Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) heads to the locker room following a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners 27-24 in the Red River Rivalry game in Dallas, Oct. 10, 2026.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
DALLAS — Texas football lost the 122nd game in the Red River Rivalry, the Golden Hat and likely its No. 1 ranking Saturday.
Tate Sandell’s 47-yard field goal with no time remaining lifted Oklahoma to a stunning 27-24 victory over Texas at the Cotton Bowl. The unranked Sooners snapped a two-game losing streak to Texas and handed the top-ranked Longhorns their first loss. Texas is now 4-1 with a 1-1 mark in SEC play, the same conference record as the Sooners.
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Texas builds lead after slow start to Red River Rivalry
Signs of a sluggish start were scattered throughout the Cotton Bowl even before the first snap. Oklahoma was unable to get its “Play Like a Champion” banner properly unwrapped before the team ran onto the field, and the game was later delayed because the end-zone pylons had to be retrieved. And after Texas won the coin toss and deferred, UT’s Gianni Spetic booted the opening kickoff out of bounds.
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Then both offenses played like they had developed some rust over their bye weeks. Over the first five drives of the game, Texas and Oklahoma combined for 15 total yards, two burned timeouts and no first downs.
But after a poor punt set the Longhorns up in Oklahoma territory, Texas struck first. Cam Coleman, the Auburn transfer who once caught a touchdown in the Iron Bowl, introduced himself to a new rivalry with a 41-yard catch on the first play of UT’s third drive. The touchdown was his fifth of the season.
MORE: Why is Texas and Oklahoma’s Red River Rivalry held in Dallas?
Coleman himself outgained Oklahoma in the first quarter by 26 yards on that one play. The sputtering Sooners, though, turned to their special teams in the second quarter to tie the game. Danny Okoye blocked a Mac Chiumento punt and Dakoda Fields recovered the loose ball in the end zone. That was the first touchdown off a blocked punt that Texas had allowed since 2009, and it came two weeks after UT gave up a punt-return touchdown for the first time since 2013.
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That tie, however, was short-lived. Texas responded with a nine-play drive that featured a fourth-and-1 conversion and Manning’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo. Spetic added a 23-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in half and Texas went into the break with a 17-7 lead and a 194-69 edge in total yardage.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) sends a pass over the defense in the second quarter of the Red River Rivalry game against the Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas, Oct. 10, 2026.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Red River Rivalry rallies set up a dramatic finish
In the third quarter, Oklahoma was limited to a 53-yard field goal despite reaching UT’s 35-yard-line and the midfield marker on its two possessions. Oklahoma’s third drive of the second half began in Texas territory following a poor punt, and then things got interesting.
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On a first-down snap from the UT 36, the Longhorns appeared to record a drive-ending interception on a trick play that featured Austin native Isaiah Sategna III throwing the ball. Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles, however, was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty for his hit on Sategna, who would later draw a pass interference penalty in the end zone on a third-and-goal attempt for Oklahoma. Those two penalties paved the way for Lloyd Avant’s 2-yard touchdown run that tied the game with 14:48 left.
SOONER MAGIC https://t.co/K1cEqn0kPI
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 10, 2026
Oklahoma’s 10 unanswered points soon became 17 when Peyton Bowen intercepted a wayward pass by Manning and returned it 42 yards for a score. That pick-six with 10:07 remaining gave Oklahoma its largest lead over Texas since 2023.
Following what should have been a momentum-shifting turnover, UT’s stagnant offense finally found a spark. The Longhorns drove 75 yards over seven plays as Manning found Emmett Mosley V for a 9-yard gain on a third-and-5 pass, then Coleman for a 42-yard connection and then freshman Jermaine Bishop Jr. for a 15-yard score. That 75-yard march to the end zone exceeded the 40 yards that the Longhorns had compiled over their first five drives of the second half.
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After Oklahoma and Texas exchanged a punt for a missed 53-yard field goal by Spetic with 1:54 left, the Sooners went three-and-out and Manning was intercepted for the second time. With one final chance to avoid overtime, the Sooners drove into UT territory on the heels of two nice grabs on the sideline by Sategna.
Oklahoma then used its last timeout to set up a field goal for Sandell. After Texas tried to ice Oklahoma’s fifth-year kicker, Sandell ended the game with a decisive kick into the end of the Cotton Bowl where the Sooners’ fans were celebrating.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (10) is sacked during the Red River Rivalry game against Texas at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Up next: Florida
With the Red River Rivalry game now behind them, the Longhorns will turn their attention to next Saturday’s home game against Florida. This will be UT’s first game at Royal-Memorial Stadium since Sept. 19.
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Florida was ranked as high as No. 8 in the Associated Press poll this season. But the Gators have lost their last two games against Missouri and South Carolina and are now 4-2. Following Saturday’s 38-19 loss at home to South Carolina, Florida will likely drop from its No. 16 ranking in the AP poll.
Which four players are on your Mount Rushmore of Texas college football?
Most RecentTop Responses
James Street. Earl Campbell. Vince Young. Doak Walker. Others include Duke Carlisle, Robert Griffin III, John David Crowe, and Davey O’Brien. I would have included John Football, but his behavior disqualifies him.
Wayne B
Aquilla, TX
10/08/26
Tommy Nobis, Earl Campbell, Jerry Sizemore, James Street
Preston Edward H
Mcallen, TX
10/08/26
Bobby Lane
Earl Campbell
Vince Young
John David Crow
Vicki C
Austin, TX
10/08/26
Earl Campbell, John David Crowe, Bobby Layne, Tommy Nobis
Jaxon S
Austin, TX
10/08/26
Colt McCoy, Collin Simmons, James Street (20-0!), Earl Campbell
(Vince Young first man out. Sorry VY, but my earliest Texas memories are with Colt)
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