DALLAS – The Texas Longhorns didn’t offer any quarter to the short-handed Sooners in the 118th meeting between the two rivals. Texas won 49-0 in the Cotton Bowl, breaking its record for margin of victory over Oklahoma in the process. The Longhorns beat Oklahoma by 33 points in 2005 and 1941. The win was the first for the program over Oklahoma since 2018, and only the fourth total win for Texas in the series since Colt McCoy graduated. 

The only thing up in the air at the State Fair was the status of Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who went through full warmups prior to the game despite being knocked out by TCU in Week 5. Gabriel didn’t start, and neither did the Oklahoma offense. The Sooners were shut out for the first time since 1998 in a game at Texas A&M. It was the first time Texas blanked Oklahoma since 1965. The Sooners only reached Texas territory three times, and never in the second half. 

THREE THINGS 

The Longhorns scored touchdowns on three of its first four drives to start the first and second halves. Texas outgained Oklahoma, 585-195. The Longhorns recorded 36 first downs compared to 11 for the Sooners. Texas ran 22 more plays, averaged 2.2 more yards a carry, and won the turnover margin by one. Texas ran for 296 yards and passed for 289. That’s balance. 

Quinn Ewers is next level: The former no. 1-ranked recruit in the nation proved why he arrived in Austin with such high expectations. Backup quarterback Hudson Card played well in relief over the past few weeks, but it became clear early on that Ewers allows the Longhorns offense to soar. His ability to push the ball down the field changes everything for Steve Sarkisian’s offense. It allows more room for the talented running back room to work. It gives guys like J.T. Sanders plenty of room to operate in the middle of the field. And it puts defenses in the position to defend every blade of grass available. 

Ewers entered the game with only 58 snaps as a starting quarterback at the college level. He left high school early, skipping his senior season to redshirt at Ohio State. He never threw a pass as a Buckeye, and he was injured in the second quarter of the Week 2 contest against Alabama earlier this season. He’s still raw, but his talent is undeniable. He’s the best quarterback at Texas since McCoy and Vince Young. 

"I thought as the week went on, Quinn was much more dialed in and it showed," Sarkisian said. 

Ewers was 21 of 31 for 289 yards and four touchdowns to just one interception. Seven different receivers caught at least two of those completions with Jordan Whittington and Sanders tying for the team-lead with five catches each. Sanders scored twice, while Xavier Worthy and Keilan Robinson also caught touchdown passes. The fact that Texas’ offense was so successful and explosive despite Worthy only catching three passes for 29 yards is a testament to varied aspect of Texas’ passing attack. Texas averaged 13.8 yards a completion. That number was around 8.6 with Card in charge. 

Texas OL continues improvement: For a decade, the Texas offensive line was a problem. The initial signs of improvement came in the one-point loss to Alabama when the Longhorns did an okay job handling one of the best front-sevens in college football. The evolution continued in the win over an Oklahoma team that wore down, and then dominated, the Texas offensive line in the 2021 meeting. The big men up front arrived at the Cotton Bowl with something to prove, and they left with the souls of the Oklahoma defensive front.

"I hate to dwell on last year, but we feel like we let one get away," Sarkisian said after the game. "I'm proud of the team and their focu. Proud of their leadership and getting themselves prepared to play and play at a high level." 

Texas averaged 5.9 yards a carry. Bijan Robinson ran the ball 22 times for 130 yards and two scores. Roschon Johnson added 57 yards on nine carries. Former Mr. Texas Football Jonathon Brooks even got in on the action in the second half by racking up 39 yards and a touchdown run on seven carries. Even Ewers averaged 8.5 yards a carry on scrambles. Texas allowed four sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits in the 2021 loss to Oklahoma. The group only allowed one sack, four tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits in the win on Saturday. 

Redemption for the defense: The Texas defense deserved the heat it received following a disappointing 2021 campaign under a new defensive staff. Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson was brought in to help game plan and scheme Texas to more success on the defensive side of the football in 2022. So far, so good for the the pair of Patterson and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.

Texas’ defense allowed 31.08 points per game in 2021. Opponents averaged 5.2 yards a rush and the Longhorns only tallied 20 sacks in 12 games. The 2022 defense is only allowing 17.33 points per game through six games following the shut-out win over Oklahoma. The defense added three sacks to bring its season total to 17 through six games.  And opponents are averaging around 3.5 yards a carry on the season. Sure, the Oklahoma offense was putrid, but that shouldn’t stop Texas fans from noticing the improvements on the defensive side of the football.