Steve Sarkisian Expects Texas Longhorns to 'Get Back on the Horse' After Oklahoma Loss

The Texas Longhorns suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 34-30 in the Red River Rivalry to the Oklahoma Sooners.

DALLAS, Texas -- One win doesn't make a season, and one loss certainly doesn't break one. That especially stands true for the Texas Longhorns following their heartbreaking 34-30 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners in the 119th edition of the Red River Rivalry.

“I expect us to get back on the horse," Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said after the loss. "We’ve got a locker room full of competitors. This is a tight-knit group. I’m super proud of them for what they bring every single day. I was proud of them today. So we’ll go one game at a time. I think this locker room is full of champions and our goal is to go win a championship this year. We’ve got to go handle our business." 

Texas committed a season-high nine penalties against Oklahoma while losing the turnover battle, giving the Sooners the ball three times without creating a single takeaway defensively. 

Steve Sarkisian 

USA Today Sports

In addition to the undisciplined play, the Longhorns struggled to stop the Sooners' run game, which was aided by quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts, while the Texas offense struggled to find the endzone in the red zone.

However, there were bright spots, like quarterback Quinn Ewers, who, aside from two interceptions, one of which bounced off the hands of Ja'Tavion Sanders, and a fumble, didn't let the mistakes get the better of him. The second-year signal-caller completed 31 of his 37 passes for 346 yards and a touchdown.  

While sophomore standout Jonathon Brooks continued to prove to be an effective ballcarrier as he followed up career-game against the Kansas Jayhawks with 22 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. 

Expectations of at least playing for a Big-12 championship haven't changed, as the Longhorns showed much of the same promise they did in the previous five games. However, an inability to get out of their own way ultimately prevented Texas from recording their second-straight win against the Sooners.