Red River Thriller: Oklahoma uses last-gasp drive to edge Texas 34-30 (2024)

Exhale everyone! It's been four hours of baited breath, as the chaos started bright and early at theState Fair of Texas — the first quarter featured two interceptions, a fake punt and a blocked boot in the end zone — and continued through a final 80 seconds containing 10 points and a decisive Dillon Gabriel touchdown throw.

Texas' Hail Mary try fell harmlessly to the turf, and Oklahoma secured a 34-30 victory set to inflict massive repercussions around the world of college football. Here are three takeaways from a thrilling Saturday in Dallas.

Dillon Gabriel, closer

Dillon Gabriel was a dual-threat dagger through the heart of the Texas defense in a dominant afternoon Saturday, throwing for 285 yards on 23 for 38 passing and adding well over 100 yards on the ground. If you can impugn the man responsible for nearly 500 yards at the Cotton Bowl, however, it would be for Oklahoma's struggles to cap off quality drives in the red zone.

Gabriel used his legs to get Oklahoma on the board inside the first two minutes, but the Sooners settled for a pair of field goals inside the 10-yard line and also suffered a turnover on downs and a missed 45-yard field goal amid Texas' fourth quarter, 14-point comeback.

So as another masterful drive inside the final minute neared the five-yard line — a pass interference penalty followed three perfect throws from Gabriel — the senior QB made no mistake, rushing for three yards before finding Nic Anderson in the end zone for the go-ahead score 15 seconds from full time.

Oklahoma defense makes the difference

Oklahoma entered the Cotton Bowl with the nation's sixth-best defense and quickly took the opportunity to show its meddle against Quinn Ewers and the heralded Texas' offense. Ewers' second pass of the game, a risky dart over the middle of the field, was snagged by the strong hands of Gentry Williams that set up a short-field touchdown.

The very next possession, after a prospective three-and-out was foiled by a fake punt conversion, Billy Bowman Jr. picked up the special teams slack by delivering an excellent hit on a Texas receiver that forced another interception to stall UT in the red zone. And while Ewers rallied for an excellent afternoon, completing 31 of 37 passes for 346 yards, and running back Jonathan Brooks continued his early season excellence with over 100 yards, the OU defense continued to make winning plays in spite of Texas' comeback.

First, Peyton Bowen forced a scrambling Ewers into his third turnover of the afternoon, stripping the ball free near midfield, and later the Sooner defense turned a hopeless 1st-and-goal scenario from the 1-yard line into a heroic goal-line stand. Ultimately, OU's secondary made one final play, batting down Texas' desperation heave, and preserved a thrilling victories.

Rematch in Arlington?

An elite showing in Dallas left viewers and commentators alike predicting a high-level rematch between the two teams this December 20 miles west for the Big 12 championship game.

Each of these top-15 teams have relatively manageable slates in the second half of the season, facing off against a combined zero ranked opponents the rest of the way, and crucially Oklahoma will take on current conference undefeateds West Virginia in a Week 10 clash from Norman.

The son of Sooner coaching legend Bob Stoops, Drake Stoops spent his formative years surrounded by Big 12 champions and winning football. Now a wide receiver for OU, who trailed by three with just over a minute remaining Saturday, Stoops channeled a clutch gene forged by a childhood full of winning and led Oklahoma down the field.

First, Stoops managed to gain separation on a crossing route to kick off the crucial drive with an immediate first down conversion, and after Jalil Farooq led the Sooners across midfield Stoops again found a hole within the Longhorn secondary and pushed OU into the red zone. A backbreaking pass interference penalty on Texas ensued, and Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel completed his lone touchdown pass of the afternoon to Nic Anderson with just 15 seconds remaining.

Sooner Magic ✨#OUDNA | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/g46vRAJngI

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023

A pair of Longhorn completion yielded a Hail Mary attempt from midfield, but Quinn Ewers' throw was impacted by an oncoming pass rusher and UT's last hope was batted down to the turf. 34-30 Oklahoma in another thrilling rendition of the Red River Rivalry.

Special teams has been immense all afternoon for the Texas, rejuvenating a struggling Longhorn offense with a fake punt conversion and getting UT on the board with a blocked punt for six.

So with the game on the line and a 4th-and-5 decision beckoning inside the final two minutes, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian turned to his kicker Bert Auburn, who was a perfect 2/2 on the afternoon, to cap off a 17-0 run for the Longhorns. With a four-step walk-up, the curly-haired kicker fired an end-over-end boot straight through the uprights to give Texas a 30-27 lead with 80 seconds remaining after trailing by as much as 14.

