texas' 28.

However, Tate Sandell's game-winning boot was not the first impactful special teams-play of the game. In fact, special teams coordinator Jeff Banks' unit was a major reason for Texas' surprising loss.

How Special Teams Cost Texas

Oklahoma Sooners kicker Tate Sandell reacts after kicking the game-winning field goal against the Texas Longhorns | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The two moments in which the Longhorns' special teams-play most obviously affected the game were when the Sooners turned a blocked punt into their first touchdown early in the second quarter and when Gianni Spetic missed a go-ahead 53-yard field goal with 1:54 left to go.

While those plays stood out, Texas struggled all day. The Longhorns were particularly bad on punt-return, as while their defense forced the Sooners to punt nine times across 13 drives, they only managed 16 return yards.

11 of those yards came from one return. If that play and fair-caught balls are removed from the sample, then return man Ryan Niblett averaged just 1.3 yards per return on the day.

That performance typifies a quiet season for Niblett, who is averaging just 8.6 yards per punt return in 2026. Last season, he led the Southeastern Conference in total punt-return yards with 476 and yards per punt return with 22.7.

Niblett has not gotten any less dangerous; instead, the rest of Texas' return team has simply gotten worse at opening creases for him. If the Longhorns are going to continue to struggle on offense, then Niblett becoming an X-factor again could be the difference between wins and losses in November.

If Banks could hang his hat on any aspect of the special teams, it would be his punting unit. On a day when little aside from the defense was executed correctly for the Longhorns, punter Mac Chiumento was able to pin the Sooners inside the 20-yard line three times on seven kicks and averaged 41.7 per punt.

While these marks are more good than they are stellar, they were easily the best facet of Texas' special teams play.

Many things went wrong for Texas on Saturday, and there is no one reason why the No. 1 team in the country lost to an unranked squad. However, special teams have been a weakness for Texas all year, and if head coach Steve Sarkisian wants to win a national championship, something has to change.

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