Oklahoma football survived yet another crazy Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Here are three takeaways from the big Sooners win.
The annual Red River Shootout between Big 12 rivals Oklahoma and Texas always offers a litmus test for both teams. The Longhorns and Sooners both arrived in Dallas this year with new coaches on their respective sidelines, as Tom Herman and Lincoln Riley got their first taste of the big game as the helmsmen of their programs.
In the past the Red River Shootout has helped make or break national championship dreams and Heisman hopes. This year was no exception, as the Sooners ran away with a 29-24 victory over the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.
After stumbling in one of the biggest upsets of Week 6, Oklahoma reawakened as they stampeded for 518 total yards of offense in the mismatch. The loss dropped Texas from the ranks of the unbeaten in conference play, and left TCU as the only team in the league with a perfect record in Big 12 play. But it was far closer than might have been expected when the Sooners were up
What does the defeat mean for Texas moving forward as they try to return to the postseason? And how can Oklahoma leverage their win as they try to reinsert themselves into the College Football Playoff discussion?
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners blowout of Texas on Saturday.
3. Baker Mayfield back in Heisman race despite being held in check
Baker Mayfield’s Heisman campaign seemed in danger of collapsing after the loss to Iowa State. Through he played well in defeat, Mayfield was bound to take an outsized share of the blame for the upset to the Cyclones. In the Iowa State loss, the quarterback completed 24-of-33 for 306 yards but only threw two touchdowns.
As he showed on Saturday, though, he remains one of the best quarterbacks in the country. But it took a major effort to survive the Longhorns in Dallas and his Heisman credentials took another hit as he faded down the stretch. Mayfield threw his first interception of the 2017 season, but he put in another solid effort in general.
Mayfield started efficiently, and he remains on pace to break his own single-season record for passing efficiency. But Texas eventually figured out how to keep Mayfield in check after halftime, as the Sooners slogged through multiple three-and-out series. Mayfield was shaken up, but he continued to battle through the end of the game. By the final whistle, he finished with 302 yards with two touchdowns and the one interception on 17-of-27 passing.
Oklahoma’s success hinges on how much of the load its quarterback can shoulder. Mayfield has been up to the task throughout this season, and he came up big again on Saturday in the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners could climb back into the top 10 of the AP Top 25 this week thanks to the solid showing by their leader on offense.
2. Texas is a legitimate contender in the Big 12 if Sam Ehlinger is healthy
It feels like losses to Maryland and USC occurred in another season. In another way, those non-conference defeats did occur in another season. The way Texas has played since Big 12 play began, it is like they are a new team. That can be credited in large part to the play of Sam Ehlinger at quarterback.
Ehlinger, remeber, came into the second game of the season and immediately led the Longhorns to eight touchdowns in a 56-0 romp of San Jose State. He was instrumental in Texas taking Pac-12 South front-runner USC to double overtime. And he has been a critical component of the Longhorns’ run to 3-0 to begin Big 12 play.
Against Oklahoma, Ehlinger was 19-of-39 for 278 yards and a touchdown. He added 106 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Ehlinger suffered a big hit late in the fourth quarter, though, as the Longhorns were quickly driving to retake the lead while down 29-24. Shane Buechele came in and completed two passes, but he lacked the run-pass option that Ehlinger brought to the game and Texas came away without points.
Ehlinger had one last stab at beating the Longhorns, but a few sideline pass rulings went against the Longhorns and the upset bid ran out of time. It was nevertheless a solid effort that bodes well for the future of Texas football, as long as Ehlinger is the guy at quarterback.
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.