Quinn Ewers returned for No. 1 Texas, leading the Longhorns to another big win over their Red River rival Oklahoma, this time in the Southeastern Conference.
Ewers came back after four weeks due to an abdomen strain, throwing for 199 yards with the game-winning touchdown and running for another score as Texas crushed 18th-ranked Oklahoma 34-3 on Saturday. This game was similar to Ewers’ first Red River game two years ago, when he helped Texas achieve a historic shutout after missing the previous three games.
“It’s been fun the past three years, and I’m super glad to be 2-1, and over .500 in the game,” Ewers said, referring to his previous performances, including four touchdown passes in a 49-0 win. “The experience and atmosphere is, it’s unbeatable.”
After missing two games since getting hurt on September 14, Ewers had a rough start but finished 20-of-29 passing. He was sacked on the game’s first play and threw his only interception on his first pass.
“A rough start, but I think we did a good job of overcoming some adversity early,” Ewers said.
Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown for the Longhorns (6-0, 2-0 SEC). His fumble at the end of a long run was recovered in the end zone by teammate Silas Bolden for another touchdown. Both scores came just before halftime, giving Texas a 21-3 lead.
The first Red River game under their new conference logo was the 120th in the series, which started in 1900 and has been played annually during the State Fair of Texas since 1929. Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2) had won five of the last six meetings while they were in the Big 12, but Texas holds a 64-51-5 advantage in the series.
“Getting the Golden Hat trophy back is a tremendous honor for these guys to have as part of their legacy here,” said Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian. “We’re going to enjoy it, but the journey is far from over. We got more work to do.”
Texas is only halfway through the regular season and will next face No. 5 Georgia.
The Longhorns took the lead for good when Ewers rolled to his right and then threw back to Gunnar Helm for a 7-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, making it 7-3 after Texas had trailed for the first time this season.
“When the offense was struggling early, we had the defense,” Sarkisian said. “We felt like we built a team to do that.”
