Beleaguered Texas Coach Charlie Strong came up with the perfect formula for defeating No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday.
First, get a lead. It makes Oklahoma have to score on almost every possession. Second, run the football. It shortens the game and reduces the number of opportunities for the Sooners to make the sort of comeback they managed against Tennessee. And third, blitz and sack QB Baker Mayfield as much as possible.
All three came together Saturday for the unexpected 24-17 win for the Longhorns.
The Longhorns (2-4, 1-2 Big 12) came into the game with the program’s worst start in 59 years. The Sooners (4-1, 1-1) were 10th in the Associated Press poll after a 4-0 start.
“They covered us, they pressured us, they controlled the line of scrimmage. … Did I miss anything?” Bob Stoops said after the game.
The Sooner defense never had an answer for the fleet-footed Texas QB Jerrod Heard, who had 168 yards in offense. Or for Tyrone Swoopes who guided Texas near the goal line, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Bluiett with 13:52 left in the fourth quarter that sealed the win.
Oklahoma responded with a long touchdown drive that ended in a Samaje Perine’s 1-yard touchdown run. That cut the Texas lead to 24-17 with eight minutes left. But the hoped for Oklahoma magic did not later materialize. The Sooners got the ball back with 6:05 remaining, but Mayfield was sacked twice. The Longhorns then ran the clock out, with Heard rushing for the final two first downs.
Texas is now 6-2 since 1989 in Red River games in which it was unranked and the Sooners were ranked.
The Sooners dropped to No. 19 in both the AP poll and the USA Today coaches poll following their first defeat of the season.
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