Texas Football: 5 takeaways from Longhorns heartbreaking loss to OU
The biggest game of conference play for No. 3 Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian took place against the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners and head coach Brent Venables on Oct. 7. The Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at the Texas State Fairgrounds was the site of a chaotic Texas-Oklahoma game from the outset of the first half.
Texas got off to a disastrous start to the first half, with two early interceptions by redshirt sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers. The first pick for Ewers was a short throw into coverage intended for junior receiver Adonai Mitchell by cornerback Gentry Williams. The second pick was a pass that went off junior tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders’ hands near the end zone and into the hands of Oklahoma defensive back Kendel Dolby.
Takeaways from Texas football’s heartbreaking loss to No. 12 OU
The Longhorns responded early with a blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown. But Texas just made too many mistakes for the Burnt Orange to come up with the win against Oklahoma. Texas turned the ball over a season-high three times. This Texas defense also couldn’t find its footing on multiple key possessions in this game, especially when it mattered most on Oklahoma’s final scoring drive with fewer than two minutes in the fourth.
A late-field goal from junior kicker Bert Auburn wasn’t enough to get Texas over the top, with Oklahoma coming away with the heartbreaking 34-30 loss in Red River. Here are five takeaways from Texas’ heartbreaking final-minute loss to Oklahoma in Red River.
Missed opportunities and miscues finally sink Texas
The missed opportunities on the plus side of the field continued to cost Texas in this game. Ewers and the Longhorns got the ball within Oklahoma’s 30-yard line seven times. Of those seven drives, Texas only got two touchdowns and a couple of field goals.
The biggest momentum-killers for the Longhorns in this game were the two drives where Texas was within Oklahoma’s 10-yard line and came up with no points. The first of those drives was the pass from Ewers that deflected off Sanders’ hands and was picked by the Sooners. The second was the goal line stand that Oklahoma stopped junior receiver Xavier Worthy a hair shy of the goal line marker.
Texas struggled often this season to punch the ball in the end zone when it gets down in the scoring zone. It cost Ewers and the Longhorns a couple of touchdowns in this game, which was one of the biggest difference-makers in this loss.