The Longhorns didn’t have their A-game and still walked away with a huge win.
The No. 1 Texas Longhorns were heavy favorites in the Red River Showdown, which usually means things will get weird in the Cotton Bowl. In a game that always seems to buck the trend, a 31-point win bucked the trend in a new way, marking the second blowout of the NO. 18 Oklahoma Sooners in three years.
It wasn’t the cleanest game Texas has played this year, as the Longhorns struggled to get the offense going early in the rivalry matchup. However, smothering defense and patience kept Texas in the game and eventually turned it into a blowout.
Texas can win without Quinn Ewers at his best
The rust was evident in Ewers’ first game back from injury, missing two wide-open targets on the first two drives of the game, one of which was intercepted. While Ewers rebounded and finished the game 20-of-29 passing with 199 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, it still wasn’t close to his best game.
The Texas defense kept the Longhorns in the game as they struggled to find their rhythm, holding Oklahoma to two field goals — one missed — and a punt as the offense sputtered. After the made field goal, the offense put together an extended drive and scored its first of 34 unanswered points. The defense forced a pair of fumbles at the end of the first half and allowed the offense to put up another touchdown to take a 21-3 lead into halftime.
Texas is playing championship-level defense
Defensively, Texas was all over Oklahoma from the opening gun, bottling up their ground game and forcing Michael Hawkins, Jr. to beat them with his arm. Texas was able to key off on that and create havoc in the backfield, bringing the Sooners’ quarterback down five times, one of which was a turnover.
Perhaps more important than how they played at the starting gun was how the defense played at the closing gun. Texas had the game well in hand with an opportunity to play backups with a 31-point lead. However, the starters came back out for what was effectively a garbage-time possession to keep the Sooners out of the end zone. Oklahoma finished the game averaging just 3.6 yards per play, the second time Texas has held the Sooners under four yards per play under Pete Kwiatkowski.
Quintrevion Wisner is RB1
The former three-star running back was the most effective option for Texas in the matchup, keeping the offense on schedule. The second-year back was both able to get tough yards and avoid negative plays, as well as cracking off two big runs. While one of those huge runs ended in a fumble-turned-touchdown, the offense came right back to him on the next drive and he did it again, this time tucking the ball for the final five yards.
Wisner finished the day as the game’s leading rusher, turning in his first career 100-yard game after flirting with it against Mississippi State before the bye. He jumps to the front of the team rushing total with 270 yards, one yard ahead of Jaydon Blue on the year.