DALLAS (KXAN) — As if the Red River Rivalry game itself wasn’t enough, Texas came into its annual meeting with Oklahoma unranked and reeling from a 29-21 loss to Florida
in its Southeastern Conference opener. The Longhorns needed a win in the worst way, mostly to silence the haters, and they answered the bell.
Texas beat the No. 6 Sooners 23-6 at the Cotton Bowl on the State Fair of Texas grounds, and not only did the Longhorns simply play better than they did against the Gators, but it was a response that had to happen to right the ship and steer it back toward a conference title.
Texas quarterback arch manning (16) and defensive back michael taaffe, left, celebrate after defeating oklahoma in an ncaa college football game saturday, oct. 11, 2025, in dallas. (ap photo/jeffrey mcwhorter)
Texas outscored Oklahoma 20-0 in the second half, including a 75-yard punt return touchdown from Ryan Niblett and an efficient day from Arch Manning. He wasn’t asked to launch deep passes down the field, but rather to make quick, short completions, and the plan worked. He finished 21 of 27 for 166 yards with a touchdown to DeAndre Moore Jr., completing 15 of his passes within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
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The offensive line played a much better second half to open up the run game. Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 94 yards on 22 carries, a season high, and the Longhorns logged 136 rushing yards overall.
Defensively, Texas picked off Sooners quarterback John Mateer three times and sacked him five times.
In the above video, Roger Wallace and Billy Gates discuss what the win means for the Longhorns moving forward, but how to temper their excitement and not get too caught up in a rivalry game victory.
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