Oklahoma limped into the 2026 edition of the Red River Rivalry against No. 1 Texas with losses to Michigan and Georgia in their only games against Power Four competition this season. But there's something special about a rivalry that can bring out the best in a team, and the Sooners managed to dig out a 27-24 win on a field goal as time expired to stun their rivals and shake up the SEC in the process. For all the success the Sooners have had in recent years, Saturday's win over Texas made some history for Oklahoma as a program and for the Red River Rivalry.
Overall, Saturday's win over Texas was the eighth all-time victory for the Sooners over a top-ranked opponent, but just the third this century -- 2007 over Missouri and 2000 over Nebraska. That this Oklahoma team, which has been struggling so much offensively, got its first win over a No. 1 opponent in nearly 20 years is incredible, and it could only happen with a complete team performance. Early on, it looked like the Sooners would follow the same script we've seen all season.
Oklahoma opened the game with five consecutive three-and-outs in the first quarter and watched as Arch Manning hit Cam Coleman for a long touchdown to give Texas a 7-0 lead. For as well as the Sooners were playing on defense, it was hard to see the offense keeping up if they didn't get some serious help, and the Oklahoma special teams obliged with a blocked punt for a touchdown to tie the game early in the second quarter. Later in the fourth quarter, Peyton Bowen returned an interception for a touchdown to give Oklahoma the lead and send the Cotton Bowl into bedlam.
Combined with Oklahoma's first offensive touchdown since 2023 on a Lloyd Avant touchdown run in the third quarter, the Sooners pulled off something they haven't done in a decade. The Sooners came into the game as one of the nation's worst offensive teams, and that didn't really change much against Texas. John Mateer struggled early and seemed gun-shy when it came time to throw downfield, limiting what the offense could accomplish.
The 238 yards they mustered as an offense were enough to win thanks to the efforts of the defense and special teams. The only team with fewer yards in a win over a No. 1 team? That'd be Ohio State last year against...you guessed it, Texas.
That's not a list Texas wants to find itself at the top of, and Steve Sarkisian won't be putting that bullet point on his next résumé update. For the Longhorns, it felt like it was just a matter of time until they finally lost a game, as they were one of the least dominant No. 1 teams in recent memory. That said, to lose in this fashion to a rival is particularly painful and will lead to plenty of soul-searching in Austin.
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