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Oklahoma

OU-Texas quick-hitters: Sooners fall apart in second half, suffer first loss

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo10/11/25BPrzybylo
John Mateer17
OU quarterback John Mateer. (Kevin Jairaj - Imagn Images)

Well, OU quarterback John Mateer started and played the whole game. But it’s a game that OU fans do not want to remember.

A legend was not born, at least not on this afternoon at the Cotton Bowl. Texas took over when it mattered most to give OU its initial loss of the season, 23-6, in the Red River Rivalry

Here are your quick-hit takeaways.

Mateer tried but didn’t deliver

You give credit to Mateer for attempting to become an OU legend. But it just didn’t work out. Mateer couldn’t get anything going in the quarterback run game.

And as a passer, it was just a rough afternoon. He threw three interceptions. And honestly? There were a couple of more that could have been picked off.

There’s going to be a lot of hindsight with this one. Mateer wanted to go. He was cleared to go. It just didn’t work.

He was also sacked five times.

Second half meltdown

OU led 6-3 at halftime. Everything was still there for the taking. Instead, Texas started the second half with a drive that took the first 7:11 off the clock.

All said and done in the third quarter? Texas ran 25 plays. OU ran four. And although it never felt like OU got flat-out tired or fatigued, it was on the field for a long, long time.

It never changed the rest of the way. Texas was able to dictate the final 30 minutes, in perhaps the biggest surprise of the game. Texas 20, OU 0 in the second half.

Special teams death blow

Texas only had one punt return. The Horns made it count, though. It was a 13-6 game in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Niblett changed it all.

Niblett caught it near the sideline but went 75 yards for what felt like a back-breaking touchdown.

A lot of talk all week that there was going to have to be a defensive or special teams touchdown. It just went in favor of Texas this time around.

Up next

Well, it’s not about to get any easier. At all. OU (5-1, 1-1) heads to South Carolina next Saturday. That game will either be at 11 a.m. or 11:45 a.m., to be decided either late Saturday night or Sunday morning. South Carolina destroyed OU in Norman last season.

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