With three minutes and 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Red River Rivalry, a sideline scuffle occurred between several Texas and Oklahoma players after a Sooner player was pushed onto the ball during a kickoff.
The skirmish was nothing too serious, but breaking it up required the intervention of multiple officials and coaches. It was in this visible display of passion that this year’s matchup between the Longhorns and the Sooners finally started to resemble the rivalry their fans know and love.
The Sooners also decided somewhere amid the 20-30 second squabble that they would do anything in their power to win the 122nd Red River Rivalry.
So did their crowd, which spent the next several minutes shaking the ground on their side of the 50-yard line, erupting in cheers at every success and waving red pom poms in the air as though the outcome would depend solely on the frequency with which they pumped their arms.
The Sooners took the third-quarter energy straight into the game’s final 15 minutes, helping propel senior defensive back Peyton Bowen into the endzone after he intercepted senior quarterback Arch Manning’s pass, which was intended for junior wide receiver Cam Coleman.
It was an undeniably valiant comeback, one carried by two fourth-quarter interceptions and punctuated by a 47-yard field goal in the game’s final seconds.
But anyone who watched the nail-biter of a matchup probably also observed that the victory wasn’t one that can be credited solely to Oklahoma’s dauntless spirit. A large part of it stemmed from the same problem Texas has been narrowly avoiding all season — Manning still isn’t consistently reading his offense and executing plays.
Experiencing highs and lows is an inevitable byproduct of being a quarterback on a college football team. But throwing two interceptions during critical fourth-quarter moments, especially in a game against one of Texas’ most celebrated rivals throughout program history.
He did have positive moments, including first-half touchdown passes to Coleman and junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo, alongside a strong fourth-quarter drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr. to tie the game up at 24-24.
But his struggles were on full display, and they ultimately set the stage for a failed 53-yard field goal attempt by senior kicker Gianni Spetic in the final five minutes of the defeat.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Longhorns performed in ways they have been all season. They let up just one offensive touchdown against the Sooners, with the other two coming from Oklahoma’s defense and special teams. On days like this, senior linebacker Justin Cryer said it’s important for him and his teammates to recognize that having to help out the offense is just a chance to get more reps.
“I don’t want to make this thing of us complaining if we throw an interception or get a fumble,” Cryer said. “That is another opportunity for us to get out there and make a play.”
At the end of the day, it’s hard for a loss like this not to hurt the team’s pride. But it could also provide a much-needed wake up call to Texas, whose sloppy mistakes have been overshadowed by thrilling, narrow victories.
With a difficult Southeastern Conference slate ahead, this team has to decide how it wants to turn this Dallas defeat into motivation.
“We haven’t been great, but I know we can be better,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We’ve got to strive to be better, and we’ve got to stay committed to it because we can’t keep putting all this pressure on (Manning).”
