Texas' Tom Herman 'Absolutely Crushed' for Sam Ehlinger After Loss to Oklahoma

Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman expressed regret Saturday for the team's inability to come through with a win for quarterback Sam Ehlinger against the rival Oklahoma Sooners.

According to Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, Herman said: "Crushed. Absolutely crushed that we as a family didn't do enough collectively for him to finish his career against these guys the way that he deserved to. I feel like we all let him down."

The No. 22 Longhorns fell 53-45 to Oklahoma in four overtimes in Saturday's Red River Showdown, leaving Ehlinger with a 1-4 career record against the Sooners.

Ehlinger, who is a senior, put up huge numbers in the losing effort. He went 30-of-53 for 287 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while also rushing for 112 yards and four touchdowns.

While Ehlinger led Texas back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, he made a game-ending mistake with an interception in the end zone in the fourth overtime after Oklahoma had taken an eight-point lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Rattler to Drake Stoops.

Ehlinger was the veteran quarterback in the game, but it was Rattler who showed more composure. The freshman was benched in favor of Tanner Mordecai in the first half, but head coach Lincoln Riley put him back in during the second half, and the decision paid dividends.

Rattler finished 23-of-35 for 209 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, plus 51 yards and one score on the ground.

Oklahoma has largely had Texas' number in the Red River Showdown in recent years. The Sooners have won three games in a row against the Longhorns and nine of the past 12.

Both teams entered Saturday's game in significant need of a win. The Sooners were 1-2 and unranked after back-to-back losses to Kansas State and Iowa State, while the Longhorns were 2-1 and coming off an upset loss against TCU.

The combination of Herman and Ehlinger was expected to lead Texas football back to prominence, but that hasn't really been the case.

Texas went 7-6 in 2017, 10-4 in 2018 and 8-5 last season. With a 2-2 record through four games this season, the Longhorns seem unlikely to vie for a College Football Playoff spot or even a Big 12 title once again in 2020.

Saturday marked an opportunity for Herman and Ehlinger to cement their legacy together at Texas as something more than disappointment, but yet another loss to Oklahoma prevented that from happening.