Texas vs. Oklahoma
| Nickname | Red River Rivalry |
| Location | Dallas, Texas |
| Stadium | Cotton Bowl |
| Trophy | Golden Hat |
| Rivalry Rating | 🔥 |
The Red River Rivalry is the annual football game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. Played on neutral ground in Dallas, Texas on the second Saturday of October since 1929, the Red River Rivalry can make or break national title hopes, determine coaching legacies, set the tone for an entire season and award the Golden Hat. One of the most unique scenes in college football, the Cotton Bowl is equidistant between Austin and Norman and split evenly down the 50-yard-line with half of the crowd in burnt orange and the other in crimson.
Two distinct “golden eras” where each team was routinely ranked in the top-10 defined generations of college football: the 2000s and the 1970s. There have been 14 top-10 matchups between the Longhorns and the Sooners; nine of them happened between 1971-79 and 2001-08.
 | Wins | Losses | Ties | Times-Ranked | Average Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 50 | 5 | 52 | 9 |
 | Wins | Losses | Ties | Times-Ranked | Average Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 62 | 5 | 60 | 7 |
Most Impactful Games
2021: (6) Oklahoma 55 – (21) Texas 48
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 25 | 55 |
 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 48 |
| Statistics | (6) OU | 21 (UT) |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 26 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 662 | 516 |
| Rushes/Yards | 41/339 | 27/128 |
| Passing Yards | 323 | 388 |
| Completions/Attempts/Interceptions | 24/40/1 | 20/34/0 |
The first Red River Rivalry game played after COVID-19 shutdowns, the 2022 game had all the hallmarks of a classic: huge plays, big leads, surprise substitutions and a 21-point OU comeback. It papered-over simmering problems at Oklahoma – head coach Lincoln Riley and backup-turned-hero quarterback Caleb Williams would both depart for USC after the season – and sent Texas into a six-game tailspin during Steve Sarkisian’s first season as head coach.
Texas jumped out to an early 28-7 lead thanks to a Xavier Worthy touchdown on the first play of the game, a Bijan Robinson rushing touchdown and two long scoring catches by Joshua Moore. The Longhorns’ euphoria would not last, though, as Lincoln Riley benched starting quarterback Spencer Rattler after two costly turnovers in favor of freshman Caleb Williams whose 66-yard rushing touchdown gave the Sooners hope and exposed vulnerabilities in Texas’ defense.
Texas thought they’d sent the game to overtime after Casey Thompson threw a 31-yard touchdown heave to Worthy to tie it at 41-41 with 1:25 to go. However, Oklahoma’s Kennedy Brooks broke Longhorn hearts when he barreled through the defense for a 33-yard rushing touchdown with seven seconds left on the clock to win the rivalry game.
Implications
- The Sooners extended their Red River Showdown winning steak to four games.
- Texas would go on to lose five more games in a row after this, including a home loss to Kansas, guaranteeing its worst losing streak since 1956.
- The win sent Oklahoma into the top-4, keeping their hopes alive for a fifth appearance in the College Football Playoff, until losses to eventual Big 12 champion Baylor and runner-up Oklahoma State. The Bedlam loss preceded head coach Lincoln Riley’s shocking departure for USC by mere hours amidst rumors that the coach would leave for LSU.
2018: (19) Texas 48 – (7) Oklahoma 45
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 48 |
| 7 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
| Statistics | (6) OU | (21) UT |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 26 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 662 | 516 |
| Rushes/Yards | 41/339 | 27/128 |
| Passing Yards | 323 | 388 |
| Completions/Attempts/Interceptions | 24/40/1 | 20/34/0 |
| Time of Possession | 35:23 | 24:37 |
Texas’ only victory against Oklahoma under head coach Tom Herman, the 2018 matchup was a high-scoring affair that previewed an eventual rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game. Even though Oklahoma would win the conference and appear in the College Football Playoff, Texas’ win in this game represented, at the time, a return to prominence for the program.
Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger rushed for three touchdowns against a porous, 101-ranked Oklahoma defense and UT appeared to be in control before a miraculous 67-yard touchdown run by transfer quarterback Kyler Murray brought the Sooners to within seven points. OU running back Trey Sermon tied the game with 2:38 to play before Texas kicker Cameron Dicker nailed a 40-yard game-winning “earthquake” field goal with nine seconds to go.
Implications
- Texas won its first game against a top-10-ranked OU team in ten years.
- Murray’s sensational 67-yard rushing score was his “Heisman Moment” and set the stage for him to chosen #1 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft.
- The Longhorns’ signature win kept them in the hunt for the Big 12 championship which they would lose to a playoff-bound Oklahoma.
- Because the Sooners went to College Football Playoff after winning the Big 12, Texas was the conference’s representative in the 2019 Sugar Bowl against Georgia. The Longhorns shocked the Bulldogs 28-21 and Sam Ehlinger prematurely declared “We’re baaaaaaack” before a national audience. Texas would go 8-5 the next season.
2008: (5) Texas 45 – (1) Oklahoma 35
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 45 |
| 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Statistics | (5) Texas | (1) Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 23 | 20 |
| Total Yards | 438 | 435 |
| Rushes/Yards | 35/161 | 26/48 |
| Passing Yards | 277 | 387 |
| Completions/Attempts/Interceptions | 28/35/0 | 28/41/2 |
The last time that both teams were ranked in the top-10 lived up to all of the hype and led to a three-way tie in the Big 12 at the end of the season that furthered calls for a postseason playoff.
The Sooners, averaging nearly 50 points per game, moved up to #1 in the country after USC lost to Oregon State in week 3. Texas started the year ranked #11 and similarly throttled all of their opponents by nearly 36 points per game before the Red River Shootout. Surely the winner of this game would be the eventual Big 12 champion and likely appear in the BCS title game, right?
Jordan Shipley returned a 96-yard kickoff for a touchdown after Oklahoma went up 14-3 in the second quarter. The teams would go back-and-forth for the rest of the game before Cody Johnson punched in two goal line touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away for Texas.
The Longhorns immediately shot up to #1 in the rankings and appeared destined for the BCS title game.
Implications
- Texas would lose a heartbreaker in Lubbock to #6 Texas Tech on November 1, 2008. This loss would push the Horns down to #5 in the BCS rankings.
- After rising to #2 following their victory over Texas, the Texas Tech Red Raiders were blown out, 65-21, by #5 Oklahoma on November 22.
- All of this resulted in a three-way tie at the top of the Big 12 South (Texas beat Oklahoma, Texas Tech beat Texas, Oklahoma beat Texas Tech). Because Oklahoma (#2) ranked higher than Texas (#3) and Texas Tech (#7) in the final BCS rankings, the Sooners won the division, defeated #20 Missouri in the Big 12 title game and subsequently lost to #1 Florida in the BCS National Championship Game.
- The Big 12 changed their divisional tie-breaker rules in 2010 to take head-to-head results into account if the two teams were “within one ordinal place in the BCS ratings.”
Notable Games
2017: (12) Oklahoma 29 – Texas 24
Oklahoma holds on to win after blowing a 20-point lead against unranked Texas and stay on track for a College Football Playoff appearance. Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield went on to win the Heisman Trophy and be drafted #1 overall by the Cleveland Browns.
2016: (20) Oklahoma 45 – Texas 40
Bob Stoops’ 18th and final Red River Rivalry ends in a victory over Texas. Stoops and the Sooners would go undefeated in conference play and win their second straight Big 12 title.
2015: Texas 24 – (10) Oklahoma 17
Charlie Strong’s only victory over Oklahoma during his disappointing coaching stint at Texas (16-21).
2013: Texas 36 – (12) Oklahoma 20
In what would turn out to be his last time coaching in the Red River Rivalry, Mack Brown’s unranked Longhorns would derail Oklahoma’s season before the legendary coach was forced out of Austin at the end of the season.
