That loss wasn't Arch Manning's fault, despite the two interceptions. The loss wasn't Will Muschamp's fault, despite a sputtering OU offense scoring 27 points on the Longhorns. That loss was, quite simply, on Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.
He called the wrong plays at the wrong time and fell well short of what he needed to do for his team... but we'll get into all of that later on.
Right now we're focusing on the in-game, on-the-field shakers and movers who actually won and lost the game for the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners... and no, Manning won't be the point of focus.
WINNER: Brent Venables, OU head coach
While Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian fell well short of expectations, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables undeniably (and finally) stepped up to the task at hand during a rivalry matchup.
He, in tandem with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, finally found a way to make offensive adjustments at halftime, and it very likely may have saved his tenure with the Sooners.
Venables' defense showed up, his offense found its footing, and he found a way to finally topple OU's rival, likely cementing his already seemingly secure job in Norman.
While Sarkisian should face an undeniably called-for amount of blame after today's performance, Venables deserves that much praise on the other side of things.
LOSER: Colin Simmons, edge rusher
Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons had the opportunity of a lifetime to cement himself as one of the top picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, and it very much looked like he would do just that during the first quarter.
However, after an extremely promising start to the rivalry matchup, he fell off, finishing with just four total tackles and only two sacks.
Simmons and the rest of Texas's D-Line were going up against an offensive line that was supposed to be, and had looked like, one of the shakiest units in the country. Yet, Simmons, as the supposed top pass rusher in the country, could only have that stat line?
LOSER: Ryan Niblett, return specialist
Texas has touted its return specialist, Ryan Niblett, all season long. And, for the most part, he has met those expectations head-on.
That was until today, when he amassed a whopping 16 yards on five returns... averaging 3.2 yards per return... Can you taste my sarcasm? Cause I can.
In other words, Texas's special teams disappointed as much as they could have, but Niblett may have to take the brunt of the blame for this game.
WINNER: Rasheem Biles, linebacker
While Simmons struggled and the Texas defense undeniably folded against a team it had no business looking shaky against, linebacker Rasheem Biles continued to look like the best pickup the Longhorns made in the transfer portal this offseason.
Biles finished with 12 total tackles, including three solo takedowns and two tackles for loss. He, throughout all four quarters, looked like one of the few Longhorns willing to answer the call, and his stat line reflects that.
WINNER: Derrek Cooper Jr., running back
The offense looked bad. There's no denying it. Manning turned it over, the wideouts couldn't hold onto the pass attempts, and the running game couldn't get started... that is, other than freshman Derrek Cooper Jr.
For just a few carries, we saw the brilliance that Cooper will show throughout his collegiate career and beyond. He earned 41 yards on just eight carries, including a team-long 16-yard rush attempt.
Then, Sarkisian chose not to rely on him as heavily throughout the second half, instead turning to Hollywood Smother and Raleek Brown, which would have made sense if they had broken off the same kind of yardage as Cooper.
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