DALLAS – OU’s defense started fast but couldn’t sustain its early momentum in a 23-6 loss to Texas. The Sooners pulled ahead early with two field goals, while holding the Longhorns to 20 yards on their first 14 plays on the way to a scoreless first quarter. OU has now allowed only three first-quarter points all season.
However, Texas found its rhythm midway through the game with three consecutive scoring drives — 12 plays for 75 yards and a field goal, 14 plays for 75 yards and a touchdown and 13 plays for 65 yards and another field goal — to take a 13-6 lead late in the third quarter.
“We lost some discipline there,” head coach Brent Venables said. “We lined up offside, turned guys loose and didn’t tackle well. We didn’t have the edge and the fire that you need to go win that game. That starts with me.”
The Longhorns also converted nine of their 10 third downs after halftime despite the Sooners entering the game ranked No. 1 nationally in third-down defense. Texas used runs from junior running back Tre Wisner and passes from sophomore quarterback Arch Manning to keep the OU front off balance, allowing Texas to control the tempo.
“They flipped the script in the second half,” Venables said. “Those first two drives of the half, they did a really good job of staying on the field. We played a part in that with our mistakes.”
Texas became the first team in four games to rush for more than 100 yards against OU with 134 after the Sooners held each of their previous three opponents under 70. The defensive line struggled to maintain gap integrity. Defensive tackles were caught out of position on several key runs, and edge defenders lost containment, allowing Wisner to bounce runs outside for additional yardage.
Beyond the tactical adjustments Texas made, OU hurt itself with self-inflicted wounds. The Sooners committed several costly penalties in the second half, including offsides calls that gave Texas free yards and extended drives.
The Sooners, though, are not dwelling on the setback.
“The same way you handle a win is the same way you handle a loss,” redshirt senior linebacker Kendal Daniels said. “The next day, you got to go in and work and see what you get better on. We have a long season ahead of us; that was just one game.”
Despite the second-half struggles, OU’s defense continued to create havoc in the backfield. The Sooners recorded 12 tackles for loss against Texas, marking their fourth consecutive game with double-digit TFLs. OU has totaled 49 tackles for loss over that span, including 11 at Temple, 13 against Auburn and 13 against Kent State. The last time OU recorded at least 10 TFLs in four straight games was during the 2003 season under Bob Stoops, when the Sooners had 12 against Iowa State, 11 against Texas, 11 against Missouri and 12 against Colorado.
Next, OU’s defense will face a South Carolina offense that averages 308.6 total yards per game with 208.8 coming through the air. The Gamecocks rank No. 44 nationally in completion percentage at 66.4% and average 9 yards per attempt. However, despite the loss to Texas, OU’s defense enters the game allowing 118.4 passing yards per game, the second-best mark in the nation.
OU (5-1, 1-1 SEC) will kick off against South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium with the time and channel to be announced.
This story was edited by Josh McDaniel.