2009: (3) Texas 16 – (20) Oklahoma 13
Tied at 13 going into the fourth quarter, Texas kicker Hunter Lawrence hit a 32-yard field goal with 12:09 remaining and the Longhorns held on to continue their perfect season en route to a BCS Championship game appearance against Alabama.
Full History
| Year | Winner | Score | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Texas | 49 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 2021 | (6) Oklahoma | 55 | (21) Texas | 48 |
| 2020 | Oklahoma | 53 | (22) Texas | 45 |
| 2019 | (6) Oklahoma | 34 | (11) Texas | 27 |
| 2018 | (19) Texas | 48 | (7) Oklahoma | 45 |
| 2017 | (12) Oklahoma | 29 | Texas | 24 |
| 2016 | (20) Oklahoma | 45 | Texas | 40 |
| 2015 | Texas | 24 | (10) Oklahoma | 17 |
| 2014 | (11) Oklahoma | 31 | Texas | 26 |
| 2013 | Texas | 36 | (12) Oklahoma | 20 |
| 2012 | (13) Oklahoma | 63 | (15) Texas | 21 |
| 2011 | (3) Oklahoma | 55 | (11) Texas | 17 |
| 2010 | (8) Oklahoma | 28 | (21) Texas | 20 |
| 2009 | (3) Texas | 16 | (20) Oklahoma | 13 |
| 2008 | (5) Texas | 45 | (1) Oklahoma | 35 |
| 2007 | (10) Oklahoma | 28 | (19) Texas | 21 |
| 2006 | (7) Texas | 28 | (14) Oklahoma | 10 |
| 2005 | (2) Texas | 45 | Oklahoma | 12 |
| 2004 | (2) Oklahoma | 12 | (5) Texas | 0 |
| 2003 | (1) Oklahoma | 65 | (11) Texas | 13 |
| 2002 | (2) Oklahoma | 35 | (3) Texas | 24 |
| 2001 | (3) Oklahoma | 14 | (5) Texas | 3 |
| 2000 | (10) Oklahoma | 63 | (11) Texas | 14 |
| 1999 | (23) Texas | 38 | Oklahoma | 28 |
| 1998 | Texas | 34 | Oklahoma | 3 |
| 1997 | Texas | 27 | Oklahoma | 24 |
| 1996 | Oklahoma | 30 | (25) Texas | 27 |
| 1995 | TIE | 24 | TIE | 24 |
| 1994 | (15) Texas | 17 | (16) Oklahoma | 10 |
| 1993 | (10) Oklahoma | 38 | Texas | 17 |
| 1992 | Texas | 34 | (16) Oklahoma | 24 |
| 1991 | Texas | 10 | (6) Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1990 | Texas | 14 | (4) Oklahoma | 13 |
| 1989 | Texas | 28 | (15) Oklahoma | 24 |
| 1988 | (10) Oklahoma | 28 | Texas | 13 |
| 1987 | (1) Oklahoma | 44 | Texas | 9 |
| 1986 | (6) Oklahoma | 47 | Texas | 12 |
| 1985 | (2) Oklahoma | 14 | (7) Texas | 7 |
| 1984 | TIE | 15 | TIE | 15 |
| 1983 | (2) Texas | 28 | (8) Oklahoma | 16 |
| 1982 | Oklahoma | 28 | (13) Texas | 22 |
| 1981 | (3) Texas | 34 | (10) Oklahoma | 14 |
| 1980 | (3) Texas | 20 | (12) Oklahoma | 13 |
| 1979 | (4) Texas | 16 | (3) Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1978 | (1) Oklahoma | 31 | (6) Texas | 10 |
| 1977 | (5) Texas | 13 | (2) Oklahoma | 6 |
| 1976 | TIE | 6 | TIE | 6 |
| 1975 | (2) Oklahoma | 24 | (5) Texas | 17 |
| 1974 | (2) Oklahoma | 16 | (17) Texas | 13 |
| 1973 | (6) Oklahoma | 52 | (13) Texas | 13 |
| 1972 | (2) Oklahoma | 27 | (10) Texas | 0 |
| 1971 | (4) Oklahoma | 48 | (3) Texas | 27 |
| 1970 | (2) Texas | 41 | Oklahoma | 9 |
| 1969 | (2) Texas | 27 | (8) Oklahoma | 17 |
| 1968 | Texas | 26 | Oklahoma | 20 |
| 1967 | Texas | 9 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1966 | Oklahoma | 18 | Texas | 9 |
