Texas vs. Oklahoma: Game Grades, Analysis for Red River Rivalry Game
Despite some early mistakes, the Oklahoma Sooners were able to get just enough space between them and the Texas Longhorns to come away with a 45-40 win in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday.
Running back Samaje Perine and receiver Dede Westbrook led the way for Bob Stoops' team, combining for 446 yards of offense and five touchdowns on the afternoon. Quarterback Baker Mayfield committed two turnovers but came on in the second half to finish with 390 passing yards.
Once again, Texas' problems showed up on the defensive end. Tackling and coverage issues contributed to nearly 700 yards of offense for the Sooners, which proved too much for the Horns to overcome.
In the battle for job security, Stoops' team came through, while Texas' Charlie Strong will see the criticism pick up for the third straight week.
Texas: Offense
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Once again, the Texas offense did its job. It just wasn't enough to overcome the awesome firepower of the Sooners.
Led by another great game by running back D'Onta Foreman, the Horns held up their end of the bargain on the offensive side of the ball. The junior continued to show the total package Saturday, turning 25 carries into 159 yards and two touchdowns.
With Foreman rolling, it looked like the Horns were going to run away with this one once Shane Buechele started hitting the deep ball. The freshman quarterback had his struggles but came out mostly positive with three touchdowns against one pick, connecting on scores of 63 and 45 yards.
As we've said after the last three losses, Texas can win with this offense.
Grade: A-
Oklahoma: Offense
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Aside from three turnovers, the Sooners offense did whatever it wanted in this one.
Dede Westbrook led the way with 232 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 10 catches, continuing his rapid climb up the national receiving rankings. No matter the route or who was covering him, the senior transfer ate up yardage almost at will.
The same goes for tailback Samaje Perine. With running mate Joe Mixon struggling, Perine showed the power and surprising burst that made him so effective as a freshman and sophomore en route to a 200-yard showing of his own.
With these two putting on a show, quarterback Baker Mayfield was able to settle in after two early interceptions (one should have been called back). The senior's elusiveness in the pocket kept Texas on its heels all day and was the key factor as the Sooners reeled off touchdowns on five consecutive drives.
This would be a perfect score if not for the turnovers.
Grade: A-
Texas: Defense
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New coordinator, same result for the Longhorns.
Charlie Strong took full control of the defense after last week's loss to Oklahoma State, and the results were mostly the same. The Horns continued to struggle tackling and in coverage, giving up 672 yards and 45 points to the Sooners on the day.
With this loss, the Horns have gone down despite the offense putting up 43, 31 and 40 points. The 2015 version of this team would have killed for that kind of help from the offense.
Instead, the Horns are relying on a freshman quarterback to hit deep routes to bail out a defense that gets gashed at will. There's no clear answer as to how to fix this unit.
Grade: F
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Oklahoma: Defense
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Thin in the secondary and down three starters by game's end, the Sooners defense could only hope to give the offense a chance to win the game. It did, and it was enough to deliver the victory.
With cornerback Michiah Quick, safety Ahmad Thomas and defensive tackle Jordan Wade going down, the Sooners defense was barely holding it together. Those injuries allowed Texas to hit two deep touchdowns and gave D'Onta Foreman room to rack up another 100-yard rushing performance.
But situationally, the Sooners got it done. Backup Will Sunderland got a crucial interception to keep Texas out of the end zone, and the pass rush constantly forced Shane Buechele out of his comfort zone.
Once the Sooners got ahead by two scores, the sense was that this group could do its job to keep the lead. Oklahoma will take that in a rivalry game.
Grade: C+
Texas: Coaching
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Texas looked like the better-coached team for most of Saturday's game, but that will do Charlie Strong no favors in Austin this week.
Strong put himself right in the crosshairs at the beginning of the week, taking over the defense after two poor showings in losses. Unfortunately, he couldn't finish the tackles for his players, who were still whiffing on key plays and losing men in coverage.
The raw results were ugly. The Horns forced four turnovers but gave up 45 points and almost 700 yards to a bitter rival. Those numbers will overshadow any schematic improvement, and Strong has put himself in position to shoulder all of the blame.
This was hardly embarrassing, as the Horns played hard and made plays for their coach. But this showing will not keep Strong off arguably the nation's hottest seat.
Grade: C
Oklahoma: Coaching
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Oklahoma came away with the win, and head coach Bob Stoops will get a break from the critics, but this sideline did nothing special.
The Sooners tried to get too cute several times throughout the game, calling a pass on the game-clinching 3rd-and-5 that Baker Mayfield almost fumbled to the Longhorns. The outcome was only in question at this point because the defense looked too busy to tackle D'Onta Foreman with less than three minutes to play.
Had Stoops and his staff somehow blown this—and they tried often—it would be tough to defend his team's somewhat lackadaisical performance. Instead, it's a solid win that delivered a crushing blow to Texas' coaching staff.
That doesn't answer many questions, but it will work after what happened in 2015.
Grade: C+
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