Texas defense too much for No. 6 Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry
- The No. 19 Texas Longhorns defeated the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 23-6 in the Red River Rivalry.
- Texas quarterback Arch Manning had a season-best performance, while Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer threw three interceptions.
- The Texas defense held Oklahoma to 258 total yards and forced three turnovers.
DALLAS – When John Mateer took the field for No. 6 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 11, he was set to become a Sooners legend after beating his injury timetable.
But it was the Texas and Arch Manning show, as the 19th-ranked Longhorns dominated Oklahoma en route to a 23-6 win. Oklahoma got out to a quick 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but was held scoreless the rest of the game by a defense that was dominant in the final three periods.
Manning, the heralded five-star quarterback, turned in his season-best performance against the Sooners, making plays when the Longhorns needed them and leading an efficient offense in a game between two stingy defenses. Texas outgained Oklahoma with 189 yards to the Sooners’ 88 in the second half, and won the turnover battle 3-0 as Mateer tossed a trio of interceptions.
Oklahoma’s defense has looked among the best in the nation through five games in 2025, but it was Texas’ defense that came up huge against the Sooners, holding Oklahoma’s new-look offense to 258 total yards and three turnovers while sacking Mateer five times. It marked the third time Oklahoma was held without an offensive touchdown against Texas in the past four years, all of which have come under coach Brent Venables.
Manning finished 21-of-27 passing for 166 yards with a touchdown, also rushing for 34 yards on four carries. Running back Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 94 yards on 22 carries.
Texas put the nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter, after Ryan Niblett returned an Oklahoma punt 75 yards for a touchdown to make the score 20-6.
Venables kept Mateer’s availability under wraps in the days leading up to the game, practicing indoors and avoiding questions about the first-year Washington State transfer. It became clear as the week progressed, however, that he’d be available, after being listed as probable on the SEC availability report on Oct. 9.
Mateer, who suffered a hand injury against Auburn, underwent surgery 17 days ago to fix the issue. He threw three interceptions in his first action since missing Oklahoma’s win against Kent State in Week 6, and certainly looked rusty, or even less than 100% with his throwing hand.
A week after being thrashed by Florida in a 29-21 road loss, in which Manning was sacked six times, Texas held Oklahoma’s strong pass rush to only one sack, although the Sooners had 12 tackles for loss.
Venables falls to 1-3 against Texas, and awaiting him and Oklahoma is a gauntlet of a schedule. The Sooners travel to South Carolina next week, before upcoming games against Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU to round out the conference slate.
Texas gets a much-needed win against its archrival, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive and looking quite improved after dropping an upset loss to Florida.
