Oklahoma had never defeated a No. 1 Texas team in 122 years of the Red River Rivalry. That changed Saturday when the Sooners drew on contributions from their offense, defense and special teams to stun the Longhorns 27-24 and reclaim the Golden Hat trophy after two consecutive losses in the series.

Tate Sandell delivered the deciding points, making a 47-yard field goal with no time remaining. The kick followed two critical completions from John Mateer to Isaiah Sategna III as Oklahoma chose to pursue the victory rather than play for overtime with the score tied 24-24.

"It was really a classic game of two really good programs in an incredibly intense environment," Sooners coach Brent Venables said. "I think both sides would say it wasn't always pretty. It didn't always go our way, but it went right according to script."

Mateer found Sategna for 13 yards with 15 seconds remaining, then connected with him for 20 yards with nine seconds left. The catches came on opposite sides of the field and in tight windows, with both plays prompting official reviews before Sandell attempted the winning kick.

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"I don't know if I ever could have dreamed something like this," Sandell said. "It surpassed any imaginable feeling I could ever imagine."

Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 SEC) produced only 238 total yards, but its defense and special teams supplied two touchdowns. The Sooners blocked a punt for one score, while Peyton Bowen returned the first of Arch Manning’s two fourth quarter interceptions 42 yards for another.

Manning had given Texas big plays through the air, throwing a 41-yard touchdown to Cam Coleman and a 34-yard touchdown to Ryan Wingo. Those two completions combined for more yardage than Oklahoma generated during a first half in which the Sooners finished with 69 yards of offense and 1 yard rushing.

Still, Texas carried only a 17-7 lead into halftime. Danny Okoye blocked Mac Chiumento’s punt at the Texas 8-yard line, and Dakoda Fields recovered the ball at the back of the end zone for Oklahoma’s first touchdown in the matchup since 2023.

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Texas remained ahead 17-10 at the close of the third quarter, but Oklahoma was moving the ball. As the fourth quarter opened, Sooners players faced the crimson end of the stadium and encouraged the crowd, drawing a roar from Oklahoma supporters.

Two plays later, Lloyd Avant scored from 2 yards to make it 17-17. It was Oklahoma’s first rushing touchdown since the Sept. 4 season opener against UTEP.

"Our fans were fabulous," Venables said. "I just can't say enough about the energy that was in the stadium. Our guys fed off that."

Four minutes later, Manning floated a pass toward Bowen, who returned the interception 42 yards while weaving through Texas players and breaking tackles. The touchdown put Oklahoma ahead 24-17 with 10:07 remaining and marked Manning’s first career pick-six.

The game later stood tied at 24-24, giving Mateer and the Oklahoma offense an opportunity in the final seconds. Mateer had six turnovers across the previous three games and had faced scrutiny dating to the prior meeting with Texas.

Last year, Mateer had rushed back from thumb surgery to play in the rivalry game after an early season start in which he was a Heisman Trophy candidate. He threw three interceptions and was sacked five times in a 23-6 loss.

"I thought about this game for 365 days," Mateer said. "I think that was the longest fourth quarter I've ever been a part of. It was awesome, and I'll never forget it. But I knew 19 with seconds left that this was the time."

Manning’s second interception came at the Oklahoma 39 with 19 seconds remaining. Courtland Guillory recorded his first interception as a Sooner, ending Texas’ final opportunity before Oklahoma completed its winning drive.

"It was crazy," Guillory said. "In a game like this -- I say the biggest rivalry in college football, then I'm from Texas, so that makes it even bigger to me -- man, it was an amazing feeling that my first pick was in a big-time moment like that to help my team win."

Texas (4-1, 1-1) became the third AP No. 1 team since 2010 to lose to an unranked opponent. Alabama previously lost to Vanderbilt in 2024 and Texas A&M in 2021.

"We're not dead," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "We're going to be OK. We'll get back up off the mat."

Sarkisian described the defeat as "a level of disappointment, there's a level of anger and frustration," while defending Manning from taking all the blame for the offense’s inconsistencies. Oklahoma, meanwhile, earned the historic result that Venables said his team needed for obvious reasons.

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