Red River Chaos: Oklahoma eliminates No. 1 Texas 27-24 on a field goal as time expires after two late Arch Manning interceptions
Oklahoma took advantage of two fourth-quarter interceptions from Texas quarterback Arch Manning to beat the No. 1 Longhorns 27-24 on a Tate Sandell field goal as the clock hit zero.
The Sooners had a chance to put Sandell in position for the game-winning 47-yard kick on two incredible catches from Isaiah Sategna III after Courtland Guillory intercepted Manning with 19 seconds left and the game tied at 24-24.
Guillory’s pick came as Texas was apparently preparing to score a game-winning field goal of its own. Texas had a chance to take the lead with 1:54 to play, but Gianni Spetic’s 53-yard field goal attempt sailed just wide from the right.
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Oklahoma returned the ball to the Longhorns after failing to gain a first down. But Guillory’s choice brought new life to Oklahoma, and Sategna took advantage of the opportunity.
The Sooners’ top receiver made two fantastic catches down the sideline to bring Sandell within field goal range.
The Sooners’ victory means that seven of the last 14 meetings between the two teams have been won by the team lower in the AP rankings at the time of the game. Although Texas was favored in 2025, the unranked Longhorns beat the No. 6 Sooners 23-6.
Oklahoma took a late lead on a pick 6
Manning’s first interception of the fourth quarter was the first pick 6 of his career. With the game tied at 17-17, Manning completed a deep pass that was recovered by Peyton Bowen, who returned it 42 yards for a 24-17 lead.
However, Manning and Texas immediately bounced back. The Longhorns needed just seven plays to go 75 yards on a deep pass from Manning to Cam Coleman. Manning then found Jermaine Bishop Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown to tie the game.
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Oklahoma also had a TD on special teams
The Sooners’ offense has been a mess for most of the season. There was little chance Oklahoma’s offense could keep pace without help from other units.
And not only did OU get a defensive touchdown, but its first score of the game also came on a blocked punt. Dakoda Fields fell on a blocked punt just milliseconds before sliding out of the back of the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter.
Oklahoma won the game with just 238 total offensive yards. Mateer completed 18 of 26 passes for just 155 yards, and outside of Lloyd Avant’s 72 yards, the rest of the OU offense had 11 yards rushing.
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Texas offense continues to underperform
Look, Oklahoma has a great defense. We’re not going to take anything away from that side of the ball. But Texas’ offense has looked more pedestrian than spectacular through the first five games of the season.
Of course, some of this is adversary-driven. In addition to OU, Texas played and beat Tennessee and Ohio State. But it’s hard not to think that Texas hasn’t reached its offensive ceiling.
Manning now has five interceptions in five games, while the ground game continues to average less than 4 yards per carry despite the offseason additions of Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. Manning’s connection to Coleman, a transfer from Auburn, is obvious, but Manning averages less than 8 yards per attempt.
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Barring an incredible turnaround in the second half of the season, Manning won’t sniff at the Heisman in 2026. And he and the Texas offense will have to be better to get the Longhorns back to the playoffs. Although Florida is out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday thanks to its loss to South Carolina, Texas’ next five games will all be against teams that entered Week 6 in the top 17 of the AP poll.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, could have saved its entire season with this victory. Yes, there are serious questions about the offense — and there’s no counting on defensive and special teams touchdowns — but the Sooners were assuredly eliminated from the College Football Playoff with a loss to the Longhorns. Now OU still has at least a fighting chance for another week or more.
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