Getty Image
Is Texas back?
Well, it’s hard to say.
The Longhorns took on rival Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday looking to prove that it is, in fact, back.
After a calamitous first quarter that saw both teams make a bevvy of mistakes, it was Oklahoma that seemed to find its footing.
The Sooners pulled out to a 27-17 early in the third quarter on a Tawee Walker touchdown run and it appeared things were tilting in favor of Oklahoma.
Slowly but surely, however, the Longhorns chipped away.
A Bert Auburn 45-yard field goal made it 27-20 through three quarters and the Horns tied the game with 6:10 remaining on a Jonathan Brooks 29-yard touchdown run.
After a defensive stop, the Longhorns marched down the field and took a late 30-27 lead on a 47-yard field goal by Auburn with just 1:17 remaining.
But the Sooners didn’t go away.
In fact, they did exactly the opposite.
Dillon Gabriel led Oklahoma 75 yards in just 1:02, capped by 3-yard touchdown pass to Nic Anderson to give the Sooners a 34-30 lead that they would not relinquish.
Texas fans were apoplectic.
#Texas loses. Sark is a loser. pic.twitter.com/6oLkCfBGna
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) October 7, 2023
The overwhelming majority of the anger was directed at head coach Steve Sarkisian, who played very conservatively down the strech.
“Sark is a loser like before,” one fan wrote.
“Sark is just not the guy,” said another.
Horns247 user jrbHorn said “Trash. Average **** team that beat a down Alabama and struggled against regular **** teams. Sark got exposed once again today.”
Now, losing to a rival is never fun.
Especially when the game was there for the taking.
But the Sooners look pretty darn real, and the teams could very well meet again in the Big 12 title game.
So we ask again: is Texas back?
Maybe not quite yet.
But it’s probably closer than some fans think.