Arch Manning and Texas secure important victory against Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry

DALLAS — Texas Triumphs in Red River Rivalry

Ryan Niblett made a significant impact in the game’s fourth quarter, returning a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, leading Texas to a solid 23-6 victory over No. 6 Oklahoma in their annual face-off.

Arch Manning had a productive game, completing 21 of 27 passes for 166 yards. He set up a 12-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. as the Longhorns (4-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) started the second half strong. This win was a crucial bounce-back after their previous loss to Florida, which had knocked them out of the AP Top 25.

With this victory, Texas retains the Golden Hat trophy and is poised to re-enter the rankings next week. More importantly, it keeps their hopes for the College Football Playoff alive, especially crucial after last week’s setback.

Returning to the field, Oklahoma’s John Mattia, just 17 days post-surgery on his right hand, managed to complete 20 of 38 passes but faced tough challenges with three interceptions.

Niblett’s impressive run saw him sprinting along the sideline, juke inside at midfield, and after a misstep against a teammate, he continued his dash into the end zone, extending Texas’s lead to 20-6 with just under ten minutes remaining.

On their next possession, Oklahoma moved quickly but faltered. After gaining 38 yards in three plays to reach Texas’s 27-yard line, Mattia faced a series of setbacks with an incompletion, two consecutive sacks, and another incompletion on a fourth-and-22, leaving them with only 258 total yards for the game.

Mason Shipley contributed to Texas’s score with field goals of 22, 48, and 39 yards. However, he did miss two long attempts, one from 55 yards that hit the upright and another from 56 yards that fell short.

Oklahoma’s Tate Sandel started his team off well with a 42-yard field goal on their opening drive and managed to add another, bringing the score to 6-0 before the Sooners couldn’t add more points.

Takeaways

Oklahoma: This loss marks the first time since 2008-2009 that the Sooners have fallen to their rivals in consecutive games. They previously dominated Texas, winning five out of their last six encounters, including the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game.

Texas: A standout for the Longhorns was Quintrevion Wisner, who rushed 22 times for 94 yards and caught five passes for 34 yards. While their initial drives struggled, gaining only 20 yards on 14 plays, they turned it around with two impressive drives early in the second half.

One of the highlights was a series of seven consecutive successful third-down conversions, including a memorable moment where Manning deftly evaded defenders on the goal line to connect with Parker Livingston for a 21-yard sideline pass.