By Sam Khan Jr., Chris Vannini and Justin Williams
DALLAS — No. 1 Texas defeated No. 18 Oklahoma 34-3 in the 120th edition of the Red River rivalry and first between the rivals as members of the SEC.
After a slow start, including an early interception by Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in his return from injury, the Longhorns found a rhythm and cruised to an easy victory.
It was the defense that dazzled for Texas, featuring a pair of second-quarter forced fumbles on back-to-back plays that helped extend the lead entering halftime. The Horns held Oklahoma to 237 total yards and feasted in the offensive backfield, tallying 11 tackles for loss (five sacks) and those two turnovers.
Ewers finished 20-of-29 for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception, plus another touchdown on the ground. Sophomore running back Tre Wisner added 118 yards and a touchdown on the ground, crossing the century mark for the first time in his career.
The top-ranked Longhorns improve to 6-0 (2-0 SEC) and host No. 5 Georgia next Saturday. The Sooners drop to 4-2 (1-2 SEC) and play South Carolina next week.
Ewers settles in after slow start in return
The first three series for Ewers left much to be desired. He hadn’t played a game since Sept. 14, when he suffered a strained oblique, and the layoff showed early on. He ran into pressure from a clean pocket on the first play, airmailed a pass on third down that got picked, then missed another open receiver on third down of Texas’ second drive — though there was pressure creeping in his face. Texas punted on its first three possessions.
But on the game’s fourth drive, Ewers settled in, making the throws he made before his injury. Texas scored on three of its next four possessions — two of which were aided by Oklahoma fumbles — and the Longhorns were in full control.
Still, this was far from the cleanest game for Ewers. He had some errant throws in the second half and overall wasn’t as sharp as he was in September. Fortunately for the Longhorns, the run game got cranked up in the second half and helped Texas put the game out of reach for the struggling Oklahoma offense. This performance was good enough to beat the shorthanded Sooners. But Ewers and Texas’ offense will need to be much closer to peak efficiency to beat Georgia in a week. — Khan
Oklahoma’s offensive problems go beyond the quarterback
The Sooners’ true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. struggled throughout the game, going 19-of-30 for 148 yards, but nothing else worked for the Sooners either. The program’s top five receivers were out due to injury, including leading receiver Deion Burks who hasn’t played since September. Few players could get open downfield. Hawkins also rarely had time to even look deep, a place where he’s had success this season. The Longhorns overwhelmed an Oklahoma offensive line that has struggled this season. Oklahoma’s running game also generated nothing, with just 89 yards rushing. Despite Hawkins’ struggles, head coach Brent Venables didn’t turn back to Jackson Arnold, the former highly touted five-star quarterback who was benched against Tennessee earlier this year. — Vannini
Horns D stars in Big D
With the Longhorns offense opening with three empty possessions, Oklahoma could have seized early momentum. But Texas’ defense did the heavy lifting early to keep the Sooners from pouncing, and it paid off. Oklahoma was without five receivers and starting a freshman quarterback, and the Longhorns made sure to pressure Hawkins early and often.
Texas’ defensive front shut OU’s run game down and kept Hawkins off balance, never letting him get completely comfortable or confident. Sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and true freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons showed why they were former five-star recruits. Hill was all over the place, and Simmons showed great instincts while finding his way into OU’s backfield multiple times. Hill and Simmons were far from the only two to be impactful. Texas got contributions from across the board. The two early turnovers also proved pivotal, leading to 14 first-half Texas points.With multiple turnovers, double-digit tackles for loss and sacks galore, it was a dominant day for the Longhorns D. — Khan
Oklahoma’s defense wears down
The Sooners had survived this season on their stout defense, but Texas’ offense had too much firepower for OU. Late into the second quarter, with the score 7-3, Texas had just 90 yards of offense. But that changed quickly with a 44-yard catch-and-run by Texas receiver Ryan Wingo, followed by a 36-yard run by Texas’ Quintrevion Wisner, who fumbled into the end zone, but the Longhorns recovered for a touchdown. After Hawkins fumbled on the second play of the next OU drive, Wisner went 43 yards on Texas’ first play, making the score 21-3 and essentially putting the game out of reach before halftime. Oklahoma’s defense had allowed just 15 plays of 20-plus yards through five games. Texas had seven. The Longhorns leaned on the running game in the second half and finished with 177 rushing yards — Vannini
(Photo of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
