Red River Showdown: With Quinn Ewers back, Texas blows out Oklahoma

By Laken Litman
FOX Sports College Football Writer

DALLAS — This was the statement Texas needed, and the one Oklahoma didn’t.

After what happened in this game last year during Steve Sarkisian’s first season as the Longhorns’ head coach, his program needed some offseason validation. Complete domination of your greatest rival, even if that rival is in a down year, will do it.

Texas flat-out embarrassed Oklahoma, 49-0, in the 118th rendition of the Red River Showdown on Saturday. It was OU’s worst shutout loss in history, and its first since 1998 against Texas A&M. It was also the Sooners’ worst loss since a 69-7 loss to Nebraska in 1997. 

For the Longhorns, it was the program’s biggest win ever over its rival, topping 33-point victories in 2005 and 1941. It was also Texas’ largest margin of victory over a Power 5 team since 2007 (56-3 over Iowa State).

The Sooners might be in a rebuilding year under new coach Brent Venables, but that only meant it was more crucial for Texas to take advantage, and it did. The Longhorns owned every phase of the game, putting up 585 yards of offense, limiting OU to 195, and intercepting a pair of passes.

Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers made his highly anticipated return, going 21 of 31 for 289 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. We had not seen him since he left a Week 2 loss to Alabama in the first quarter with a sprained clavicle. 

Ewers picked up right where he left off against the Crimson Tide. Yes, Hudson Card was more than a viable backup the past few weeks, but Ewers came out and took his job right back. There was no rust. He ran Sarkisian’s up-tempo offense with ease and slung the ball around like a veteran. Perhaps, had he not gotten hurt, Texas would currently be undefeated and ranked.

Oklahoma ranks last in the Big 12 in rushing defense, and Texas showed why. The Longhorns ran for 293 yards, with star running back Bijan Robinson getting 130 of those with two touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per touch.

In this matchup last season, Texas held a double-digit lead in the second half but ended up losing, 55-48. The Longhorns proceeded to lose their next six games and finish the season 5-7. Earlier this week, Sarkisian said that team was immature and lacked the necessary poise and composure. Saturday, his team proved it has made strides in those areas.

The win not only keeps Texas alive in a wide-open Big 12 race but also gives Sarkisian’s program momentum as it heads into the bulk of its conference schedule. There are still matchups left against Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, TCU, Kansas and Baylor, so this was a must-win.

Oklahoma’s defense has been a mess, ironic given that’s Venables’ area of expertise. The Sooners have now lost three straight to Kansas State, TCU and Texas, giving up 145 points and 1,762 total yards in the process. Five different players scored touchdowns for Texas.

Offensively, the Sooners had five different players line up at quarterback with starter Dillon Gabriel still in concussion protocol. Gabriel, who took a blow to the head on a late hit last week against TCU, stood on the sideline Saturday in his jersey and shorts. 

David Beville, a transfer from Pittsburgh, made his first career start at quarterback for OU, but offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby tried to get creative without Gabriel available. In the first quarter, with Texas leading just 7-0 at the time, OU worked Texas by running the wildcat on five straight plays, mostly led by tight end Brayden Willis. Once Oklahoma got inside the Texas 30-yard line, however, they abandoned ship and Beville came back on the field. The drive stalled, even after a nifty fake field goal, and Texas’ defense made a stop on fourth-and-1.

The Longhorns took control early and never gave it up. They had a 28-0 lead by halftime and while this rivalry isn’t a stranger to second-half comebacks, that wasn’t happening this time.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.