The Texas Longhorns have conquered the Oklahoma Sooners and recaptured the Golden Hat trophy. The Cotton Bowl saw a fiery matchup on Saturday between two old rivals. The game’s commentators definitely said it best: New Conference, Same Bad Blood. Quinn Ewers led the Longhorns to victory, getting solid support from their offense. After a shaky start, the Texas Longhorns regained control and scored 34 unanswered points. The Golden Hat now rests proudly in Texas, reminding its new owners how far they’ve come.
Red River Rivalry Recap
This game has been on the minds of Longhorns Nation for quite a while. The Texas Longhorns defense certainly played as such. The 2024 version of the historic rivalry was a wild ride from start to finish. Both teams played spectacularly, but as far as winners, there can be only one.
1st Quarter
For a game that ended so decisively, the Texas Longhorns had a rough start. Returning Quarterback Quinn Ewers was sacked on his very first drive. The next one wasn’t much better, as the Oklahoma Sooners intercepted and took possession. Despite this promising play, the Sooners were unable to capitalize on their momentum. Oklahoma kicker Tyler Keltner missed his 44-yard field goal attempt.
The Oklahoma Sooners suffered a 13-yard loss after a safety blitz by Defensive Back Michael Taaffe. A false start backed up the punt five yards and then deja vu struck as it happened once more. Texas Longhorn Silas Bolden was ready for it, but the football bounced sideways out of his reach. He would have his best luck with punts later in the game.
Ewers passed to Running Back Tre Wisner for a few yards and rushed a few himself. But ultimately the Texas Longhorns punted. Oklahoma made their way down the field, only to be stopped by the Texas defense. Oklahoma was halted over and over again. The first quarter ended in a successful field goal for the Oklahoma Sooners. This was the first time the Texas Longhorns have trailed their opponents all season.
2nd Quarter
The Red River Rivalry started popping off in the second quarter. Quinn Ewers found Tre Wisner for several completions and Tight End Gunnar Helm added clutch yard gains. Running Back Jaydon Blue carried it to the goal line. Immediately after, Ewers passed to Gunnar Helm, who dove for the Longhorns first touchdown.
A concerning turn of events happened for the Texas Longhorns after Ewers threw too high to Isaiah Bond. Bond was tackled in the back and left the game to be evaluated. Coach Sarkisian later provided an update on the Wide Receiver, saying Bond had “…re-aggravated” an ankle injury from earlier in the game. They’ll want to rest him as much as possible before the Georgia game.
Silas Bolden secured the ball after Tre Wisner fumbled a near-touchdown to score. The Texas Longhorns’ second touchdown was certainly a team effort. Following a successful field goal, it was now 14-3. Wisner would soon make up for the blunder with two minutes left in the half. Anthony Hill Jr stripped the ball from Sooners Quarterback Hawkins Jr and Texas took possession. The very first play Ewers handed it off to Tre Wisner, who turned on the jets. Wisner avoided the Sooners Defense and ran 43 yards for the touchdown. But the Texas Longhorns Offense wasn’t done yet.
They recovered an Oklahoma Sooners fumble and tried to make the best of it. Jaydon Blue, DeAndre Moore Jr, and Silas Bolden all caught passes to move Texas forward. Unluckily, a misfire from Ewers to Matthew Golden who then overthrew a pass resulted in a missed touchdown opportunity for Texas. The Longhorns missed another three points after two missed field goal attempts by Kicker Bert Auburn.
3rd Quarter
The Texas Longhorns led the Sooners 21-3 going into the half. Michael Hawkins Jr. stayed in as quarterback for Oklahoma. Ewers launched several passes to Tre Wisner and another to Tight End Gunnar Helm. Wisner himself easily avoided tackles and recorded over 100 yards this game. One thing is becoming abundantly clear: Quintrevion Wisner cannot be stopped. At one point, Oklahoma fell on Ewers during play. The resulting flag was actually for the tussle after the play. Tempers flaring, Oklahoma players went at Texas Longhorn Wisner in the Ewers takedown. Ultimately, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were issued for both teams.
After, Ryan Wingo caught a Quinn Ewers pass and recorded 49 total rushing yards. The next drive, Ewers avoided pressure but had to throw the football away. Texas Longhorn Jaydon Blue made a strong advance, but Ewers threw one more incomplete. Despite the turnover on downs, the Oklahoma Sooners’ progress remained negligible. Texas Longhorns Edge Rusher Ethan Burke sacked the Sooners QB and Oklahoma chose to punt.
Texas Longhorn Matthew Golden caught a Quinn Ewers rocket for a 23-yard gain. Wisner and Blue completed a few more passes that moved Texas forward. Unfortunately, Ewers overthrew so Texas kicker Bert Auburn took the 41-yard field goal attempt next. This time it went right down the middle, and the Longhorns pulled ahead 24-3. Oklahoma was not able to get a play off before time expired.
4th Quarter
The final quarter started with a bang. Texas Longhorn Anthony Hill Jr proved that history repeats itself as he sacked Oklahoma’s Hawkins Jr. Forced to punt yet again, the Oklahoma Sooners could not have imagined a worse result. Silas Bolden engineered an explosive punt return. He made it 55 yards before getting knocked out of bounds near the 20-yard line.
As the tension crackled in the air, the intensity on the field increased even further. Veteran Longhorn Jake Majors deftly avoided a potential knee injury from a nasty tangle up. Majors smartly leaned himself back to protect his legs and was able to stay in the game. Texas managed another field goal, and their lead was pushed up 27-3.
Another turnover on downs later by Oklahoma, and the Texas Longhorns quickly got to work. Gunnar Helm caught a deep pass from Ewers that was extremely close to being picked off. No wonder Helm is considered a top TE Prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. With opportune positioning, Quinn Ewers rushed the last yard himself. It was the Texas Longhorns’ final touchdown of the 2024 Red River Rivalry; they had arrived.
Final Thoughts
Another year of the historic Red River Rivalry game has come and gone. There is a clear difference between a strong lead and a massacre, as Saturday’s clash demonstrated. First impressions certainly aren’t everything, and Texas cleaned theirs up by the second quarter. Several Texas Longhorns had monster performances, and their starting quarterback held the team steady.
Quinn Ewers lasted the entire game, showing strong improvement from his earlier oblique injury. Michael Hawkins Jr. was the first true freshman quarterback in Sooners history to face Texas. Oddly serendipitous, since the Texas Longhorns freshmen are key to the team. We’ll see how they go next week back in Austin, Texas against the Georgia Bulldogs.
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