3 things Texas must do to win out and keep momentum after Oklahoma victory
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With their season on the brink, the Texas Longhorns were able to put together their best game of the season to win the Red River Rivalry for the second consecutive year, this time via a 23-6 decision over the Oklahoma Sooners.
Texas was able to dominate Oklahoma on offense, defense and special teams to get its biggest win of the season, as a loss to the Sooners would have officially ended any realistic chance the Longhorns had of making the College Football Playoff. Now that the dust has settled on their second-consecutive Red River Rivalry victory and a realistic winning formula has been established, here are 3 things coach Steve Sarkisian and company must continue doing if they plan on running the table the rest of the season:
1. Consistently get Quintrevion Wisner and the run game going
Unlike their upset loss to Florida a week ago, the Longhorns were able to consistently convert third downs on the ground and dictate the pace of the game thanks to their productive rushing attack. After only gaining 20 total yards on 14 plays on its first 3 possessions of the game, Texas was able to convert 7 consecutive third downs to keep Oklahoma on the field while scoring on drives of 75 and 65 yards in the second half.
After missing a lot of time due to serious hamstring issues, Wisner led the attack with 94 yards on 22 carries as the shifty junior running back was a problem for Oklahoma’s talented defensive unit all game long. The running back was so impressive, Arch Manning went out his way to give Wisner a game ball after the final whistle.
“It’s always hard knowing what’s at stake and that the defense knows you are going to run the ball, but we executed at a high level,” Wisner said during his on field interview with ESPN.
Going forward, Wisner and the Longhorns must continue to use the run to open up passing windows for Arch Manning and the receivers. Games like this are what led to Wisner rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 2024. Texas is an eye-popping 7-0 when out-rushing its opponents in SEC action since last season.
2. Defense must continue playing at a high level and being more physical
A week after putting together its worst performance of the season at The Swamp, the Texas defense was at its best against its bitter border rival at the State Fair of Texas.
Texas was able to hold Oklahoma to a season-low 258 yards of total offense while becoming the first defensive unit to hold the Sooners under 300 total yards all season long. The Longhorns’ defense was able to match the Sooners’ physicality while consistently pestering OU star quarterback John Mateer into a 20-of-38 passing day highlighted by 3 big interceptions.
This type of defensive dominance must continue if Texas is going to continue winning games in the SEC. The Longhorns are undefeated in conference action since the start of last season when holding SEC opponents under 20 points. With every game basically a Playoff game for the Longhorns going forward, being able to lean on one of the best defensive units in the nation has to give the boys from Austin confidence performances like this can be the norm going forward.
3. Arch Manning must continue improving
Despite being a game manager by most people’s standards in his first Red River Rivalry game, Manning took a big step forward by producing his most efficient game of the season. Although going 21-of-27 for 161 yards and a touchdown is nice, Manning’s assertive, efficient decision making while helping Texas convert 10-of-17 third downs is even more impressive.
The talented single caller’s ability to stay calm and make big throws when needed must continue improving for Texas to run the table the rest of the season. After being bashed for his dismal performance against Florida last week, Manning gave the world a glimpse of what can be when he has a efficient running game this week against Oklahoma on the big stage.
Manning must continue improving weekly for Texas to do the unthinkable and turn a season once on the brink into a College Football Playoff berth.
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Kendrick E. Johnson writes for various national outlets such as High School on SI, Yardbarker, ESPN Andscape and MMA Weekly. He is an independent print journalist, sports television reporter and multimedia journalist who has covered the NBA Finals, NFL, NCAA football, MLB, NHL, WWE and over 75 world championship boxing and UFC Fights nationally. Johnson has also covered every prep sport possible in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and all across the great state of Texas. He’s done numerous 1-on-1 interviews with some of the biggest names and personalities in sports from Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and Shaq on the basketball side to Jon Jones, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on the combat sports side and John Cena, Jey and Jimmy Uso and Charlotte Flair in WWE.
