No. 21 Longhorns relinquish big lead in Red River game, lose 55-48 to No. 6 Oklahoma

On Saturday, things were all sunshine & rainbows for the Longhorns entering halftime with a 38-20 lead. However, this year’s Red River Showdown was a tale of two halves for the Longhorns, who surrendered 35 points in the second half. Included in Oklahoma’s second half offensive barrage was a game-winning 33-yard rush by redshirt junior running back Kennedy Brooks. This touchdown rush by Brooks gave the Sooners a 55-48 lead with just three seconds left in regulation, and solidified the final score of the rivalry’s highest-scoring game ever.

Prior to the start of the third quarter, Texas quarterback Casey Thompson threw for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Bijan Robinson had over 100 yards from scrimmage with a touchdown rush. However, besides Thompson’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy, which tied the game at 48 with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns did not have much to celebrate. 

On the other hand, for Oklahoma, freshman quarterback Caleb Williams was tasked with leading the Sooners after preseason Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler was benched following a fumble late in the second quarter. Once he was given the keys to the Sooners offense, Williams looked like a seasoned quarterback under center. In fact, Williams ultimately amassed 211 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, in addition to a big 66-yard touchdown rush. It was apparent that the freshman quarterback provided the Sooners with a spark, delivering blow after blow to a Texas defense that was incapable of responding.

Furthermore, the Longhorns defense struggled to contain Oklahoma’s running game as Kennedy Brooks rushed for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Sooners would finish Saturday’s game with a total of 339 rushing yards. Meanwhile, despite a hot start on offense, Texas’s running game cooled off in the second half, totaling only 27 rushing yards during the final two quarters. Along with the rushing game, Texas’s offensive line struggled to keep Casey Thompson upright in the second half as he faced a countless number of quarterback pressures.

Despite the team’s second half struggles, freshman receiver Xavier Worthy was able to account for 261 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately for Worthy, he also had a costly fumble on a kick return which helped give the Sooners the momentum in the fourth quarter. But, when his number was dialed up later in the game, Worthy made some tough catches to keep the team in the game.

The positives for Texas on defense all came in the first half, such as when defensive back B.J. Foster intercepted a Spencer Rattler pass and linebacker Ben Davis forced a Rattler fumble. However, as previously mentioned, the defense lacked any sort of punch following the insertion of Caleb Williams.

Quite simply, the Sooners made the plays that they needed to make in order to keep themselves in the game and, ultimately, pulled off the 21-point comeback victory, now their largest ever come-from-behind victory against the Longhorns. Also worth noting, Oklahoma’s 55 points are the most that they have scored in a game since their 76-0 victory over Western Carolina four weeks ago.

Next Saturday, the Longhorns will host Oklahoma State team at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the kick off time is still to be determined.

Notable Texas Statistics:

• Casey Thompson – 344 passing yards & 5 touchdowns
• Xavier Worthy – 261 receiving yards & 2 touchdowns
• Bijan Robinson – 127 rushing yards & 1 touchdown
• Luke Brockermeyer – 12 total tackles
• B.J. Foster – 8 total tackles & 1 interception