OTF Premium Snap Judgments: No. 1 Texas earned a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout

[Jeff Howe]

Texas earned Saturday’s 27-24 walk-off loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout.

The Sooners beat the Longhorns in the trenches in the second half, out-rushing Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) by 30 yards (82-52) and forcing two turnovers. Arch Manning, not John Mateer, made catastrophic mistakes, with two interceptions that led to 10 points for Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1), including Tate Sandell’s game-winning 47-yard field goal.

The inexplicable loss isn’t solely on Manning’s shoulders.  The Longhorns couldn’t get a push in the running game when it mattered, Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling was as questionable as ever and Will Muschamp’s defense faltered down the stretch (although the defense was by far the better of the three phases on Saturday).

Texas is an undisciplined team that can’t run the football when it needs to, is inexplicably sloppy on special teams and failed to put its foot on the gas with a double-digit lead for the second consecutive game.

***

Oklahoma had a distinct path to victory. The action at the Cotton Bowl unfolded in the Sooners’ favor.

The Longhorns lost the turnover battle, 2-0.

Oklahoma improved to 16-2 under Brent Venables when scoring a non-offensive touchdown.

Mateer (18-for-26 for 155 yards) avoided making the backbreaking mistakes that plagued him through the Sooners’ first four games.

Oklahoma won the line-of-scrimmage battle when it mattered and seized the momentum when Texas left the door open for a potential comeback. We’ve seen Red River upsets unfold similarly in the past, which is why the Sooners taking the Golden Hat back to Norman isn’t a surprise, given how things unfolded in Dallas.

***

Even though Oklahoma’s defense lived up to its billing, seven three-and-outs, a pick-six and a missed field goal would’ve been more than enough to question where Sarkisian’s offense is going.

Then there was the last drive of the game.

The four-play drive that ended with Courtland Guillory’s interception of Manning felt like a microcosm of what’s wrong with the Longhorns on a side of the ball that’s putting out a product on par with last season's lackluster showing. Whether it’s a lack of hot routes or built-in advantage throws against blitzes, Manning’s inability or unwillingness to get the offense out of bad plays or questionable football IQ in a two-minute situation, Texas is too disjointed to take advantage of the talent Sarkisian’s organization acquired in the offseason.

Inconsistency is the only thing consistent about the Longhorn offense. The boom-or-bust nature of Sarkisian’s offense has a low ceiling for a team that can’t rely on the kicking game to do anything other than put the defense on short fields or give up points.

***

While the season isn’t over, the loss means that Sarkisian has no choice but to look in the mirror and see what changes must be made to improve the product.

Texas’ offensive identity, when push comes to shove, is still to snap the ball to Manning and hope something good happens. When it works, it’s great. When it doesn’t work, you get the outcome you got on Saturday.

Sarkisian can figure out what’s working and hammer those concepts so that the Longhorns can lean on a few things. Or he can keep dialing things up that, while they might look cool enough on tape to put on the call sheet, aren’t doing anything other than getting the offense behind the chains.

***

The opening kickoff going out of bounds was a bad omen.

I don’t like calling for a coach’s job. Still, for Jeff Banks’ unit to answer a forgettable showing against Tennessee with a performance that was worse against the Sooners is troubling, to say the least.

***

There aren’t enough adjectives to describe the nature of Saturday’s loss.

After doing what it needed to do to keep their College Football Playoff fate out of the selection committee’s hands through the first four games, Texas now has little to no margin for error. Unless Sarkisian's long-awaited desire for his club to play consistent complementary football is realized, the loss to Oklahoma won't be the last that the Longhorns suffer before the end of the regular season.

Texas did enough right to win the Ohio State and Tennessee games. It didn't do enough right to win on Saturday, with a lot of mistakes and misfires looking all too familiar.

The Longhorns have played with fire more than once this year. They finally got burned.

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[Jeff Howe]

I don't like calling for a coach's job, but coaches have been fired for less than the product Jeff Banks has put on the field the last two games.

[Cujonation83]

1 minute ago, Jeff Howe said:

I don't like calling for a coach's job, but coaches have been fired for less than the product Jeff Banks has put on the field the last two games.

I have to agree with this sentiment 

[Califashorn75]

Banks isn't going anywhere.  

