Oklahoma Football: 3 takeaways from Red River Shootout win over Texas

1. Oklahoma fell apart when it mattered most but still survived

Through the first half of the Red River Shootout, Oklahoma was manhandling Texas when the Longhorns had the ball. Then things crumbled as the Longhorns played their way back into the contest. That makes the Sooners a suspicious choice in the national discussion moving forward.

In the first half, everything looked like it was turning into a Sooners rout rather than a shootout. Then something flipped at halftime, as the defense allowed the Longhorns to chip away at the lead. Texas took a late lead, and only an astute throw by Baker Mayfield in the midst of broken coverage allowed Oklahoma to pull away with the victory.

For the game, the Sooners defense gave away 422 yards of offense. If a few other things had turned differently, this could have easily been a second straight loss for the Sooners. They will need to find another level of defensive intensity if they are going to pressure teams like Oklahoma State and TCU in Big 12 play.

As we’ve learned in the past, though, it can be dangerous to read too much into the Red River Shootout. Oklahoma could romp its way back into the College Football Playoff discussion if they win out convincingly. Texas might be turning a corner, or maybe they just turned up the intensity for their biggest rival on the calendar.

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Either way, TCU is now in the driver’s seat of the Big 12 after these two powerhouses traded punches in the Cotton Bowl in yet another instant classic of this series.