3 Sooner Takeaways: Oklahoma Suffers Historic Embarrassment In 49-0 Loss To Texas

If you’re a Sooner fan, watching the 118th edition of Oklahoma-Texas may have aged you 118 years in three hours. 

I highly don’t recommend aging that much so soon if you have a skincare routine. Consult a dermatologist for further advice.

There was a television reporter who sat in the Cotton Bowl press box with me. (I won’t name names, stations or which state they’re reporting from.)

The reporter placed a phone call to someone who, I presume, is co-workers with them at their TV station. The reporter only had one thing to say as the fourth quarter was set to begin.

“No Oklahoma highlights,” the reporter said. Phone call over.

Of course, there weren’t zero Oklahoma highlights in total. There were probably two.

The highlights both happened in the first quarter: Brayden Willis’ five-yard run on a fourth down and punter Michael Turk’s three-yard pass to kicker Zach Schmit on another fourth down.

Beyond that, sure, there weren’t any other Oklahoma highlights.

The Texas Longhorns beat the Oklahoma Sooners 49-0 Saturday, ending OU’s four-game winning streak in the series.

It was Oklahoma’s worst-ever shutout loss to Texas. 

First Takeaway: (Not A) Gamblin’ Man

I don’t get sports betting.

I bear no ill will towards anyone who might do so. Sports and gambling are closer now than ever before, and I am interested in understanding how they intersect better.

For the purposes of this story, what I want to understand is why the lines in OU’s last two games were so small.

Oklahoma was favored by five points going into the TCU game, and Texas was favored anywhere between five and seven points leading up to Red River.

Turns out, TCU was 31 points better than OU, and the Longhorns were 49 points better.

Linemakers have a difficult job. There are so many games to keep track of and untold variables to keep in mind as they set the bar.

I don’t envy them. Nor do I expect to see a perfect, reasonable line every time.

Maybe there’s a bias to history. It’s Oklahoma football. They’re never down, right? Once you think they are down, they come roaring back. And when they do, you don’t want your sportsbook’s line to be out here looking crazy.

There is a good chance I am oversimplifying sports betting, but what appears to be plain and simple to me and others: Oklahoma is currently not good enough to earn the benefit of the doubt from their teams of the past. 

The 3-3 Sooners have the 5-1 Kansas Jayhawks in Norman next week. Will bookmakers be brave enough to have Kansas favored by more than 10 points?

Second Takeaway: Ch-‘Ew’-ed Up

Steve Sarkisian did something really cruel to the OU defense. Quinn Ewers and the Longhorn offense went three-and-out on their first drive. They ran three short plays. The third down play ended behind the line of scrimmage.

It gave OU linebacker Danny Stutsman, his team and the crimson half of the Cotton Bowl an emotional boost. The defense from early September had returned, and it came back when the Sooners needed it most.  

The Longhorns started their second drive on their own 10-yard line. They started taking more chances, but Woodi Washington nearly intercepted one of Ewers’ worst throws of the day.

That’s when Texas turned it up.

Ewers found an open Jordan Whittington for a simple first down, but OU defensive back Jaden Davis was tracking Whittington at a bad angle. Due to Davis’ poor positioning, the simple first down turned into 22 yards.

Then, while keeping the tempo up, Sarkisian threw running back Bijan Robinson and backup running Roschon Johnson at the Sooner defense. The OU players couldn’t keep up.

While trying desperately to react quicker and regain balance on defense, OU’s Jonah Laulu jumped offside early. Too late. Robinson muscled his way into the end zone from two yards away and away the Longhorn offense went.

I can’t be certain, but I would not be shocked if Ewers did not break a sweat on Saturday.

He made quarterbacking look basic and aspirational.

If Ewers could do that, why not me?

Ewers started the game 9-for-10 for 121 yards and a touchdown pass. Following his second TD pass in as many drives, he was 14-for-16 with 178 yards passing.

Ewers, in his first game in nearly 30 days, finished the game with nearly 300 yards passing and two more TD passes.

After last week’s loss to TCU, Oklahoma defensive coordinator Ted Roof said ending “explosive plays” was his biggest concern.

“Most of their (TCU) scoring drives were three plays, four plays, one play. That can’t happen,” Roof said. “We gotta (sic) get it fixed.”

Texas’ shortest touchdown drive Saturday was five plays in garbage time. So not one, three or four.

I have to give Roof credit where credit is due, but his job is far from finished.

Third Takeaway: Musical Chairs

The big mystery this week centered around who would start Saturday’s game at quarterback for the Sooners.

As the Longhorns grew their lead and the Sooners were kept out of the end zone, another mystery developed: Who would run out onto the field as Davis Beville’s backup?

It appears the answer might be freshman Nick Evers.

I wrote about what Evers could do at the position Friday in case he saw the field against Texas, but virtually none of it came to fruition.

Related: What Oklahoma’s Offense Could Look Like Against Texas With 4 Different Quarterbacks

All he did was hand the ball off to Jovantae Barnes and throw one incomplete pass.

What does it mean for Evers and General Booty? Maybe everything or maybe nothing.

It could signal that Booty is not Division I-ready, but in all honesty, how D-I ready do you have to be to hand the ball off on nearly every play?

Playing could have simply been a nice gesture for the Flower Mound, Texas-native Evers to take the field in front of family and friends.

If I were either of them, I probably would not have gone out there.