| 1965 | (1) Texas | 19 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1964 | (1) Texas | 28 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1963 | (2) Texas | 28 | (1) Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1962 | (2) Texas | 9 | Oklahoma | 6 |
| 1961 | (4) Texas | 28 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1960 | (15) Texas | 24 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1959 | (4) Texas | 19 | (13) Oklahoma | 12 |
| 1958 | (16) Texas | 15 | (2) Oklahoma | 14 |
| 1957 | (1) Oklahoma | 21 | Texas | 7 |
| 1956 | (1) Oklahoma | 45 | Texas | 0 |
| 1955 | (3) Oklahoma | 20 | Texas | 0 |
| 1954 | (1) Oklahoma | 14 | (15) Texas | 7 |
| 1953 | (16) Oklahoma | 19 | (15) Texas | 14 |
| 1952 | (12) Oklahoma | 49 | Texas | 20 |
| 1951 | (6) Texas | 9 | (11) Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1950 | (3) Oklahoma | 14 | (4) Texas | 13 |
| 1949 | (3) Oklahoma | 20 | (12) Texas | 14 |
| 1948 | (16) Oklahoma | 20 | Texas | 14 |
| 1947 | (3) Texas | 34 | (15) Oklahoma | 14 |
| 1946 | (1) Texas | 20 | Oklahoma | 13 |
| 1945 | (10) Texas | 12 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1944 | Texas | 20 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1943 | Texas | 13 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1942 | Texas | 7 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1941 | Texas | 40 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1940 | Texas | 19 | Oklahoma | 16 |
| 1939 | (3) Oklahoma | 24 | Texas | 12 |
| 1938 | (14) Oklahoma | 13 | Texas | 0 |
| 1937 | TIE | 7 | TIE | 7 |
| 1936 | Texas | 6 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1935 | Texas | 12 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1934 | Texas | 19 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1933 | Oklahoma | 9 | Texas | 0 |
| 1932 | Texas | 17 | Oklahoma | 10 |
| 1931 | Texas | 3 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1930 | Texas | 17 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1929 | Texas | 21 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1923 | Texas | 26 | Oklahoma | 14 |
| 1922 | Texas | 32 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1919 | Oklahoma | 12 | Texas | 7 |
| 1917 | Oklahoma | 14 | Texas | 0 |
| 1916 | Texas | 21 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1915 | Oklahoma | 14 | Texas | 13 |
| 1914 | Texas | 32 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 1913 | Texas | 14 | Oklahoma | 6 |
| 1912 | Oklahoma | 21 | Texas | 6 |
| 1911 | Oklahoma | 6 | Texas | 3 |
| 1910 | Oklahoma | 3 | Texas | 0 |
| 1909 | Texas | 30 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1908 | Oklahoma | 50 | Texas | 0 |
| 1907 | Texas | 29 | Oklahoma | 10 |
| 1906 | Texas | 10 | Oklahoma | 9 |
| 1905 | Oklahoma | 2 | Texas | 0 |
| 1904 | Texas | 40 | Oklahoma | 10 |
| 1903 | Texas | 11 | Oklahoma | 5 |
| 1903 | TIE | 6 | TIE | 6 |
| 1902 | Texas | 22 | Oklahoma | 6 |
| 1901 | Texas | 11 | Oklahoma | 0 |
| 1901 | Texas | 12 | Oklahoma | 6 |
| 1900 | Texas | 28 | Oklahoma | 2 |