Oklahoma rolls up over 670 yards of offense in 45-40 win over Texas
Texas coach Charlie Strong’s first week in charge of his team’s defense didn’t go well at all.
Oklahoma (3-2) had 672 yards of total offense and held on late for a 45-40 win over Texas. It’s the Longhorns’ third-straight loss after opening the season with wins over Notre Dame and Texas-El Paso.
After a loss to Oklahoma State in Week 5, reports emerged that Strong’s job status was in jeopardy after the season. Monday, Strong announced defensive coordinator Vance Bedford had been reassigned as the team’s defensive backs coach and that he would be taking over defensive responsibilities.
And Texas ended up giving up the fifth-most yards in school history vs. the Sooners.
A major reason the Longhorns were in the game until the end was Oklahoma’s propensity for turnovers. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw two interceptions and running back Joe Mixon fumbled twice, including a punt where he called fair catch and let it drop in front of him. The punt then bounced directly into Mixon’s chest and Texas recovered.
Oh, and on one of Mayfield’s interceptions, a Texas defender leveled wide receiver Geno Lewis as the ball was in the air. No penalty was called.
A possible fifth turnover almost gave Texas one last chance with about a minute remaining. On a third-down play, Mayfield inexplicably lost the ball trying to struggle for more yards during a sack. The ball scooted forward but was recovered by an Oklahoma lineman as Texas, without any timeouts, was hopeless to stop the clock.
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While Oklahoma rushed for 282 yards, the Texas pass defense was especially exploited. Mayfield found Dede Westbrook for three long touchdowns as Westbrook had 10 catches for 232 yards.
The Texas offense got in on the long pass game too. While he was scatter-armed in the first half, freshman quarterback Shane Buechele found that he could exploit Oklahoma’s defense deep too. After Oklahoma went up 42-27, Texas responded with a touchdown to cut the lead to 42-34 with over 10 minutes to go in the first half.
But the defense couldn’t get a stop. The Sooners immediately embarked on a 15-play drive that took over eight minutes to set up the field goal for the winning margin of victory.
Friday, Texas athletic director Mike Perrin said he hadn’t considered making a midseason coaching change. Given that Oklahoma was the preseason favorite for the Big 12, there shouldn’t be a big push for Strong’s job after Saturday’s game.
But this is Texas, the school that was already discussing Strong’s job status last week. There’s no telling the level of panic Texas boosters and fans will have after this loss, especially given the way the defense performed.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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