DALLAS -- In 122 years of the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma had never beaten a No. 1 Texas team. Until Saturday. And it took every bit of scrap and scrape the Sooners could muster to do it.
John Mateer connected on two key throws on a game-winning drive, and the Sooners scored on offense, defense and special teams to shock the Longhorns 27-24, reclaiming the Golden Hat trophy after two consecutive losses in the always unpredictable series.
"It was really a classic game of two really good programs in an incredibly intense environment," Sooners coach Brent Venables said. "I think both sides would say it wasn't always pretty. It didn't always go our way, but it went right according to script."
The Sooners (3-2, 1-1 SEC) blocked a punt for a touchdown, and Arch Manning threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, one of which Peyton Bowen returned 42 yards for a score -- Manning's first career pick-six -- as the Sooners clawed back for a win despite mustering just 238 total yards. Manning's second interception, by Courtland Guillory, his first as a Sooner, came at the OU 39 with 19 seconds left.
"It was crazy," Guillory said. "In a game like this -- I say the biggest rivalry in college football, then I'm from Texas, so that makes it even bigger to me -- man, it was an amazing feeling that my first pick was in a big-time moment like that to help my team win."
Then, with the game tied 24-24, the Sooners opted to turn Mateer loose instead of playing for overtime. The offense was struggling and Mateer had been the subject of fans' ire with six turnovers in the past three games. Mateer's scrutiny started, in many ways, at this game last year, after a scorching early season start in which he was a Heisman Trophy candidate before injuring his thumb. He had surgery and rushed back to play in this all-important game, and threw three interceptions and was sacked five times in a 23-6 loss.
This year, he completed passes of 13 yards, with 15 seconds left, and 20 yards, with 9 seconds remaining, to Isaiah Sategna III on opposite sides of the field. Both throws came in tight windows that led to official reviews to set up the game-winning field goal.
"I thought about this game for 365 days," Mateer said. "I think that was the longest fourth quarter I've ever been a part of. It was awesome and I'll never forget it. But I knew 19 seconds left that this was the time."
Then Tate Sandell nailed a 47-yarder with no time remaining to knock off the top-ranked Longhorns, becoming one of the heroes that this game mints.
"I don't know if I ever could have dreamed something like this," Sandell said. "It surpassed any imaginable feeling I could ever imagine."
The Longhorns (4-1, 1-1), were in control most of the game. Manning had thrown touchdowns of 41 yards to Cam Coleman and 31 yards to Ryan Wingo, combining on more yardage on those two throws than the Sooners mustered in the entire first half. OU went into halftime with just 69 yards of offense, including just 1 yard rushing. At one point in the second quarter, Sooners fans cheered wildly for a first down.
But the Longhorns still led just 17-7 because a Mac Chiumento punt was blocked by Danny Okoye at the Texas 8-yard line, and was recovered by Dakoda Fields at the back of the endzone, the Sooners' first touchdown against the Longhorns since 2023. OU still trailed, 17-10, but with the Sooners driving, the third quarter ended. As the fourth began, the players came out onto the field, facing the Sooners' crimson end of the stadium, and started exhorting the crowd, with Sooner fans roaring.
Two plays later, Lloyd Avant scored from two yards out, the Sooners' first rushing touchdown since the Sept. 4 season opener against UTEP, and tied the game at 17-17.
"Our fans were fabulous," Venables said. "I just can't say enough about the energy that was in the stadium. Our guys fed off that."
Four minutes later, from the same end of the field, Manning floated an off-target pass right into the waiting hands of OU safety Peyton Bowen, who rambled 42 yards on a weaving, tackle-breaking run to score. The Sooners had an improbable 24-17 lead with 10:07 remaining after they got 10 points off Manning's two picks, including the game-winning field goal.
"I think we've got to do a better job, especially me not being loose to the ball," a sullen Manning said. "I think we beat ourselves a lot."
The Longhorns' stumble was just the third loss by an AP No. 1 team to an unranked team since 2010, with Texas' joining two losses by Alabama (Vanderbilt, 2024 and Texas A&M, 2021).
"We're not dead, we're gonna be OK," Sarkisian said. "We'll get back up off the mat."
He said the loss was "a level of disappointment, there's a level of anger and frustration" and defended Manning, saying the offense's inconsistencies weren't all on him.
"I think Arch competed his tail off and he made some tremendous plays to the shots down the field, to the drives when we had to have him," Sarkisian said, and said the final throw was a credit to Guillory. "It was bang-bang and their kid made a really good play. You can't take that away from their guys when they make plays too."
For Venables, the historic victory was a chance to blast the critics of the Sooners in recent weeks.
"We needed to get a win for obvious reasons. I want these guys to experience victory, certainly in this game it was incredibly important," he said. "People questioning the commitment and the coaches can't coach and the players stink and all this stuff... just spewing all kinds of incredibly repulsive things about people, coaches, players, all that. It comes with the arena, but at the same time, sometimes that fuels you. I don't think you look for that to fuel you, but I do think it brought us closer inside our building."
