This was not how Coach drew it up. Oklahoma played just about as badly as a team can play and still win, claiming a 31-26 win over Texas in a maddening Red River Shootout that most people will want to forget.
Oklahoma vs. Texas final score: 3 things we learned from the Sooners’ 31-26 win
The Sooners put on a lackluster display, but an abundance of Longhorn mistakes allows them to escape Dallas with a win.
Texas outplayed Oklahoma for long stretches, but was never able to capitalize. If this were an old west gunfight, the Horns unloaded all six bullets from their pistol directly into their feet before they could even draw, ruining chance after chance with penalties and every manner of screw-up imaginable. The defense held the Oklahoma offense to only 232 total yards on offense, but a bad interception from Tyrone Swoopes and bad kick coverage directly gave the Sooners 14 points.
At a certain point, you have to feel bad for the Longhorns. They played hard, but they can’t get out of their own way. By the time they got around to mounting a serious comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, the hole they had dug themselves was simply too deep. As a result, Oklahoma goes back to Norman with this big ole hat yet again.
Three things we learned
1. No offense? No problem! The Sooners were able to cobble together a win against their biggest rivals without doing all that much on offense. They took advantage of a lot of Texas mistakes, got touchdowns from both their defense and special teams, and also prevented the Longhorns from turning yards into points.
This is by no means a viable long term strategy, mind you. Oklahoma converted their first third down of the game with just over three minutes remaining, going a gruesome 1-11 on the day. Trevor Knight and Samaje Perine both had pedestrian games, and that's being charitable. Bottom line, they were straight up lucky to get out of the Cotton Bowl with a win.
2. Texas is its own worst enemy. The Longhorns showed lots of flashes, but a steady stream of penalties, drops, and other assorted miscues prevented them from ever really putting together a consistently good showing. I mean, they outgained OU 456-232 and still lost. Special teams, in particular, killed them, allowing a 91 yard kickoff return to Alex Ross in the first quarter to give OU the lead. Add on ten penalties, and you've got yourself an awful stew going. In sum:
3. The Sooners are still alive in Big 12 title race. Oklahoma will be only one game behind the leaders in the Big 12, and there will be one less undefeated team after the day ends by virtue of Baylor facing TCU. The Sooners will then face Kansas State and Baylor in the next three weeks, but both will have to travel to Norman. It’s all still in front of them, but they can’t afford to keep playing like this offensively.
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