OU stunned Texas with a 27-24 come-from-behind win at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The Sooners (3-2) took down the then-No. 1 Longhorns (4-1) in walk-off fashion with fifth-year kicker Tate Sandell’s 47-yard game-winning field goal. Saturday’s win marked OU’s first Red River Rivalry victory in three years.
Here are five things to take away beyond the scoreboard:
Turnover-free Mateer can win OU games
It goes without saying given the result, but OU can stay in games against tough opponents if fifth-year quarterback John Mateer does not commit catastrophic turnovers.
Mateer led OU to a win over Texas with a turnover-free game, while, against Georgia, he had three costly turnovers.
The Bulldogs scored 21 points off Mateer mistakes, finding the end zone on the same play or the drive directly after. OU’s 41-13 loss to Georgia might have been close on the scoreboard if Mateer played a clean game. That’s only an if statement, but Mateer proved against the Longhorns what can happen when he does not give the ball away.
Mateer has turned the ball over in all but one of his losses as a Sooner, and he completed less than 55% of his passes in that one outlier (then-top-10-ranked Mississippi in 2025).
Mateer managed only 155 passing yards in the Red River win but still came out victorious. The Sooners do not need him to throw for over 270 passing yards to win; they have a chance at winning when he plays cleanly and manages the game well.
Head coach Brent Venables said after the game that he felt Mateer managed the game well.
“I thought he did a great job playing quarterback — taking care of the ball, taking what was there, playing complementary football and not trying to win the game in the first quarter, ” Venables said. “Goes without saying, man, he was fantastic against one of the best, well-coached defenses in the country. There weren't going to be a ton of opportunities, but we took what was there. … John was … really, really good when he had to be.”
Lloyd Avant’s a true spark for OU’s run game
Junior running back Lloyd Avant resurrected the run game in the second half against the Longhorns.
OU had one rushing yard as a team in the first half on Saturday, and Avant responded with recording over 40 in the third quarter alone. Avant had a 42-yard rush, which came as OU’s longest run of the season. He also found the end zone during the game, scoring OU’s first offensive touchdown against Texas in three years.
Avant finished with 72 rushing yards, with 68 coming in the second half.
“It felt great, doing it for my brothers and doing it for the team, …” Avant said. “ I not only scored a touchdown, but they scored a touchdown. (I was) just going out and executing what coach told us to do. That's the big, main priority — just having a will and a mindset to do what coach asks us to do.”
Tate Sandell’s still clutch
Sandell is still coming through for the Sooners in the big moments despite having a less consistent season than a year ago.
Sandell’s 47-yard-game-winning field goal came after he missed a 53-yarder in the first half and despite the fact that he has already missed as many field goals this season as he did during all of 2025. He has missed three fields from beyond 40 yards this season.
Nonetheless, the 2025 Lou Groza Award winner appreciated the path that came before the game-winning play and did not let it shake his confidence.
“It always feels good to make one after a little bumpy road,” Sandell said. “This game and the Lord will put you through stuff like that to set you up for what he’s about to put you through. ... Not every road is smooth, and it builds you more and more as a player. I think I’m better now than when this game started. It’s about how you respond."
Red River win prevents OU from reaching historic downfall
Saturday’s win over Texas prevented OU from reaching a negative mark in Sooner history.
The last time OU lost three consecutive Red River Rivalry games was 1997-99, and the Sooners averaged five wins during those seasons. The first two years were under former head coach John Blake, who was fired in 1998.
Venables had a 1-3 Red River record going into Saturday, including back-to-back losses. His team also faced a lot of scrutiny after starting this season 2-2. However, ultimately, the OU head coach led his team to a win.
"It doesn't matter what everyone else says, what everybody else thinks," Venables said on the field after the game. "Only matters what we believe and what we do. Our guys refused to break and continued to believe and continued to put the work in and continued to improve."
OU still has much to prove
OU’s performance against Texas was promising, but the Sooners still have much to prove as they navigate their brutal schedule.
OU’s run game turned a corner in the second half, finishing the game with 83 rushing yards after recording only one in the first half. Most of the production on the ground came from Avant, who showed to be a pivotal player for OU’s offense. The Sooners found success in the pass game in the final drive with fifth-year wide receiver Isaiah Sategna’s two receptions and Mateer’s ability to manage the game.
The second half showcased what the team believes it can be at its best, but the OU offense still looked anemic in the first half. Also, one game is simply one game, and even a performance like that does not take away OU’s previous struggles.
Venables and OU will look to build on the success.
“That's what it's supposed to look like, …” Venables said. “(We) made the plays when we needed to make them. … Going in there 4-0 and 2-2, we earned the 2-2, and they earned the 4-0. But I've been saying we've got a good football team when we put it all together.”
