NCAAF

Texas Longhorns at Oklahoma Sooners

· Allstate Red River Rivalry
6-0, 1-0 Away
Final
34 - 3
4-2, 3-1 Home

Ewers returns as No. 1 Texas beats No. 18 Oklahoma 34-3 in 1st Red River Rivalry game as SEC members

Venables says OU needs to be more precise, execute better

Ewers returned four weeks after an abdomen strain to throw for 199 yards with the go-ahead touchdown and ran for another score as the Longhorns overwhelmed 18th-ranked Oklahoma 34-3 on Saturday. It was reminiscent of the quarterback's first Red River game two years ago, when he led Texas to an unprecedented shutout after he missed the previous three games.

“It's been fun the past three years, and I'm super glad to be 2-1, and over .500 in the game,” said Ewers, who two years ago threw four touchdowns in a 49-0 win. “The overall experience and atmosphere is, it’s unbeatable.”

After missing two games since getting hurt in the second half Sept. 14, Ewers overcame a sluggish start and finished 20-of-29 passing. He was sacked for the only time on the game’s first play and threw his only interception on his first pass.

“A rough start, but overall I think we did a good job of overcoming some adversity early,” Ewers said.

Quintrevion Wisner ran for 118 yards and a touchdown for the Longhorns (6-0, 2-0 SEC), and his fumble at the end of another long run was recovered in the end zone by teammate Silas Bolden for a TD. Both of those scores came just before halftime for a 21-3 lead.

The first Red River game under their new conference logo was the 120th in the series that dates to 1900 and has been played annually during the State Fair of Texas since 1929. Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2) won five of the last six times they played while together in the Big 12, but the Longhorns have a 64-51-5 series advantage.

“Getting the Golden Hat (trophy) back is a tremendous honor for these guys to have as part of their legacy here,” Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We’re going to enjoy it, but the journey is far from over. We got more work to do.”

Texas is only halfway through the regular season, and next plays No. 5 Georgia.

The Longhorns went ahead to stay when Ewers rolled to his right, then threw back left to Gunnar Helm for a 7-yard TD early in the second quarter for a 7-3 lead. That was after the Longhorns trailed in a game for the first time this season.

“When the offense was struggling early, we had the defense," Sarkisian said. "We felt like we built a team to do that.”

Michael Hawkins Jr., the first true freshman quarterback to start for Oklahoma against the Longhorns, was 16 of 24 for 120 yards. He ran 20 times for 27 yards, including being sacked five times, while the Sooners had only 225 total yards.

Bolden’s heads-up recovery in the back corner of the end zone with 2:21 left in the first half came at the end of a 36-yard run by Wisner, who had the ball knocked out by Robert Spears-Jennings inside the 5.

Hawkins fumbled on the first play after the 2-minute timeout, stripped by Anthony Hill Jr., and Wisner had a 43-yard TD on the next snap.

“What I was most disappointed in was the defensive side of the ball,” said Sooners coach Brent Venables, whose Sooners gave up 406 yards. “We’re capable of playing in a more consistent, precise way.”

The takeaway Texas: Arch Manning won both of his starts while Ewers was out, but Sarkisian was clear throughout that there was no quarterback controversy. Ewers had returned to practice before last week's open date and was ready to go in the rivalry game near his hometown of Southlake.

Oklahoma: With their receiving corps decimated by injuries — five receivers were out — and the rushing game non-existent, the Sooners put a heavy load on the freshman quarterback starting the rivalry game in his hometown. They won his first start at Auburn, but their only score Saturday was Tyler Keltner's 42-yard field goal on their first possession, after Billy Bowman's interception at the UT 45.

Poll implications The Longhorns have fallen out of the No. 1 spot after winning a game this season, and finished before No. 2 Ohio State played at No. 3 Oregon on Saturday night. But Texas should be in the top spot for the fourth poll this season, which would be their most since the final six of the 1977 regular season. The Sooners could fall out of the Top 25 for the first time this year.

Up next Texas: The Longhorns already have a win this season defending national champion Michigan, and next Saturday host the team that won the 2021 and 2022 national titles.

Oklahoma: Home for the first time in four weeks to play South Carolina next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners?
  • TV Channel: Longhorns at Sooners 2021 College Football, week 7, is broadcasted on ABC.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Sooners: 14.9%
Longhorns: 85.1%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

OU FG 1st Period 0:10 Tyler Keltner 42 Yd Field Goal
TEX TD 2nd Period 11:20 Gunnar Helm 7 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick)
TEX TD 2nd Period 2:21 Silas Bolden 0 Yd Run (Bert Auburn Kick)
TEX TD 2nd Period 1:40 Quintrevion Wisner 43 Yd Run (Bert Auburn Kick)
TEX FG 3rd Period 1:01 Bert Auburn 41 Yd Field Goal
TEX FG 4th Period 7:44 Bert Auburn 29 Yd Field Goal
TEX TD 4th Period 5:21 Quinn Ewers 1 Yd Run (Bert Auburn Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/251.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTEX https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/201.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originOU
17 1st Downs 18
5-13 3rd down efficiency 4-15
0-1 4th down efficiency 1-2
406 Total Yards 237
229 Passing 148
21/31 Comp/Att 19/30
7.4 Yards per pass 4.9
177 Rushing 89
30 Rushing Attempts 39
5.9 Yards per rush 2.3
5-57 Penalties 7-49
1 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 2
1 Interceptions thrown 0
27:53 Possession 32:07

Game Information

Venue: Cotton Bowl

Location: Dallas, TX
Attendance: 92,100 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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