Texas beats Oklahoma and is now in the Big 12 driver’s seat

TEXAS IS BACK, or at least maybe it is.

No. 19 Texas beat No. 7 Oklahoma on Saturday, 48-45, and established itself as the Big 12 favorite in the process. (West Virginia’s unbeaten, but the Texas and WVU both have no Big 12 losses, and WVU hasn’t beaten Oklahoma.) The Longhorns showed impressive poise down the stretch in this Red River Rivalry game. After blowing a 21-point lead across less than five minutes in the fourth quarter, they mounted a game-winning drive to close it out.

Freshman kicker Cameron Dicker was pure on a 40-yard field goal that went through with nine seconds left. It capped a nine-play, 52-yard drive to answer Oklahoma’s previous fourth-quarter dominance and give the Horns a potentially program-changing win. The 93 combined points the teams scored were the most in Red River history.

Sam Ehlinger had 314 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus three rushing scores. He was the game MVP by any reasonable measure, and Texas looks better than it has in a long time. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is going to shoot for a rematch in the conference title game.

Here’s a recap of the scoring that closed the game:

UT 48, OU 45

Texas freshman kicker Cameron Dicker flushed a 40-yard field goal nine seconds left. After all of that, Texas is probably about to beat Oklahoma.

UT 45, OU 45

Well, that escalated quickly. Oklahoma just scored 21 unanswered points in 4:50 to tie Texas. What an embarrassment for the Longhorns, and what a game.

2:38 to play.

UT 45, OU 38

Kyler Murray ran 67 yards for a touchdown with 5:11 left. He’s lightning.

UT 45, OU 31

Kyler Murray threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Lee Morris with 8:28 to play. Oklahoma needed that but still needs a lot more.

UT 45, OU 24

This might be a blowout. Sam Ehlinger found Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a 15-yard touchdown, Ehlinger’s fifth total touchdown of the day. UT has three touchdowns in four second-half series and has firm command, even though OU’s offense has averaged 12.1 yards per play since the break.

UT 38, OU 24

The Longhorns answer back with another Sam Ehlinger TD run, this one from 2 yards. That’s the Texas QB’s third rushing score of the afternoon.

UT 31, OU 24

A quick, necessary response for the Sooners: on the third play of their drive after falling back down by 14, Hollywood Brown caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray.

UT 31, OU 17

Texas just started the second half with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It finished with Sam Ehlinger running it in from 5 yards, off tackle. The Horns look really good.

UT 24, OU 17