DALLAS, Texas – At 6:05 P.M. Central Time on Saturday, the Golden Hat Trophy was placed atop the head of Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian as his top-ranked Longhorns celebrated a decisive 34-3 victory over the No. 18/16 Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl.
It was not until the sixth game of the 2024 season that a team managed to take the lead against Texas (6-0, 2-0). However, the Longhorns quickly responded after Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2) scored a field goal on their third offensive drive, which consumed 4:42 off the clock and covered just 38 yards in 11 plays. This drive was the only successful possession for the Sooners on the day that ended without a punt, turnover, or end of half.
Following the kickoff, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who was returning from an injury, led a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gunnar Helm, completed just three minutes and 50 seconds later. This marked the beginning of a dominant performance by the Longhorns, who accumulated 406 yards on offense over 61 plays against a Oklahoma defense ranked 43rd nationally.
Texas went on to score 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, highlighted by back-to-back touchdowns. Silas Bolden recovered a fumble in the end zone after a 36-yard run by Quintrevion Wisner. Wisner followed this with another impressive 43-yard touchdown run, leading to a quick scoring drive following one of two turnovers by the Sooners.
In the third quarter, even though Ewers and wide receiver Ryan Wingo failed to connect on a critical 4th-and-2 play, Texas kicker Bert Auburn added a 41-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-3. Auburn later added another field goal, pushing the score to 27-3.
The Texas defense stifled the Sooners, who recorded just 168 total yards of offense until a lengthy 17-play drive just before the game ended. Helm then made a significant catch, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Jerrick Gibson, followed by another rushing touchdown from Ewers, closing out a strong second half that saw Texas score on its last three possessions.
UP NEXT
The top-ranked Texas Longhorns will welcome the No. 5/4 Georgia Bulldogs to Austin for a highly anticipated matchup next Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, with ESPN’s College GameDay in attendance.
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