OU wins showdown
Oklahoma denies UT rally in annual classic.
DALLAS — For about a quarter and a half, it looked like Texas coach Tom Herman would leave the Cotton Bowl with a new hellish Red River Rivalry memory embedded in his brain.
As a UT graduate assistant back in 2000, Herman watched Oklahoma jump out to a 20-point lead early in the second quarter of a what became one of the most embarrassing, indelible outcomes in Longhorns history.
Saturday’s meeting between UT and No. 12 OU felt at first like a spiritual successor to that 17-year-old contest. And while the result remained the same, the journey to the final gun was immeasurably different.
Yes, Texas fell to Oklahoma 29-24. The Longhorns also erased a 20-point deficit, captured a fourth-quarter lead and stoked real fear in the crimson portion of this rivalry’s ancient stage. Praise from Herman
To Herman, moral victories are about as real as unicorns. But even he couldn’t deny his team praise following this defeat for UT (3-3, 2-1 Big 12).
“I told our guys it definitely hurts a little bit more because of who this loss is to,” Herman said. “We’re not going to deny that.
“But extremely proud of the effort, the enthusiasm, the belief and the fortitude of our guys. To be down 20-0 against one of the best teams in the country and battle back to be within 10 at halftime and then take the lead 24-23 in the fourth quarter says a lot about this team and where we’re headed.”
As in any close game, the final score could have swung on any number of plays.
Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield opened scoring with a 54-yard bomb to Jeff Badet. Had Longhorns cornerback Kris Boyd been just a tick quicker, the ball would have landed in his hands. And twice Mayfield flipped a sure sack — one by Malik Jefferson, another by Charles Omenihu — into a sizable gain on the ground.
Mayfield completed 17 of 27 passes for 302 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
“He’s a very good player,” Jefferson said of Mayfield. “He’s very good with his feet and knew where to step whenever I was blitzing. I got chipped by the running back and he got a good piece of me … and Charles — he knew he had to get that sack. He got overexcited and he just has to play it to the ground.”
Then of course there was the busted coverage that allowed Sooners tight end Mark Andrews to haul in a 59-yard game-winning score with 6:53 remaining in an event that lasted nearly four hours.
Yet, it’s incredible the game even arrived at a point where Mayfield needed to forge a comeback of his own against Texas’ rising star Sam Ehlinger.
The Austin Westlake product who for so long dreamed of this moment completed 19 of 39 passes for 278 yards and one touchdown. For the second straight game he topped 100 yards on the ground. Included in his 106-yard effort was an 8-yard go-ahead dive that handed UT the lead with 8:01 remaining.
Oh, and he provided 250-pound running back Chris Warren with a mighty friendly push on a 1-yard touchdown run.
In one alarming moment, Ehlinger briefly vanished into a sideline tent after absorbing a blow to the head. Shane Buechele filled in for five plays while UT’s training staff tended to the starter.
But soon as Ehlinger bounded out of the tent it became clear he wasn’t going to let anyone else finish this game.
“Tough kid,” Mayfield said. “You could tell by the way he carried himself. He bounces back after getting hit. Just how the Austin boys do it, I guess. So he’s going to have a heck of a career.” A Bonney pick
Texas safety John Bonney became the first player to pick off Mayfield since last November. His interception helped set up Josh Rowland’s 34-yard field goal to halve OU’s lead at intermission.
Austin Seibert hit three field goals of his own, all from within 36 yards for the Sooners (5-1, 2-1). Though the result was more points on the board, the red-zone kicks galvanized UT. With Mayfield unable to finish drives, Ehlinger led the climb out from that firsthalf grave.
UT in the second half outgained OU 289-176 and won the time of possession battle, two facets dominated by the opposition earlier.
Ultimately the Longhorns couldn’t overcome a Sooners squad that still can contend for a bid in the College Football Playoff.
Their same old problems (lack of a running game, breakdowns in the secondary, inconsistent play calling) allowed Mayfield to walk off the victor in his final rivalry game.
“Obviously, we’d like to get the win,” Ehlinger said. “Been dreaming about this for a long time. The atmosphere was incredible. Losing the game is not incredible.”
He paused, lingering on that final word. Then he spoke again.
“I’m looking forward to the next three years.”
So is Herman, who no doubt longs to create a more pleasant memory next time around.