[Arch2025]

Jeff Banks didn’t lose this.  He sux AZZ…  but arch is the problem till he leaves.  Spin some other bs…but the elephant in the room is Arch “ Deer in the headlightsManning”  begins and ends with your QB

[Randy Fistfighter]

So at what point does it come to in order to make some coaching moves?

[hookem1014]

So much for “win the rushing battle, and win the game“

[Cody72]

We miss/ need a guy like keilan Robinson. He made our special teams special. We haven’t even attempted to come after a kick in the past several years. No discipline and just sloppy play. Too much talent on this team to be that bad

[Sundancekid]

The end of the season…

[UT_Ro]

It's Jeff banks fault a player didn't block the dude that blocked the punt? It's his fault the kicker missed a field goal?

[thatdude2]

@Jeff Howe @Bobby Burton @CJ Vogel @Gerry Hamilton

4 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

I don't like calling for a coach's job, but coaches have been fired for less than the product Jeff Banks has put on the field the last two games.

Do you think this win changes the trajectory of OU’s season, or do you think this is chalked up to it being Red River?

[ManorHorn]

3 minutes ago, Califashorn75 said:

Banks isn't going anywhere.  

Of course not. Sark would rather keep his buddy employed than win games. 

[JurassicSark]

Manning nearly threw the game away against Tennessee, and now he threw it away against 0U. 

[hookem1014]

4 minutes ago, Arch2025 said:

Jeff Banks didn’t lose this.  He sux AZZ…  but arch is the problem till he leaves.  Spin some other bs…but the elephant in the room is Arch “ Deer in the headlightsManning”  begins and ends with your QB

Part of the reason Arch is bad is because of Sark and Milwee. How many coaches have had two #1 overall recruits at QB that can’t develop into reasonable draft pick? Doesn’t matter who is at QB when the staff can’t develop or call the right plays. If I’m Dia Bell I’m considering the portal. 

Edited 48 minutes ago by hookem1014

[Califashorn75]

Yes. We have been living dangerously all season. 

[NTX_Horn]

This is a 9-3 team, again.  5*s galore, but lose to a depleted team.  That’s a problem when you can’t maximize this talent.  Either he hires an OC or nothing changes.  We’re beating a dead horse here with the same thing every week regarding the offense and untimely penalties and special teams errors.  Two weeks to prepare for an injury riddled  much less talented opponent and nothing.  Barely escaped Tenn and OSU and awful showing against UTSA.  It’s beyond a trend with Sark and this offense.  Plugging in 5*s does only so much when you’re not maximizing the talent of those players.  Can’t keep throwing $$ at it the issue and hope to mask his ignorance in play calling and lack of QB development.

[Jordan91]

In terms of winning a national championship the season is over. The line can’t be fixed. The center won’t magically get better. Arch won’t magically get better. Sark isn’t that guy.  CFP? Yeah that’s on the table still. 

[Class of 04]

Your not wrong, It's pretty clear at this point that Arch is not a cerebral QB, I don't know what the answer is but I don't think he is part of the correct equation. All it takes is one oh s%$t to wipe out ten atta' boys, and he is playing on the negative side of that column right now. Banks issues have been bubbling to the surface for too long and a change is necessary. The running game has me scratching my head way too often as well. I feel like everyone clamoring for Arch owes Quinn a giant apology.

[Little Carmine]

I know it’s y’all’s job but after a game like that, I wouldn’t fault anyone for not wanting to cover that performance. Pathetic and embarrassing.

[hookem1014]

Shout out to all the sunshine pumpers who didn’t want to hear any criticism just because the team was 4-0

[nycHorn]

6 minutes ago, Arch2025 said:

Jeff Banks didn’t lose this.  He sux AZZ…  but arch is the problem till he leaves.  Spin some other bs…but the elephant in the room is Arch “ Deer in the headlightsManning”  begins and ends with your QB

There’s plenty of suck to go around. 

[cmk4pres]

Here are snap judgments...

sark is a complete joke as a play caller and Arch isn't Quinn Ewers. Lets stop sugercoating and walkijg in eggshells. 
 

pathetic 

[Shmatt]

Sark is a coward, he won’t fire banks nor challenge himself or his football team 

[Califashorn75]

Our defense could have played better too. They aren't completely off the hook. This was a team loss. Now they have to re-group and not lose again. 

[PhillyLucky]

Why do we suck so bad after bye week?  Florida and Georgia were our two bye weeks last year.