I AM SO HAPPY FOR BERT AUBURN

WHAT A KICK #PMSCFB pic.twitter.com/BPQ0LWrxSm

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 7, 2023

The last time Jonathan Brooks touched the ball with a glimpse at the end zone, he was dragged down short of the goal line for the third consecutive snap as part of a heroic Oklahoma goal line stand. This go around, a glimpse of green grass was a welcome sight for Brooks, seizing a large gap carved by the Longhorn offensive line and outpacing the Sooner secondary for a 29-yard rushing score.

JONATHAN BROOKS HELPS TIE THIS GAME AT 27 #Texas

pic.twitter.com/SryiU6Bpd7

— Lincoln Heimbach (@LincHeimbachTSP) October 7, 2023

Brooks now has 11 carries for 119 yards, and the ensuing extra point leveled the score at 27with five minutes remaining in the ball game.

Following a crucial fake punt and a 4th-and-1 attempt turned touchdown toss from Quinn Ewers, it was the Texas defense this time that stepped up on the crucial down to stuff the Sooner offense and give the Horns possession near midfield.

Some strong running from Jonathan Brooks and a massive 28-yard connection between Ewers and receiver Jordan Whittington on third down seemed to guarantee Texas a game-tying touchdown, beginning 1st-and-goal from the one yard line. However, after three handoffs to Brooks yielded negative yardage, Texas' try through the air saw Xavier Worthy fall inches short of the goal line, capping off a remarkable stand for the OU defender and preserving its one-score lead.

🗣️ THAT OKLAHOMA DEFENSE 💪#OUDNA | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/EorfL3ahkt

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023

A deliberate drive for the Sooners — OU used 13 plays in a 75 yard march to open the second half — ended with a very direct score, as Tawee Walker took a pair of carries starting at the Texas three-yard line, pushing the pile forward from a yard out on his second attempt to give Oklahoma a 27-17 lead.

Tawee Two-Step 🤠

Make it a pair of TDs for @RMBwee!#OUDNA | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/rnf7A3hrWJ

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023

Special teams takes center stage once again in Dallas to close the first half, with the teams trading field goals inside the final two minutes to give Oklahoma a 20-17 lead heading into the locker room.

It was the Longhorn punt unit that kicked off the madness early in the first quarter — after already surrendering an interception and an early touchdown, UT coach Steve Sarkisian turned a prospective three and out into a gutsy fake punt conversion. A Ewers interception stalled out the Texas drive inside the red zone, but it was the Longhorn punt defense this time that stepped up and blocked OU's punt in the end zone to level the score at 7.

Zach Schmit knocked through the first Oklahoma field goal from 27 yards out and answered a Longhorn touchdown — Sarkisian rolled the dice again on fourth down for a 25-yard touchdown — with a 1-yard scoring surge of their own. Trickling down into the final few minutes of the first half, another Texas drive faltered in the red zone, forcing a 25-yard field goal, while Oklahoma capped off its two minute drill with another Schmit chip shot.

Fourth down has been bold and impactful for the Longhorns through the opening half in Dallas. After turning a prospective three-and-out into a 20-yard gain via a fake punt, the Longhorns completed a 4th-and-short conversion, using a jump pass out of the wildcat to pull off a huge gain.

So as Texas faced a 4th-and-1 at the Sooner 25, despite a chance to tie the game with a field goal, UT coach Steve Sarkisian was resolute in keeping his explosive offense on the field. Fooling the collapsing OU defense with a run fake, Texas QB Quinn Ewers rolled right and found tight end Gunnar Helm wide open for a 24-yard score.

A season's worth of data, tendencies and film quickly succumbed to the chaos of the Red River Rivalry, as the first quarter between Texas and Oklahoma was defined by turnovers, trickery and and special teams standouts.

Oklahoma's second ranked passing defense quickly flexed its muscles, as the strong hands of Gentry Williams made Quinn Ewers regret a risky throw over the middle and set up the Sooners with excellent field position. After a crucial third-down conversion, OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel spurned his strong arms and opted for his legs to complete a nine-yard touchdown and give the Sooners a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the ball game.

