Fans were biting their nails until the final whistle, but the Oklahoma Sooners outlasted the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown.
No matter the record of either the Texas Longhorns or the Oklahoma Sooners at the time, the stakes are always high for the Red River Showdown. However, there was a particular level of intrigue on Saturday with two head coaches, Tom Herman and Lincoln Riley, getting their first taste of it. And early on, it appeared as if it was going to be a runaway in favor of the latter.
The Sooners scored 10 unanswered points in the first quarter, looking dominant on both sides of the ball. That wasn’t a 15-minute fluke it appeared either as they added another trip to the end zone early in the second quarter and then added a field goal later, going ahead 17-0. However, Texas freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger didn’t cower in the moment and put his team on his back.
Late in the quarter, the quarterback orchestrated a great drive after the Longhorns were given great field position. He found Kyle Porter for a 16-yard touchdown to put his team on the board. The defense then helped the cause by forcing the first interception of the season by Baker Mayfield, turning that into a field goal going into halftime.
Oklahoma came out of the locker room and posted another three points, but Ehlinger again had the answer. The freshman led a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Chris Warren touchdown run to make it 23-17. After that, however, the game turned into a defensive struggle for the rest of the third quarter and the start of the fourth.
Texas finally broke through midway through the final frame, however. Ehlinger again came up massively as he led another long drive, capping this one off himself with an eight-yard touchdown run to take a 24-23 lead. However, the Longhorns defense suffered a bad lapse on the ensuing drive for OU. They allowed tight end Mark Andrews to go unchecked on a wheel route down the right sideline, and Mayfield found him wide-open for a 59-yard touchdown to go back up, though they missed the two-point conversion to make it 29-24.
The Longhorns got the ball back, but were unable to get it done on a drive where Ehlinger took a big hit and had to make way for Shane Buechele for a moment. They turned the ball over on downs once the freshman returned. However, the defense muscled up and forced a three-and-out, giving Texas one last shot.
Ehlinger did everything in his power, running for a first on a big fourth-down play. What’s more, he tried to make some big throws, including one that was almost an unreal catch by Lil’Jordan Humphrey that was ruled incomplete after review. That left one final shot with four seconds left from 59 yards out. They tried to make laterals work for them, but it was no dice as the Sooners outlasted their rivals to stay a one-loss team.
Let’s take a look at three big takeaways from the Red River Showdown.
1. The future is bright in Austin with Sam Ehlinger
It may be a loss that drops Texas to 3-3, but how can you not feel optimistic about the Tom Herman era for the Longhorns. Not only have they been impressive every time out since their season-opening loss to Maryland, but they’ve got a bonafide star in their freshman quarterback Ehlinger.
His dual-threat ability and his prowess in both regards is obvious. However, what he showed in this game was the pure moxie that he possesses. Going down 20-0 in a rivalry game would cause experienced players to crumble. Instead, it brought out the best in Ehlinger and he led his team back. He may have fallen short, but this team and the quarterback himself are only going to grow and get better. It may have taken some time and a plethora of head coaches, but Texas football will be back with a capital B sooner rather than later with Ehlinger at the helm.
2. Oklahoma isn’t a viable College Football Playoff team
They might be a one-loss team as unbeaten teams and others ahead of them have been dropping like flies in Week 7, but Oklahoma just isn’t a threatening enough team. This defense is suspect at best, which the Iowa State game proved, and which Texas showed throughout this game as well. What’s more important, though, is that their offense is far too inconsistent.
When you really break it down, the Sooners won this rivalry game thanks to a defensive lapse in the fourth quarter. While they took advantage and got the win because of it, that speaks poorly of the offense. That was their only touchdown in the second half after they started out so hot. A team showing that kind of inconsistency is hard to take seriously as a College Football Playoff threat.
3. With that said, Baker Mayfield’s Heisman chances aren’t done
Even if Oklahoma isn’t a CFP threat, though, Baker Mayfield asserted himself as a viable Heisman Trophy contender. Yes, the inconsistency of the offense falls on him to a degree. And he did throw his first interception of the season in this game (though that’s truly more impressive than anything negative). However, he put together a Heisman moment in this game.
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After being banged up and being looked at by trainers, he was able to fight through it and be the leader his team needed. When they Sooners found themselves trailing, he reached down and took over. Again, the winning score was due to a defensive miscue, but Mayfield delivered an absolute dime to take advantage. And with another 300-plus-yard passing day and a redemptive win, he’s very much in the Heisman Trophy conversation still.