Texas defeats No. 6 Oklahoma 23-6 in Red River Rivalry

Texas beat No. 6 Oklahoma 23-6 on Saturday in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, handing the Sooners their first loss of the season and snapping Oklahoma's unbeaten start. The Longhorns seized control in the second half and leaned on a stout defensive performance and a late special-teams score to secure the win.

Oklahoma started quarterback John Mateer, who returned 17 days after surgery on his throwing hand, but he struggled throughout the game. Mateer completed 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and threw three interceptions, and he was sacked five times. The Sooners' only points came on two field goals as Texas held Oklahoma scoreless after the 9:09 mark of the second quarter, the Longhorns rallying for 23 unanswered points.

Texas opened the second half with a 74-yard drive that ended when Arch Manning connected with DeAndre Moore Jr. on a 12-yard touchdown pass to give the Longhorns the lead for good. A 75-yard punt return for a touchdown by Ryan Niblett in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach. Oklahoma had entered the matchup 5-0 but finished the day 5-1; Texas improved to 4-2.

The Longhorns' defense, which entered the game allowing about 12 points per...