On Saturday, the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns suffered their first defeat of the 2026 season, falling 27-24 to the unranked Oklahoma Sooners in a thrilling finish at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Arch Manning’s Late Turnover Proves Costly
Texas quarterback Arch Manning committed untimely turnovers that fueled Oklahoma’s upset. In the fourth quarter, Manning threw a costly pick-six to Peyton Bowen that gave the Sooners the lead. Although Manning rebounded to engineer a game-tying touchdown drive, he faltered again in the closing minute. Under heavy pressure from an Oklahoma blitz, Manning threw a poor interception directly to Courtland Guillory. That miscue set up Oklahoma for the game-winning field goal.
Special Teams Breakdowns Plagued the Longhorns
Special teams miscues continued to haunt Texas following their SEC opener against Tennessee. Oklahoma capitalized on a blocked punt in the end zone during the first half, scoring their first touchdown against the Longhorns since 2023. Later, a short 29-yard punt by Mac Chiumento set up a short-field touchdown drive for the Sooners.
Inconsistent Offense and Missed Defensive Stops
The Texas offense struggled to maintain momentum, relying entirely on sporadic explosive plays while lacking consistency throughout the afternoon. Touchdowns from Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo highlighted the stat sheet, but the rest of the unit stalled. Defensively, Will Muschamp needed his defense to get a timely stop, but they failed to secure it when it mattered most. John Mateer connected on two big-time throws to Isaiah Sategna to march the Sooners into field-goal range for the game-winning score.
