DALLAS — After last year’s Red River Showdown, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger — then a freshman — admitted the atmosphere of this fierce rivalry was incredible, but losing the game was “not incredible” and added he was looking forward to the next three years.
One year later, it was the determined Ehlinger on top after the sophomore quarterback outdueled the Sooners’ signal caller — Heisman candidate Kyler Murray — to propel 19th-ranked Texas to a thrilling 48-45 victory over seventh-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon in front of 92,300 fans at the half-crimson, half-burnt orange Cotton Bowl.
“I told the guys in the elevator coming up that it feels a lot better to come up a winner,” said Ehlinger, who accounted for five total touchdowns and led a 9-play, 52-yard drive in 2:29 to set up Cameron Dicker’s game-winning 40-yard field goal with nine seconds left.
Ehlinger’s poise was on full display on the final drive after the Sooners (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) stormed back from 21 points down in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
“The guy prepares like a pro,” Texas coach Tom Herman said, praising Ehlinger. “The first three quarters were impressive but the last drive was the most impressive to me because we’d given up a lot of energy and it was a tie ball game. For him to shut the door with his teammates says a lot about his grit.”
Before Texas (5-1, 3-0) — which now leads the Red River Rivalry series 62-46-5 — claimed its prize, the “Golden Hat,” Ehlinger went to congratulate Murray in an interaction that appeared heated on the field.
“Tempers were high,” Ehlinger said. “I was just going to say good game, congratulate him, because he’s a great player.”
Murray, who scored one of three OU fourth quarter touchdowns with his 67-yard scamper to the house with 5:11 left to make it a one-score game, declined comment on the quarterbacks’ hostile post-game encounter.
Since 1990, quarterbacks with starting or significant experience in the Red River Showdown boast a 13-2-1 record against quarterbacks making their first start in the rivalry game.
Experience, which is now 14-2-1, won again in 2018 with Ehlinger — who started last year — emerging victorious while Murray — who had not yet played in the Red River Rivalry — lost.
While Ehlinger didn’t turn the ball over once and completed 24 of his 35 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns in addition to tacking on 84 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground, Murray was rather carless with the football, throwing an interception and coughing up a costly fumble which led to 10 points off turnovers for Texas.
“If I hadn’t turned the ball over, we would have had a better shot at winning,” said a choked-up and misty-eyed Murray, who lost his first game as a starting quarterback since before his high school days at Texas powerhouse Allen High. “I’m not used to losing. I turned the ball over today, and you give them the advantage when you do that.”
Murray launched an errant downfield pass before Texas safety Brandon Jones leapt out of nowhere to intercept him in the first quarter.
Immediately after the Sooners forced the first Texas punt of the game in the third quarter, Murray carried the ball around like a loaf of bread and placed the ball on the turf before losing it.
“I lost my footing, but knowing the coverage and the situation I shouldn’t have tried to fit it in there,” Murray said of the first quarter interception. “Coach (Lincoln) Riley has always preached ball security in the pocket so that one (the third quarter fumble) definitely hurts.”
Texas recovered the fumble and five plays and less than two minutes later, Ehlinger scored on an easy 2-yard run with the Sooners defense not committing men for weakside help.
The hole proved too deep for OU to climb out of.
“To be up by two scores at that part in the game I think really solidified our confidence and helped our momentum roll into the second half,” Ehlinger said.
Murray’s resilience leading the Sooners to a trio of fourth quarter touchdowns in a six minute span was impressive, but the turnovers were more costly. The Longhorns’ defense sacked Murray twice and harassed him all day well behind the line of scrimmage.
Murray, who ran for 116 yards and a score, also threw for four touchdowns, including a 77-yard deep ball to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to cut into Texas’ 31-24 lead in the third quarter.
Brown, who had nine catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns, scored the longest touchdown catch ever by a Sooner in the history of the Red River Rivalry. CeeDee Lamb’s button hook route freed up Hollywood, who rubbed off him while the Texas defensive backs got tangled up with Lamb.
Brown won the foot race to the end zone, but the resounding “OU sucks” chants grew louder and louder later in the third quarter as the Longhorns extended their lead to three touchdowns.
No play looked too big for Ehlinger, who a year ago nearly pulled off an epic second half comeback by scoring 23 unanswered points, eerily similar to what the Sooners attempted on Saturday.
Ehlinger helped Texas convert 8 of its 16 third and fourth downs, including a tough 3rd-and-6 slant to Collin Johnson. Later on the same third quarter drive, Ehlinger dropped a perfect dime down the seam to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey for a 15-yard touchdown, giving Texas its biggest lead of the day at 45-24 with 56 seconds left in the third.
“Sam said in the locker room, ‘When you practice something, it shows up in games,’” Herman recalled.
Ehlinger had 388 total yards of offense — 278 through the air and 110 on the ground — in addition to a pair of touchdowns in last year’s Red River game despite 20 incompletions.
“I thought he (Ehlinger) did a good job last year in this game and did a good job again today,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said.
Just like Murray, Ehlinger has improved drastically, but it was the Longhorns’ quarterback who showed true poise on Saturday.
“In practice, Sam has been showing us that he is a poised quarterback and a great leader,” said Texas wide receiver Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, who had nine catches for 133 yards and a touchdown. “That is translating to the field."
Ehlinger, who hails from Austin, Texas, drew praise last year from OU Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, who last October donned the shimmering “Golden Hat."
“He's a tough kid," Baker Mayfield said a year ago. "You can tell by the way he (Ehlinger) carries himself. Just how Austin boys do it, I guess."