With the Longhorns facing a swarming a defense while the red-and-white contingent at the Cotton Bowl roared, UT coach Steve Sarkisian felt a prospective three-and-out wouldn't do and converted a gutsy fake punt deep in their own territory. More fourth-down courage ensured, as a wildcat look turned into a 20-yard jump pass into the red zone. The first quarter madness peaked after a bobbled pass from Ewers was intercepted again, and the ensuing Sooner punt was blocked in the end zone to even the game at seven.

A calmer stretch ensued, as a pair of punts ended the first quarter at 7-7.

A chaotic opening six minutes in Dallas has reaching a thrilling apex. After a pair of trick plays — a fake punt followed by a fourth-down wildcat jump pass — led the Longhorns into the red zone, Texas' fortune took a stunning reversal as a tipped pass fell into the arms of Oklahoma's Kendel Dolby.

However, after a fruitless Oklahoma drive forced the Sooners to punt from their own end zone, Texas pulled off another game-changing special teams play as Kitan Crawford flew off the edge and blocked Josh Plaster's boot. Spiked off the turf, the ball bounced straight into the chest of Malik Muhammad in the end zone, and the ensuing extra point leveled the game at 7 with 9 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

GO CRAZY @KitanCrawford @Returnof7 pic.twitter.com/LUJsc7QIpq

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 7, 2023

America's second-ranked passing defense didn't take long to flex its muscle! The Sooners made Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers immediately regret a risky second-down throw over the middle, as Gentry Williams' strong hands pulled down a crucial interception through traffic and set OU up with great field position.

🫡 Gentry Williams

pic.twitter.com/tnrGvEbzuU

— Boomer Sooner (@BoomerSoonerCo) October 7, 2023

From the Texas 22, the Sooners managed a crucial third down conversion before Dillon Gabriel, who has 15 passing touchdowns on the year, did it with his legs this time on a nine-yard scamper.

Dillon Gabriel runs it in for the Oklahoma TD 🔥

🎥: @OU_Football pic.twitter.com/kBgwriVBL6

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 7, 2023

7-0 Oklahoma through just two minutes of play.

While the Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas has never lost any significance to the Longhorn fanatics, only recently has No. 3 Texas entered Dallas with any real expectations.

Favored for the first time in a decade, Texas battered their northern neighbors 49-0 in 2022 and announced themselves as well and truly back with an upset victory in Tuscaloosa earlier this season. A victory against No. 12 Oklahoma, which has quietly yet resoundingly taken care of lesser opposition through five weeks, Saturday would solidify its charge toward the college football playoff with a manageable latter half of the season.

One source of concern has been the Longhorns rushing attack. Jonathan Brooks has stepped up marvelously to replace Bijan Robinson as the Longhorn lead back, currently ranked third in all of FBS with 597 rushing yards, but Texas as a whole averages fewer than five yards per carry — UT also ranks 46th in expected points added (EPA) per rush and 86th in rushing success rate.

The vaunted Oklahoma front offers no respite either, currently ranked second in EPA per rush, likely demanding another excellent performance from Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. The sophom*ore gunslinger has been excellent with nearly 1,400 passing yards and just one interception, shining brightest at Bryant-Denny Stadium with 350 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Particularly against the Sooners' stingy rushing defense, Ewers will have to assume responsibility for finishing opportunities in the red zone, as the Longhorns currently average just 3.4 points per quality possession, good for 89th in FBS.

Texas defense faces a similar dynamic against the Oklahoma offense, looking to turn OU's transcendent attack one dimensional by stomping out its relatively mediocre run game. However, even a unified focus on Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel may do little to contain the early Heisman candidate. Currently ranked eighth nationally in passer rating, it's hard to find a sore spot in Gabriel's game as he's thrown 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions while maintaining a 75 percent completion percentage.

All signs point toward an evenly-matched, high-level affair Saturday set to define the remainder of the Big 12 campaign.

Despite Oklahoma's dominance of the Southwest region — Oklahoma has qualified for four college football playoffs while Texas hasn't managed to enter the Cotton Bowl inside the top 10 since 2009 — the Red River Rivalry has produced a number of tremendous matchups in recent years. Prior to Texas' 49-0 beatdown last season, Oklahoma had won the prior three matchups by just a score each while averaging north of 47 points per game, including a famous four-overtime, 53-45 marathon win in 2020.

Oklahoma vs. Texas: What to know about the Red River Rivalry

Here's a look at each matchup between Texas and Oklahoma since 2013.