Oklahoma vs. Texas: Game Grades, Analysis for Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners got a little bit of revenge against their rivals, the Texas Longhorns, on Saturday.

After struggling on offense for much of the day, the Sooners were able to do just enough to escape Dallas with a 31-26 victory. With the win, Oklahoma avenges last season’s loss to the Longhorns.

Check out the final stats here and take a look at first- and second-half game grades below.

Position Unit	First-Half Grades	Second-Half Grades
Pass Offense	F	D+
Rush Offense	F	C
Pass Defense	D+	C+
Rush Defense	C-	B+
Special Teams	A+	A
Coaching	D	C

Passing Offense

After being exposed against TCU last weekend, quarterback Trevor Knight didn’t look all that better this time around.

Knight lacked confidence in the first quarter and only threw for 21 yards on 4-of-6 passing. The conservative play-calling didn’t help matters either.

In the second half, Knight picked things up, finishing with 129 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-20 passing. However, when it mattered most, he failed to do much of anything more often than not—the Sooners were 1-of-10 on third down.

Knight’s confidence appears all but shot, and the fact that Oklahoma doesn’t seem to trust him in big situations isn’t a good sign.

Rushing Offense

Coming into this game, it was a known fact that Texas struggled against the run. In fact, the team ranked No. 100 in the nation in run defense.

After Saturday, expect the unit to see a significant boost.

The Longhorns held the Sooners to just 103 yards rushing on 30 carries. The Big 12’s biggest surprise, running back Samaje Perine, didn’t get his usual production in, rushing for only 62 yards on 18 carries (3.4 YPC).

Although the overall effort is demoralizing, the bright spot is that Perine did turn it around on the fourth-quarter touchdown drive and played a significant role as Oklahoma tried to milk the clock late in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense

LM Otero/Associated Press

The secondary was a mixed bag on Saturday.

Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was able to find receivers in space early and often. It went a long way in the sophomore recording a career day. He threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-44 passing.

On the bright side, Zack Sanchez did intercept his fifth pass of the season and took it back more than 40 yards for a touchdown.

The unit continued to flex its muscle in the third quarter and for the early part of the fourth. However, things immediately fell apart as Texas was able to score two quick touchdowns with less than 10 minutes remaining to pull within five points.

There’s still work to be done.

Run Defense

Much like the secondary, this was an area that the Sooners had their fair share of ups and downs.

The unit was gashed by running back Malcolm Brown during the first half, conceding 69 yards on 10 carries. As a team, the Longhorns went into the locker room with 106 yards on 24 carries.

Oklahoma looked a lot better in the second half, stuffing Texas at the line time after time and only giving up 42 yards on 16 carries over the final two quarters. However, most of those yards came on the Longhorns' final touchdown drive.

When it mattered most, the Sooners run defense couldn’t stand up to the challenge. Who knows what would have happened if Texas had gotten the ball back with more time remaining?

Special Teams

This unit easily deserves the game ball.

It began in the first quarter when Alex Ross took a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. The unit also helped Oklahoma control the battle of field position, as punter Jed Barnett was excellent. He averaged 43.8 yards on nine punts, placing the ball inside the 20 three times.

Place-kicker Michael Hunnicutt also connected on his lone attempt from 44 yards.

There was some shaky coverage late, with Jaxon Shipley able to take back a couple of punt returns deep for the Longhorns. However, for the most part, the unit played excellent on Saturday.

Coaching

LM Otero/Associated Press

For the second time in as many weeks, this area of the Sooners looked questionable.

The absolute lack of faith in Knight’s downfield passing was an issue early in the game. Yes, the sophomore has struggled all season long, but at some point, you just have to call the plays and give him an opportunity to make good on those mistakes.

Thanks to the play-calling, the defense wound up on the field for the majority of the game. You could tell the unit was exhausted and gasping for air.

Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel had a couple of terrific calls in the second half. But it wasn’t enough to outweigh the poor ones.

All stats courtesy of NCAA.com.

For complete coverage and everything college football, you can reach Sebastian on Twitter and via email at [e-mail].