The Oklahoma Sooners upset the No. 1 Texas Longhorns 27-24 in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl on October 10, 2026, handing Texas their first loss of the season and dropping them to 4-1 overall. Tate Sandell sealed the victory with a 47-yard field goal as time expired, capping a comeback fueled by Texasâ costly errors.
Texas entered the game with high expectations, holding a 17-7 lead at halftime thanks largely to Oklahomaâs special teams miscues. A blocked punt by Danny Okoye and Dakoda Fieldsâ recovery in the end zone gave the Sooners an early touchdown. Yet the Longhorns failed to capitalize on Oklahomaâs struggling offense, which had been ranked last in the SEC in total offense before the game.
Quarterback Arch Manning, expected to lead Texasâ offense, made two interceptions under pressure that swung momentum in Oklahomaâs favor. Peyton Bowen returned one pick 42 yards for a touchdown, the first interception of Manningâs career and the first for Texas since 2021. That play erased Texasâ lead and brought the crowd of 92,100 into a stunned silence. Manningâs second interception came with 24 seconds left, thrown to Courtland Guillory, setting up Oklahoma for the winning field goal.
âThey hung around and made the plays they needed to make,â Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game.
Despite Manningâs 15-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Bishop and a 42-yard connection to Cam Coleman earlier in the second half, the Longhorns couldnât shake the Sooners, whose offense had gone 11 straight quarters without a touchdown before Saturday. Oklahoma running back Lloyd Avant scored a touchdown on the ground, helping keep the Sooners within striking distance.
Texasâ kicker Gianni Spetic missed a field goal attempt that would have put the Longhorns ahead late in the game, further compounding the teamâs struggles on offense. The Longhornsâ uneven performance left Sarkisianâs team vulnerable, giving Oklahoma a chance to pull off the upset despite their own down season.
The loss leaves Texas with a 1-1 record in SEC play and raises questions about their ability to handle the upcoming stretch of games against Florida, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State at home. The Longhorns have the talent but have yet to deliver consistent offensive performances this season. Their defense, though considered elite, could not compensate for the offensive errors that cost them the Red River Rivalry.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, improved to 2-2 and showed resilience against a top-ranked opponent. Their victory makes the SEC race more unpredictable, proving that even struggling teams can capitalize on mistakes and pull off surprising wins.
Texas will look to rebound when they host the Florida Gators in Austin on Saturday. The Gators have struggled recently, suffering heavy losses to Missouri and South Carolina, but the Longhornsâ own inconsistency means nothing can be taken for granted. The Red River Rivalry defeat is a setback that puts pressure on Texas to find stability before their next home game.
According to Yahoo Sports.
