Tate Sandell kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired Saturday, Oct. 10, lifting Oklahoma to a 27-24 upset of No. 1 Texas at the Cotton Bowl in the 122nd Red River Rivalry.

The Sooners erased a 17-7 halftime deficit, scoring touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.

Oklahoma's defense smothered the Longhorns in the second half, holding Texas quarterback Arch Manning and the offense to 53 total yards and 2-of-12 on third downs, according to Sooners Wire. Three consecutive three-and-outs after halftime flipped the game's momentum and set up a fourth quarter no one in Dallas will forget.

Sandell, the 2025 Lou Groza Award winner, cut the Texas lead to 17-10 in the third quarter with a field goal after missing a 52-yard attempt before halftime.

Running back Lloyd Avant, a junior transfer from Colorado State, sparked the comeback from there. His 42-yard run on third-and-2 in the third quarter moved the Sooners into scoring range. Avant then punched in a two-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter, tying the game at 17-17 with 14:48 remaining. He had 69 yards on nine carries through the tying drive, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Safety Peyton Bowen delivered the play of the game. He intercepted Manning and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown with 10:07 left, giving Oklahoma a 24-17 lead.

Texas answered. Manning hit freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr. on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 6:32 remaining to tie it at 24-24. It was Bishop's first career touchdown catch.

The Longhorns missed a 52-yard field goal attempt with less than two minutes left, according to Burnt Orange Nation. Later, Courtland Guillory intercepted Arch Manning's pass with 19 seconds left at Oklahoma’s own 39.

Wide receiver Isaiah Sategna hauled in a 20-yard catch to move Oklahoma into field goal range. Texas called timeout to ice Sandell. He split the uprights anyway.

The Sooners' defense set the tone for the comeback well before the fourth quarter. Defensive end Danny Okoye blocked a punt by Texas punter Max Chiumento in the end zone in the second quarter. Transfer defensive back Dakota Fields recovered it for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7. The play was upheld after video review.

Texas had scored first on Manning's 41-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman and built a 17-7 halftime lead after adding a 34-yard scoring strike to Ryan Wingo and a 23-yard field goal.

Oklahoma entered the game 2-2 overall and 0-1 in SEC play. Texas was 4-0 and ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. It was the fifth time in the AP poll era that Texas entered the rivalry ranked No. 1.

Linebackers Owen Heinecke and Trystan Haynes each recorded five tackles in the first half. Heinecke had 1.5 tackles for loss. Trent Wilson and Taylor Wein each had sacks. Okoye also drew a holding penalty on the drive after Avant's tying score, helping force another punt.

Head coach Brent Venables had said at his Friday, Oct. 9, press conference, "We haven't played our best football yet, and if we can do that, we'll have an opportunity." His team delivered. The win was Venables' second over Texas in five Red River Rivalry games as head coach.

Oklahoma had not scored a touchdown against Texas in the previous two rivalry meetings, losing 34-3 in 2024 and 23-6 in 2025. Saturday, the Sooners scored three.

Oklahoma hosts Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 17, with a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff.