Texas wakes up after a sloppy start and leads Oklahoma at halftime

DALLAS – The No. 1 Texas Longhorns led the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners 21-3 at halftime of the Red River Rivalry on Saturday in Dallas, but things weren’t exactly going well for the Burnt Orange.

The Longhorns offense couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start after opting for the opening kickoff. Quinn Ewers was sacked on the first play from scrimmage before throwing Matthew Golden to the ground on 3rd-and-14 with a pass that flew well over his head and into the arms of Billy Bowman Jr.

Michael Hawkins Jr. found former Longhorn Brenen Thompson for a first down on Oklahoma’s first offensive play after the pick, but the Sooners were unable to capitalize on the takeaway after Tyler Keltner’s 44-yard field goal attempt failed.

Things didn’t go much better for Texas on the second drive, as the offense went for a three-pointer again. On 3rd-and-3, Ewers had receiver Isaiah Bond wide open up the middle for a supposed touchdown, but the pass fell well short. The star quarterback was clearly shaking off some rust after not playing against UTSA since September 14th.

Luckily for the Longhorns, the defense held firm despite a Jelani McDonald facemask penalty on the punt, giving OU another short field. Michael Taaffe sacked Hawkins Jr. for a 13-yard loss on second down, nullifying the drive.

But while the Texas defense held its own, Steve Sarkisian’s offense remained dormant. The Longhorns made their third straight three-pointer and finished the first quarter without a first down.

The Sooners finished the first frame with an 11-play, 38-yard drive that ended with a 44-yard field goal by Keltner. Oklahoma’s 3-0 lead was the first time this season the Longhorns trailed in a game.

The start of the second quarter gave the Texas offense a chance to regroup. And on a 3rd-and-5, Ewers found DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 26-yard gain, the Longhorns’ first move out of the chains.

This marked a major shift in momentum for Texas. Quintrevion Wisner received three straight touchdowns for 12 yards before Gunnar Helm broke free down the right sideline for a 21-yard gain and capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown three plays later.

After a sloppy start, the Longhorns were up 7-3.

Oklahoma’s next drive was extended because David Gbenda called a roughing pass penalty on third down, but Barryn Sorrell came through a few plays later with a sack on third down to give Texas the ball back on the ensuing punt.

The two teams then exchanged punts before the Texas offense found some rhythm again. Longhorns freshman receiver Ryan Wingo broke free for a 44-yard gain, leading to the craziest sequence of the first half. On the next play, Wisner got free and gained 36 yards, but fumbled at the goal line. The ball almost rolled out of the end zone for a touchback, but Texas receiver Silas Bolden came out of nowhere and fell on the fumble to secure an unconventional touchdown for the Longhorns.

The Sooners then fumbled the ball away on consecutive drives. This led to a 43-yard rushing touchdown by Wisner and a missed 44-yard field goal by Bert Auburn.

Texas led 21-3 heading into the locker room.