Oklahoma Stuns No. 1 Texas 27-24 as Tate Sandell’s 47-Yard Field Goal Ends Red River Rivalry Thriller
Oklahoma knocked off No. 1 Texas 27-24 on Saturday night, with kicker Tate Sandell's 47-yard field goal in the final seconds sealing one of the biggest wins of the Brent Venables era.
Oklahoma stunned No. 1 Texas 27-24 on Saturday night, capped by Tate Sandell’s 47-yard field goal in the closing seconds — the second season in a row that the unranked side of the Red River rivalry game beat a top-10 team.
The Sooners trailed 17-7 at halftime before their defense suffocated the Longhorns. Oklahoma forced two second-half interceptions from Texas quarterback Arch Manning, held Texas to seven points after halftime and limited the Longhorns to 3 of 14 on third down, according to USA Today’s Sooners Wire live coverage.
Special teams, defense and one clutch kick
Oklahoma tied the game 7-7 in the second quarter when defensive end Danny Okoye blocked a Texas punt and defensive back Dakota Fields recovered it in the end zone; the play was upheld on review. Lloyd Avant’s 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter tied it again at 17-17. Avant finished with 10 carries for 72 yards, including a 42-yard burst, and the Sooners ran for 82 yards at 4.6 yards per carry in the second half after being held to one rushing yard as a team in the first half.
Peyton Bowen’s interception return for a touchdown put Oklahoma ahead 24-7 with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter. Texas answered when Manning hit Jermaine Bishop Jr. for a touchdown to tie the game at 24-24. Manning had earlier thrown touchdown passes to Cam Coleman, a 41-yarder in the first quarter, and Ryan Wingo, a 38-yarder in the second. With 1:55 left, Texas drove into field goal range but kicker Gianni Spetic missed from 52 yards.
Courtland Guillory’s interception gave Oklahoma one last shot. Quarterback John Mateer then hit Isaiah Sategna on back-to-back back-shoulder fades in the final 30 seconds to move into range, and Sandell nailed the 47-yarder to win it.
Sandell’s redemption
Sandell, the 2025 Lou Groza Award winner, had missed three straight field goals dating back to the Georgia game before hitting two in the second half, including the game-winner. Mateer finished without a turnover, completing 69% of his passes for 155 yards. Oklahoma moved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in SEC play, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive with seven games remaining.
Reporting based on coverage by USA Today’s Sooners Wire.
