Oklahoma beat Texas 34-30 in 2023.
In the other 3 Red River Rivalry games the Sooners have played under head coach Brent Venables, they have been outscored 106-9. The Longhorns blanked Oklahoma in 2022. Last season, the Longhorns won 34-3. On Saturday in Dallas, the Longhorns shook off last week’s shocking loss to Florida, dominated the second half, and beat the previously unbeaten Sooners 23-6.
The Red River Rivalry hasn’t been back-and-forth over the last few years. The Golden Hat has filed for permanent residency in Austin.
Texas (4-2, 1-1 SEC) trailed 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Longhorns managed a field goal in the second quarter but so did the Sooners and the game went to the half without an offensive touchdown from either side.
The Sooners held Texas to 114 first-half yards at 4.6 per play. They gained 170 themselves and controlled possession. But 2 turnovers from quarterback John Mateer kept the Longhorns in the game.
Mateer, playing just a few weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, looked rusty. And Texas took advantage.
The third quarter belonged entirely to the ‘Horns. They gained 140 yards, held OU to 26 yards and only 1 first down, held the ball for 13:26, and scored 10 points.
In the fourth quarter, the dam broke when Ryan Niblett returned a punt 75 yards to put the Longhorns up 20-6 with 9:59 to play. The Sooners turned it over on downs on their final 2 possessions, unable to get anything going down the field.
Mateer finished 20-for-38 for 202 yards with 3 picks. The continued lack of a run game harmed the Sooners. OU ran for just 48 yards in the game. Adjusted for sacks, they averaged only 3.2 yards per carry. Mateer led the team in rushing attempts (14) and took 5 sacks.
The sixth-ranked Sooners (5-1, 1-1 SEC) head to South Carolina next Saturday to face the Gamecocks. Texas plays at Kentucky.
Texas 23, Oklahoma 6
Here’s the Red River Showdown box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Arch Manning vs John Mateer
Who helped their Heisman odds on Saturday? A statistical breakdown of how Texas quarterback Arch Manning played compared to Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
