Strong answer: Horns raise embattled coach

17-point underdog Texas dominates No. 10 Sooners.

DALLAS — Charlie Strong put that gold cowboy hat on his head and flashed a huge smile filled with relief, joy and vindication.

If last week’s beat down at TCU was rock bottom for Strong at Texas, his first victory against rival Oklahoma might be what changes the trajectory of his program. Or maybe it was just a temporary respite for the beleaguered Longhorns and their coach.

Regardless, the 24-17 win against the 10th-ranked Sooners on Saturday was no ordinary victory for Texas.

“We heard all week how the pride has been lost. How we don’t play hard,” Strong said. “And I don’t have an answer for last week (TCU 50, Texas 7), we go out and we kind of just lay an egg and this week we came out and we wanted to impose our will. We wanted to play physical and watch our team just go to work.”

The Longhorns (2-4, 1-2 Big 12) worked over Oklahoma’s defense with 313 yards rushing. Their D went to work on quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Sooners offensive line, blitzing and stunting their way to six sacks. Naashon Hughes and Poona Ford buried Mayfield for a 17-yard loss on a third-and-14 deep in Oklahoma territory late in the fourth quarter on what turned out to be a fitting last offensive play of the game for the Sooners.

When Jerrod Heard and the Longhorns offense got the ball with 3:33 left and Texas leading 24-17, they never gave it back. The Longhorns churned out three first downs, took a knee and then stormed the field as if they won a championship.

“We needed this,” Strong said.

The linemen lifted Strong off the ground during the celebration and tossed him in the air before he got to lift the Golden Hat Trophy that goes to the winner of the Red River Rivalry.

“I think they said they didn’t want to see me get fired so they were going to step up and play for me,” Strong said with a laugh.

The Longhorns came to Dallas in the midst of the program’s worst start in 59 years and as 17-point underdogs to the Sooners (4-1, 1-1).

ROGER STEINMAN / AP Texas coach Charlie Strong, under fire after a 1-4 start, gets an ice-water bath from his players after the Longhorns clinched Saturday’s Red River Rivalry win.