By the Numbers: Grading Texas football’s dominant Red River victory

Saturday’s Red River Showdown was a masterclass in all facets from Texas football as they bested the Sooners 49-0 in the 118th meeting between the two programs.

It was the first time since 1965 that Texas shutout Oklahoma, the largest shutout loss in Oklahoma school history, and the largest margin of victory for the Longhorns in the history of this rivalry.

The Longhorns out-gained the Sooners 585-195 and picked up 34 first downs compared to Oklahoma’s 11.

There are many key takeaways to be had from this dominant and potentially seasoning reviving victory for Texas.

Let’s take a look behind the Pro Football Focus numbers and see who led the victory charge for the Longhorns.

Highest graded offensive player: Quinn Ewers

It is no suprise that Ewers graded out as the best offensive player for the Longhorns. Anyone who watched this game could tell you that.

Completing 21-of-31 passes for 289 yards and four scores, Ewers received a PFF offensive grade of 86.2. Besides back-to-back errant throws early into the third quarter, one of which was an interception, the redshirt freshman was flawless in his return from injury.

Quinn Ewers leads Texas football past OU

According to PFF, Ewers made three big time throws for a BTT rate of 9.4 percent.  One of those big time throws came on a 24-yard touchdown strike to JT Sanders late in the second quarter.

Not only was Ewers comfortable and confident slinging the ball, he also kept the Longhorns fourth touchdown drive alive with a 16-yard scramble on third-and-11. More often than not, Ewers uses pocket mobility to allow receivers time to get open; however, he does possess the skill to pick up some yards with his legs.

The absence of Ewers became magnified after we saw just how good he was upon his return. He is one of the best pure passers in the collegiate game and will put constant pressure on the remaining six defenses on this schedule.

Highest graded defensive player: D’Shawn Jamison

Fifth-year defensive back D’Shawn Jamison ended his Red River career with a bang. Jamison received a PFF defensive grade of 87.8 to lead all Longhorns.

Jamison had an interception to close out the first half, but it was his consistency that earned him the honor of the highest graded defensive player of the week.

‘The Shark’ played 49 defensive snaps, good for second most on the team. In 18 snaps of pass coverage, Jamison was targeted just twice. One of those targets was the aforementioned interception, another was a forced incompletion.

Jamison has proven he is elite at playing the ball in the air, turning his head and body around to avoid any pass interference calls.

During 31 rush attempts, Jamison was able to record two “stop” plays, which constitute a failure for the offense. Once it was obvious the Sooners had no intention of throwing the football, Jamison and the other Texas defensive backs became instrumental in containing the rushing attack.

During a defensive performance where there were many standouts, the veteran Jamison graded out above them all.

Surprise offensive standout: Keilan Robinson

Steve Sarkisian has proven throughout his coaching career to limit offensive distribution to a few key players. For this Texas team, those players have been Roschon Johnson, Bijan Robinson, JT Sanders, Jordan Whittington, and Xavier Worthy.

With that said, other guys found ways to get involved on Saturday, including running back Keilan Robinson.

Robinson’s PFF  offensive grade of 83.7 was good for second best on this offense. Robinson tied his season high of 11 offensive snaps played on Saturday. He finished the game with four rushes for 32 yards and two receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown.

Robinson is your prototypical scatback that has the potential to break off big gains every time he touches the ball. All six of his touches against Oklahoma came at or behind the line of scrimmage.

On his four carries, Robinson forced two missed tackles and had 11 yards after contact. Standing at 5-foot-9 and 185-pounds, the junior running back is incredibly slippery and tough to bring down.

Robinson played just 11 offensive snaps, but touched the ball on six of them. It is clear Coach Sarkisian wants to get the ball into No. 7’s hands at least a few times per game.

Surprise defensive standout: Moro Ojomo

Veteran defensive lineman Moro Ojomo came to play in his fifth and likely final Red River Showdown. Ojomo has been a key cog on this defensive line all season long, but because he was not awarded the start on Saturday, he was eligible for the “surprise defensive standout” category.

Ojomo received a PFF defensive grade of 76.4 on Saturday, good for fourth on the defense.

He played 30 snaps, and a season high 21 snaps against the rush. The Sooners’ style of offense on Saturday perfectly played into the hands of the elite run-stuffer. Ojomo racked up one solo tackle and three assisted tackles without missing a tackle all game long.

A lot of what Ojomo and this defensive front contributes does to show up on the stat sheet, but it was clear to everyone watching how impactful this front was on Saturday. Texas was able to impose their will on the Sooners offensive line early and often.

The Longhorns dominated the line of scrimmage all day long in large part due to fifth-year senior Ojomo.