DALLAS -- The script for every Texas game has gone about the same. There are a few quarters of brilliance, mixed with several drives of mess. The defense tries to bail them out.
There's a special teams miscue and plenty of penalties. For four weeks, that sequence has ended with a 4-0 record and No. 1 national ranking, including a dramatic win against Ohio State. But at the State Fair of Texas, every ghost chasing the Longhorns came to a head during a 27-24 loss to struggling Oklahoma.
Texas was a heavy favorite heading into the Cotton Bowl as Oklahoma reeled on offense, scoring a combined 23 points in two Power Four games. Against Texas, though, the Sooners didn't need much. Texas handed them a first-half touchdown on a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown.
In the second half, they got more points from an errant Arch Manning pick-six. Oklahoma also scored its first offensive touchdown in three years of Red River after defenders committed multiple penalties to extend drives. Oklahoma also confused Texas with an apparent fake-punt attempt that forced them to burn a timeout.
Instead, they notched a 53-yard field goal that proved vital in the closing minutes, another mistake from Sarkisian and special teams coach Jeff Banks. And then, Manning threw a brutal interception with 19 seconds remaining. Oklahoma put together its first positive passing sequence of the day to get into field goal range and set up a 47-yard game-winner by Tate Sandell, the Sooners' first rivalry game win since 2023.
It was a perfect comedy of errors for Texas as it again failed to play four complete quarters against a lesser opponent. They survived against an inconsistent Tennessee squad one week ago. Against Oklahoma, they faltered.
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