Quinn Ewers shakes off rust, Longhorns defeat Sooners

Here are five thoughts on No. 1 Texas' 34-3 victory over No. 18 Oklahoma in Saturday's Red River Rivalry game in the Cotton Bowl.

Early Ewers grate

Texas' starting quarterback looked like a signal caller who hadn't played in nearly a month.

Naturally.

Quinn Ewers — who had missed the Longhorns' last two and a half games with an abdominal strain — completed three of his five pass attempts in the first quarter for 13 yards and an interception. Ewers, a Southlake Carroll graduate, was intercepted by Oklahoma defensive lineman Billy Bowman Jr. on his first pass attempt as he tripped Matthew Golden near midfield on Texas' opening drive. The Longhorns hit a three-pointer on their next drive, which included a misfire by Ewers on third down, and gained just 5 yards on their third possession of the first quarter.

Texas averaged 0.9 yards per play on its first three drives and finished the first quarter with just 13 yards of total offense on 10 plays. The Longhorns (6-0) didn't cross midfield until a 10-play, 75-yard drive early in the second quarter that ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to tight end Gunnar Helm.

Ewers completed 10 of his 13 attempts in the second quarter, passing for 109 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game with 199 yards on 20-for-29 passing, one touchdown and one interception.

The Texas running game

Texas' running game — led by DeSoto native Quintrevion Wisner (118 yards on 13 attempts) — ran for 177 total yards in the final three quarters of the game, allowing Ewers to settle in. Oklahoma's defense threw a rushing yard shutout in the first quarter, however. The Longhorns ran for 133 yards in the second quarter and another 59 yards in the third quarter to extend their lead.

The game-changing Texas fumble

Texas – down 7-3 with 4:19 remaining in the second quarter – crossed midfield in three plays (including a 44-yard pass from Ewers to freshman Ryan Wingo) to set up a 36-yard run by Wisner. The highlight: Towards the end of his run and just five yards from a touchdown, Wisner was pursued by Oklahoma defensive lineman Robert Spears-Jennings. Spears-Jennings knocked the ball out of Wisner's hands and it bounced into the far left corner of the end zone.

Oklahoma's Danny Stutsman tried to shut it down. Silas Bolden of Texas ran faster. Bolden, a receiver who was back on the field at the time of the fumble, burst into the end zone, outran a series of Oklahoma defenders and fell on the ball for a touchdown that gave the Longhorns a 14-3 lead and an overall victory lots of momentum.

The game-changing Oklahoma fumble(s)

Oklahoma's mistakes weren't so random. Texas forced and recovered a fumble on consecutive Oklahoma offensive plays to end the second quarter and take a three-point lead into halftime.

The first: Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. — who barely had an open wide receiver downfield all game and struggled to find time in the pocket — stormed from the Sooners' 43-yard line in just under two minutes left on 1st and 10 to the middle in the second quarter. Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., a Denton Ryan graduate, chased Hawkins and forced a fumble. Wisner ran for a 43-yard touchdown to give Texas a 21-3 lead on the next play.

The second: The Sooners (4-2) started the following drive at their own 25-yard line. They tied it up one play later when Texas defensive back forced a fumble from Oklahoma running back Taylor Tatum at the end of a 13-yard run. The Longhorns were unable to capitalize on the turnover; They ended a 6-play, 12-yard drive with a missed field goal by Bert Auburn.

Oklahoma's offensive problems

More like “Woahs.” Because, woah, it wasn't that great. The Sooners' offense scored just three points in the first half and totaled 107 yards of offense – at 3.2 yards per play – giving Texas a chance to settle. Oklahoma finished the game with 205 yards on 3.3 yards per play.

Oklahoma started true freshman Mike Hawkins Jr., a graduate of Frisco Emerson, for the second straight game after benching Denton Guyer's Jackson Arnold midway through a loss to nationally ranked Tennessee. Hawkins is a mobile quarterback but was largely pressured by Texas. He struggled to move the ball downfield because five wide receivers, including top pass-catcher Deion Burks, were sidelined with injuries.

Texas' veteran defense made things worse for the young signal-caller. Safety Michael Taaffe sacked Hawkins to thwart a drive and make it 3rd-and-23 on Oklahoma's second possession. Hill pressured Hawkins on a third-down throw and forced a bad pass on the Sooners' third possession, and Barryn Sorrell sacked Hawkins on a third-down throw to force a punt on Oklahoma's fourth possession early in the second quarter.

Hawkins completed 19 of his 30 passes for 147 yards and ran for 27 yards on 20 attempts. Only one Oklahoma running back (Javontae Barnes, 38 yards) rushed for more than 30 yards, as the Sooners punted on six of their first 11 drives.

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