Tony Thomas
Author
The unranked Texas Longhorns (4-2, 1-1) and No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (5-1, 1-1) have 11 national titles between them. The Sooners had won seven of the last 10 meetings in the Red River Rivalry.
At the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. TX, on Saturday, the first half was a real snooze-fest as the two teams avoided the endzone like it was a mile-long line for funnel cakes at the Texas State Fair.
But Texas came alive in the second half and sent Oklahoma back to Norman, OK, with a 23-6 defeat in one of the best rivalries in college football.
The kickers were the offensive stars in the first half, with Oklahoma taking a 6-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. Hey, defense wins championships, right? Oklahoma racked up five tackles for loss in the first 30 minutes.
The Longhorns’ play calling did not confuse the Sooners’ defense; it only hyped and motivated them. The Texas offense looked like a middle-school offense, despite two INTs in that sleepy first half by surprise starter at quarterback for Oklahoma, John Mateer.
Arch Manning and the Longhorns offense threw some cold water on their face coming out of the tunnel, ready to receive the second-half kickoff. Manning finally got on track and fired a missile to DeAndre Moore in the end zone to take a 13-6 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.
In the third quarter, the Texas defense was riled up and forced Mateer to throw his third interception of the game. Then, in the fourth quarter, Texas forced a punt on 4th down and 21. Texas returner Ryan Niblett fielded the punt along the Texas sideline and ran it back 75 yards for a touchdown to give Texas a 20-6 lead.
Another field goal by Shipley increased the lead to 23-6 for their 23 unanswered point of the game.
Manning completed 21-of-27 passes (77 percent) for 166 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he added 34 yards on the ground. Ryan Niblett’s punt return for a score was the dagger in the heart of the Sooners.
The Texas defense showed up and showed out, causing many of the Sooners’ fans to leave the stadium early in search of those delicious funnel cakes. Longhorns posted five sacks, seven tackles for loss and three INTs. Texas held the Oklahoma rushing attack to just 48 yards on the ground.
The Oklahoma defense racked up 12 tackles for loss on the day.
They say hindsight is 20/20. Clearly, Mateer, who committed all three Oklahoma turnovers, was not ready to come back just 17 days after thumb surgery on his throwing hand.
The coaching hubris committed by Oklahoma coach Brent Venbables in starting Mateer over a healthy Michael Hawkins cost the sixth-ranked Sooners a victory against their most hated rival.
This win by the Longhorns in the 121st Red River Rivalry for the second consecutive season could be the catalyst for a much better than expected second half of the season.
Tony Thomas
Author
The Aggies have not won in Tiger Stadium since 1994
Cody Slovensky
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