Texas defeats Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, but bigger tests remain

From Saturday's first drive at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the college football rivalry that rarely went according to script seemed to deviate from expectations.

Three plays into the annual Red River Rivalry, Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers threw an interception. First-ranked and undefeated Texas was on the defensive against Oklahoma, the team the Longhorns were expected to beat by a sound margin.

In previous years, when the higher-ranked team would often leave the Cotton Bowl trying to understand why it had somehow lost, such a start would have spelled an ominous end.

But not this year.

The Longhorns defeated the 18th-ranked Sooners 34-3 by rarely making mistakes like that again.

Late in the second quarter, with Texas leading 14-3, it forced fumbles on consecutive Oklahoma drives and led 21-3 at halftime.

For a Sooners offense that had no passing game and knew its margin for error was already slim, the turnovers before halftime virtually ended any threat and turned a rivalry whose history is full of unexpected results into one that shouldn't shock anyone.

Playing in his first game since returning from an oblique strain that sidelined him for two games, Ewers appeared overwhelmed early but finished the game with 199 yards and completed 20 of his 29 passes.

He threw for one touchdown and rushed for another. Texas (6-0) was further helped by Quintrevion Wisner's 118 rushing yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run, and just five penalties.

The result made it clear that Oklahoma (4-2) could have problems again under coach Brent Venables. Once a factory that produced Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterbacks, the Sooners entered Saturday with the 119th-ranked passing offense, and Michael Hawkins was a rare threat, completing 19 of his 30 passes. Oklahoma's rushing attack also yielded just 2.3 yards per carry.

What's harder to appreciate is how much the Longhorns' win over Oklahoma revealed about Texas' strength as a national title contender.

This season it has won by an average margin of 36.8 points, but whether that says more about Texas' strength or the disappointing nature of its schedule remains unclear. His two best wins, on the road at Michigan and at a neutral site against Oklahoma, were impressive given the Longhorns' level of control, but came against teams that have significant deficiencies.

Living in Texas' previous conference, the Big 12, meant that beating Oklahoma was the biggest hurdle to the conference title. That is no longer the case with the SEC. The Longhorns host Georgia next week.

The win against the Sooners earned Texas bragging rights. However, the Bulldogs will be a real litmus test for the championship.